NEWS


Extruder deliveries in North America improve in Q4 2022


Deliveries of primary plastics machin- ery – including extruders – in North America rose in the final quarter of 2022, according to the statistics from the Plastics Industry Association. The preliminary estimate of total


value from reporting companies was nearly US$433 million for the period – an increase of more than 22% compared to the third quarter. Compared to Q4 2021, it represented a rise of over 4%. Of the three primary types of plastics machinery, the value of single-screw extruders increased the most – up nearly 35% compared to Q3 2022. Injection moulding deliveries rose 25% in the same period, while those of twin-screw extruders rose nearly 9%. Compared to Q4 2021, deliveries


of single- and twin-screw extruders rose by around 8% and 25%, respec- tively, while injection moulding


machines were nearly 3% higher. “The increase in plastics machinery in the fourth quarter speaks of the importance of plastics manufacturing – and the stable demand for plastic and plastic products in the economy last year,” said Perc Pineda, chief economist for the organisation. “As expected, the increase includes backlog production resulting from supply chain problems in previous quarters.” The association’s Committee on Equipment Statistics (CES) also conducts a quarterly survey of plastics machinery suppliers, for their per- spective of market conditions and expectations. The survey showed an increase in


participants expecting market conditions in the next quarter to remain unchanged or improve – from around 31% to 36%. Similarly, those participants who expect market


conditions over the next 12 months to remain unchanged or improve rose from 34% to 45%. Plastics machinery exports fell 10%


to nearly US$199m in the third quarter. Mexico and Canada remained the top export markets of plastics machinery from the US in the third quarter. Combined exports to USMCA partners reached nearly $110m – rep- resenting two-thirds of total plastics machinery exports from the US. Imports fell 12% to $424m in Q3.


The US plastics machinery trade deficit narrowed from $261m in Q2 to $225m in Q3. This shows that moderating global economic growth and a strong US dollar is slowing the plastics machinery trade, said the organisation. “I previously said that Q4 2022 shipments would surpass Q3 2022 shipments – and that’s what we got,” said Pineda. � www.plasticsindustry.org


Raising capacity of agricultural film


Rani Plast of Finland has invested in its Bjölas plant in order to raise production capacity. The investment includes


three lines for five-layer film and one for seven-layer. The factory now has four production lines producing seven-layer agricultural film. Adding the fourth line has boosted capacity and extended its product range, says the company. “We can deliver silo film


in several dimensions – in widths from 5 to 22 metres,” said Dennis Granqvist, sales director at Rani Plast. “The demand for silo bags has grown, partly due to the war


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process plastic waste from customers.


Above: Rani Plast has boosted capacity of agricultural film at its Bjölas plant in Finland


in Ukraine. The new produc- tion line has enabled us to better meet our customers’ needs.” The investment also included an ‘Eco facility’ to


FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION | April 2023


help the company achieve its sustainability goals. It has been used to melt Rani’s production waste into granules. In future, it will also


“Our customers have their own production lines that generate waste. This will enable us to process their waste and speed up the shift to a circular economy,” said Granqvist. He adds that the invest- ment not only boosts production but improves flexibility and efficiency. “The extruders have new


features – including an in-line printing unit – offer- ing converters a relatively cost-effective way to streamline their processes,” he said. � www.raniplast.com


www.filmandsheet.com


IMAGE: RANI PLAST


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