NEWS


North American machine sales dipped again in Q4


Sales of plastics machinery in North America saw another decline in the fourth quarter of last year. Estimates for the quarter


indicate sales of nearly US$289 million – a 17% fall compared to the same period in 2023. At the same time, the figure is around 12% lower than that from Q3 in 2024, says the Plastics Industry Association’s Committee on Equipment Statistics (CES).


In primary plastics machinery, single-screw extruders saw a decrease of more than 25% compared to the previous quarter – and a 33% fall compared to Q4 2023. Twin-screw extruder sales fell by 48% compared to Q3 – and by nearly 8% in comparison with Q4 2023. For comparison, injection moulding sales fell nearly 6% on the previous quarter, and by more than 16% over the full year.


“Plastics equipment shipments pared back their gains in Q3, underperform- ing forecasts,” said Perc Pineda, chief economist at the association. “Weakness in US manufacturing


Trex sees sales boost in 2024


Primary plastics machinery shipments Source: PLASTICS Committee on Equipment Statistics


persisted in Q4, driven by increased economic policy uncertainty amid expecta- tions of a shift in US trade policy after the November elections,” he added. Last year closed with US plastics equipment exports falling nearly 6% to US$329m in the fourth quarter. The latest CES quarterly survey shows no change of confidence in the market, with 83% of respondents expecting conditions to remain steady or improve over the next 12 months. In addition, 43% reported that quoting activity was holding steady, while 31% reported an increase in quoting activity compared with the previous quarter. Mexico and Canada


remained the largest export markets for machinery, with total exports to them reaching US$158m, ac- counting for 48% of US total plastics machinery exports. “Plastics demand in the


US remains stable, though slack in plastics production is leading to weaker-than- expected demand for primary plastics equipment,” he said.


He added that more cuts


in the Fed funds rate are still projected this year. “Lower interest rates and


greater clarity on US economic policy – particu- larly on trade – would help reduce uncertainties across the plastics industry supply chain,” said Pineda. � www.plasticsindustry.org


Sales at US-based plastic decking manufacturer Trex moved up by more than 5% last year. Net sales rose to US$1.2 billion in 2024, while net profit was up around 10% to US$226 million. This was despite a 14% sales dip in Q4, reaching US$168m for the quarter. Net profit for the quarter more than halved, to around US$10m. “The continued strong performance of our premium product lines and stable sequential demand trends led to fourth quarter sales above our expecta- tions, enabling us to exceed our full year revenue guidance,” said Bryan Fairbanks, president and CEO of Trex. “Our investments in product development continue to yield positive results.” In 2025, Trex expects net sales of US$1.21- 1.23bn – an increase of around 6% on 2024. Trex recently expanded its distribution network in Canada by collaborating with Alexandria Moulding. � www.trex.com


Eurocell profits despite decline in sales


UK-based building profiles maker Eurocell reported a profit last year, despite a fall in sales. The company saw sales decline by 2% last year, to around £358 million, though pre-tax profit rose 18% to nearly £14m. The company has set itself a goal of


www.pipeandprofile.com


a £500m turnover and £50m profit by 2028. One part of this is to expand its branch network to at least 250 sites from the current 212 – which included two new ones in Q4 of 2024. It intends to open at least seven branches in 2025 – mainly in the south of England – and around 30 more over the next


four years. “Our financial performance in 2024


was resilient, in the context of trading conditions that remained challenging,” said Darren Waters, CEO of Eurocell.“Medium and long-term growth for UK construction remains attractive.” � www.eurocell.co.uk


Spring 2025 | PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION 5


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