Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Sign Up Free
  • Login
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • K Show
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • Processor of the Year
    • Best Places to Work
    • Women Breaking the Mold
    • Rising Stars
    • Diversity
    • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • Pellets and Politics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Resin Prices
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
April 04, 2013 02:00 AM

US injection press sales still on the rise, plastic manufacturing 'chugging steadily upward'

Bill Bregar
Senior Staff Reporter
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Reprints Print
    Plastics News
    Bill Wood

    WASHINGTON — The U.S. turnaround continued in 2012 for sales of injection molding machines — by far the largest plastics machinery segment — while extruders and blow molding machine segments were flat or down, according to the Society of the Plastics Industry Inc.'s Committee on Equipment Statistics.

    Washington-based SPI also released statistics on hot runners and blown film equipment for the first time ever, and delivered its second annual report on thermoforming machines. Meanwhile, the components segment — screws and barrels — has been indefinitely suspended from reporting.

    Economist Bill Wood, who provides an analysis for the SPI numbers, said extrusion machinery seemed to be at a cyclical bottom in 2012. He is predicting gradual improvement this year, in part fueled by a recovering construction sector.

    An overall trend for U.S. capital spending resumed its upward movement in the fourth quarter, and Wood expects that to persist throughout 2013.

    Solid growth in the automotive market will continue, said Wood, who runs Mountaintop Economics and Research in Greenfield, Mass. Medical and packaging are growing, while electronics and appliances have just passed a cyclical bottom and should remain fairly flat.

    "The fundamental incentives for strong investment in capital equipment remain intact," Wood wrote in his report. "These include: high levels of profits for U.S. corporations, a continued premium on increased productivity, and the incessant desire to promote energy efficiency."

    Wood thinks U.S. plastics product manufacturing is "chugging steadily upward," and he forecasts that in 2013, plastics volume will grow by 5 percent. Capacity utilization, which averaged only about 79 percent in the fourth quarter of 2012, should exceed 82 percent by the end of this year, he predicted.

    Here is a recap of the SPI machinery statistics:

    Injection molding

    SPI reported that 3,307 injection molding presses were ordered in all of 2012, for a 16 percent increase from the order level of 2011. The trend for injection presses is definitely on the upswing — the strong showing in 2012 follows a 13 percent increase in orders in 2011.

    The total dollar value of injection presses in 2012 grew by 20 percent over 2011.

    Wood is predicting a gain of 6-8 percent this year, which would mean new orders should be at least 3,500 units. He said shipments should grow 8 percent, to 3,300 injection presses shipped in 2013.

    SPI also gives some information about injection machinery segments in the fourth quarter of 2012. New orders of all-electric presses increased by 12 percent, according to the report, while sales of hydraulic machines grew by 17 percent.

    "Since hitting their respective cyclical bottoms in 2009, the trend in the hydraulic data still looks a bit stronger than the trend in the electric data, but not by much," Wood wrote.

    In the fourth quarter, orders for horizontal machines increased by 17 percent, but vertical press orders dropped 27 percent.

    Extrusion

    "Overall, 2012 was a pretty good year for single-screw extruders, but demand was weak for both co- and counter-rotating twin-screw machines," Wood wrote in the report. "We still expect that the overall market fundamentals for extrusion machinery will gradually improve in 2013, with the best growth coming in the second half of this year."

    A construction industry pickup is happening, but Wood notes there is a lag in new-extruder buying because building product makers first try to boost capacity by restarting existing machinery. But market demand for extruders should rebound more sharply in the second half of this year.

    SPI said new orders for single-screw extruders was flat in 2012, with a decline of less than 2 percent, or 13 fewer units that 2011. But the dollar value jumped 38 percent, a trend that should continue.

    Wood predicts orders of single-screw extruders should gain 8 percent in 2013. That would put the annual total at 960 units.

    In the twin-screw extruder sector, the annual order total for 2012 declined by 29 percent from 2011. The drop was a bit heavier for co-rotating twin-screw lines (down 31 percent) than it was for counter-rotating machines (down 25 percent).

    This year, Wood thinks twin-screw extruders will gain 15 percent, in both units and dollar value.

    Blow molding

    SPI said 67 blow molding machines were ordered in 2012, down 21 percent from the 85 blow molders ordered in 2011.

    The annual dollar value was down 34 percent from the 2011 total.

    Wood thinks orders in 2013 will hit the 75 to 80 range, with a total value of $75 million.

    Blown film equipment

    For 2012, orders for new lines and new extruders were both up by 3 units. The annual totals for orders of dies, air rings and winders declined substantially from their 2011 totals.

    "The forecast calls for steady-to-down market conditions for the first half of 2013, but positive numbers are expected for the second half of this year as the prevailing economic conditions in the U.S. gradually improve," Wood said.

    Auxiliary equipment

    SPI reports that the total number of auxiliary equipment units booked increased by 17 percent in 2012 from the year before. The total dollar value was up 15 percent.

    Again this year, a significant change in the number of companies reporting the data resulted in SPI officials not including the comparative numbers from 2011.

    Wood is forecasting a gain of 6-8 percent for both units and dollars in 2013.

    Breaking out some auxiliary categories, robot orders were up 23 percent in 2012, a growth trend that is gaining momentum. Orders for granulators jumped 28 percent. New orders for water and temperature control units grew by 22 percent. Sales of material handling units increased by 12 percent.

    Thermoforming equipment

    New orders for thermoforming equipment were up 24 percent, at 173 units than it was in 2011, according to SPI. The dollar value increased by 26 percent.

    Wood thinks the thermoforming machinery sector should grow about 8 percent in 2013.

    Hot runners

    There were 5,264 hot runner units booked in 2012, a 2 percent gain from the 2011 total. But the dollar value grew by a solid 22 percent.

    SPI reported a sharp drop in orders in the fourth quarter of 2012, however, and it hit all categories. Manifold systems fell sharply while hot valves were flat. Both valve gates and open gates declined.

    "The forecast for this market calls for continued growth in hot runner demand in 2013 when compared with 2012, but the strongest gains will occur during the second half of this year," the report said.

    Wood predicts the number of orders booked in 2013 will increase 5-6 percent, and dollar value will gain 8 percent.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Georgia home to new PET chemical recycling plant
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Tornadoes, severe weather impact Texas resin plants
    2
    Dow cutting 2,000 jobs, ‘evaluating ... global asset base'
    3
    Guilty plea in scheme involving $4.1M in fraudulent polymer sales
    4
    MAPP survey shows ‘struggling' plastics processing sector
    5
    Plastics firms work to eliminate PFAS use as pressure mounts
    SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Tire Business
    • Urethanes Technology
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2023. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • K Show
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • Processor of the Year
        • Best Places to Work
        • Women Breaking the Mold
        • Rising Stars
        • Diversity
        • Most Interesting Social Media Accounts in Plastics
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • Pellets and Politics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • PN Live: Mergers and Acquisitions
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Resin Prices
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified