NEWS


North America Q1 machine sales fall


Sales of plastics machinery in North America have fallen in the first quarter of this year. The Plastics Industry Association’s


Committee on Equipment Statistics (CES) estimates Q1 sales of nearly US$262 million – around 25% down compared to both the preceding quarter and the same period in 2023. Single-screw extrusion machines saw sales cut in half since the previ- ous quarter, and down more than 23% year-on-year. Twin-screw extruder sales fell 7% compared to Q4, and by 17% year-on-year. By comparison, injection moulding sales were down one-third compared to Q4 and down nearly 25% year-on-year. “It is common to see lower ship- ments in the first quarter of each year,” said Perc Pineda, chief economist at the association. “Accounting for such seasonality, shipments decreased by 8.5% quarter-over-quarter.” Plastics machinery suppliers were aligned with the economy, he added.


However, the latest CES quarterly survey shows nearly 75% of partici- pants anticipate steady or improved market conditions over the next 12 months. At the same time, nearly half (49%) expect an increase in quoting activity – compared to 17% of participants in the previous survey. In Q1 2024, US exports of plastics equipment fell by more than 7%, while imports grew 7.0% from the previous quarter. Mexico and Canada remained the top export markets, together accounting for US$191m in exports – just under 48% of total US plastics machinery exports globally. “The US economy is poised for another year of growth, albeit at a slightly lower rate,” said Pineda. “However, growth in housing is hampered by higher borrowing costs, which also applies to higher capital expenditure financing – including equipment investment in plastics manufacturing.” � www.plasticsindustry.org


Ineos plants will recycle PVC through ‘dissolution’


Ineos has opened two PVC recycling pilot plants that will use dissolution technology to capture material that cannot be mechani- cally recycled. The pilots, at its site in Jemeppe-sur-Sam- bre in Belgium, are part of its Project Circle initiative – which aims to have a 40,000 tonne/year recycling unit ready by 2030. It will collaborate with two


existing Belgian industry consortiums. One, Circ-PVC, covers the whole PVC


www.filmandsheet.com www.brueckner.com


recycling chain; the second, Dissolv, plans to drive development for PVC waste from flooring, carpets and tarpaulin applications which cannot be recycled today. “By working together, we can leverage our exper- tise to develop faster solutions and bring


more recycled products to the market,” said Luc


Castin, sustainability manager at Ineos Inovyn. � www.ineos.com


Efficiency, sustainability and circularity


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Efficient lines for a low specific energy consumption


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Decreasing use of raw materials & “zero waste” in film production


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Solutions for bio-based and bio-degradable packaging films


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Mono-material solutions to close the life cycle of BOPP, BOPET and BOPE


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