Injection Molding, Auxiliaries Drive Plastics Equipment Market in Q2
A record performance from auxiliaries and near double-digit gains for injection molding machine shipments reflected the plastic equipment sector's continued strength.
Record breaking auxiliary bookings, strong injection molding machine demand, and growth in twin-screw extruder orders pushed the value of shipments of primary plastics equipment to $299.3 million in the second quarter, 10% above the year-ago quarter.
The Society of the Plastics Industry's (SPI) Committee on Equipment Statistics' (CES) most recent report showed continued strength for the North American market, with the $299.3 million in shipments of reporting companies just slightly below the first quarter's $300.3 million result. So far in 2014, the total value of primary equipment shipments is running 10% ahead of 2013.
Injection molding machinery shipments were up 9 percent in the second quarter compared to last year, while shipments of single-screw extruders slipped 2 percent. The value of twin-screw extruder shipments jumped 63 percent, while blow molding machine shipment values slipped 2 percent.
The auxiliary equipment segment, including robotics, temperature control, and materials handling, totaled a record-breaking $108.0 million, representing a surge of 21 percent compared to the second quarter of 2013.
The CES also conducts a quarterly survey of plastics machinery suppliers, and when asked about future market expectations, 90 percent of the respondents said they expect conditions to stay the same or even improve in the coming quarter, while 88 percent expect them to hold steady or get better during the next 12 months.
