According to the Plastics Industry Association's Committee on Equipment Statistics (CES), the plastics machinery shipments in North America continued to increase in the third quarter. 

The preliminary estimate of shipments of primary plastics equipment (injection molding and extrusion) for reporting companies totaled $349.4 million in the third quarter. This was a 4.1-percent increase from the $335.5 million (revised) second-quarter shipment. Injection molding shipments in the second quarter were higher than previously thought. Year over year, shipments grew 5.6 percent.

“Plastics machinery shipments recovered in the third quarter following a weak second quarter,” said Perc Pineda PhD, Chief Economist of PLASTICS. “We expect higher shipments in the fourth quarter. We have a tight labor market and U.S. manufacturers, including plastics machinery manufacturers, have been working on production backlogs. As a result, shipments are pushed into the next quarters,” Pineda added.

On a quarterly basis, injection molding shipments increased 2.1 percent. Single-screw and twin-screw extruder shipments continued double-digit growth of 23.8 percent and 14.2 percent, respectively. Compared to the third quarter last year, shipments of injection molding were up 4.6 percent. Shipments of single-screw extruders rose 7.7 percent and twin-screw extruders 17.2 percent over the same period. 

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