The value of plastics machinery shipped by North American suppliers registered a solid rise in the second quarter of 2015, according to statistics compiled by SPI, the plastics industry trade association’s committee on equipment statistics. Shipments of primary plastics equipment (injection molding, single-screw extrusion, twin-screw extrusion, and blow molding equipment) for reporting companies totaled $303.5 million in Q2. This was an increase of 5.5 percent from the shipments total of $287.7 million in Q1 of 2015, and it was a gain of 6.7 percent when compared with the shipments total from same quarter of a year ago. For the year-to-date, the value of primary plastics equipment shipments is up 3.9 percent over last year. Data shows that the shipments value of injection molding machinery escalated 3.9 percent in Q2 when compared with same quarter from last year. The shipments value of single-screw extruders slipped 1.5 percent from last year. The value of shipments of twin-screw extruders (includes both co-rotating and counter-rotating machines) eked out a gain of 1 percent in Q2. The Q2 shipments value of blow molding machines jumped 66.4 percent. The committee on equipment statistics also compiles data on the auxiliary equipment segment (robotics, temperature control, materials handling, etc.) of the plastics machinery industry. New bookings of auxiliary equipment for reporting companies totaled $121.4 million dollars in Q2. This was a jump of 12.4 percent when compared with the total from Q2 of last year.
