Linda Campbell is vice president of sales for Entek Manufacturing Inc., a maker of extruders and material handling equipment based in Lebanon, Ore.
Campbell recently took time to provide insights into current markets for compounds, concentrates and extrusion.
Q: What end markets have done well this year?
Campbell: Commercial building products such as natural fiber composites, have been a very strong market segment for Entek in 2024. This would be followed by automotive projects, but these have been centered on smaller research lines.
Q: What impact have new products had this year?
Campbell: We're grateful that our product development and marketing teams have done an excellent job communicating our new technology and products. With this, the industry is learning how our new products can have a positive impact to their production.
Our vacuum feed technology (VFT) offers a proven solution to volumetric limits associated with feeding fluffy, low-density powders, which often results in dramatic increases to production rates. Additionally, our vent flow sensor (VFS) has proven to be a reliable safety precaution in applications that are prone to volatiles escaping the extruder.
Q: Have you seen impacts from higher interest rates or other economic factors?
Campbell: There's no doubt we see business owners concerned as to what this economy will do in the next few months. With the recent election past us, we feel this helps give some insight into business and consumer confidence.
If we can see interest rates continue to decline, we expect to see a much stronger 2025 than 2024. We continue to keep a close eye on new home builds as they directly impact our overall booked orders.
Q: What's been the impact of sustainability, either recycled or bio-based?
Campbell: Entek is working on a large bio-based project with a current customer. As in previous years, the use of bio-based and recycled materials continues to be a focal point of the industry, and Entek is committed to growing our capacity to support these business focuses. Our testing facility at headquarters remains committed to helping our customers refine their processing and development needs.
Q: Are customers positive or cautious?
Campbell: Customers are cautious, while optimistic about the growth opportunities 2025 presents. We have seen numerous customers continue to invest in new equipment and building expansions in preparation for an economic turnaround as inflation begins to slow and interest rates continue to decrease. We all want to see new building starts and automotive industries strengthen — and then we hope to get back to a pre-COVID economy.
Q: What are Entek's expansion plans?
Campbell: We recently completed a major expansion, so we're working on leveraging that new investment and added employees. We keep a close eye on the market and potential upcoming projects. We can adjust our resources pretty quickly to serve our industry.
Q: What's your outlook for 2025?
Campbell: We're feeling positive about 2025. We believe the industry will start to increase units sold starting mid-year. We're ready!