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October 3, 2024
How Port Strikes May Affect Plastics Sector and Plastics Dependent Industries
Port strikes across the U.S. east and gulf coasts may have a disproportionate impact on the plastics sector. North America is one of the largest producers of plastic materials in the world and the U.S. is home to some of the world’s largest plastic and petrochemical product manufacturers including Dow Chemical, ExxonMobil, Berry Global, Chevron, and others.
The American Chemistry Council has expressed serious concerns regarding the port strike. They estimate that about 90% of waterborne chemical shipments that move to and from the U.S. pass through the east and gulf ports. Of course, these shipments include plastics/polymers and related materials. The ACC points to major economic consequences if the strike continues. “Nearly all manufactured goods are touched by the business of chemistry, which means transporting chemicals is essential to keeping the economy running. The chemicals shipped through these ports are used by every segment of the economy, including chemistry needed to support healthcare, energy generation, agriculture, auto manufacturing, building and construction, household products, aerospace and defense, semiconductor chips and electronics, and more”, said Chris Jahn, President and CEO of the American Chemistry Council. As things stand , plastic materials and products produced in the U.S. wont be able to be exported as efficiently as before or at all, and this could negatively affect the domestic plastics sector. Goods wont be able to be imported either so companies reliant on global supply chains may suffer as well.
Analysts at Goldman Sachs said that the strike will significantly affect the furniture, home appliance, food product, and auto industries. The disproportionate impact on these industries is due to their heavy reliance on commodity-based industries such as plastic, wood/paper, and metals industries. Additionally, many plastic product manufacturers import raw materials from abroad, and the strike may affect their operations considerably. Morgan Stanley confirmed this fact as they too mentioned that commodities that go into manufacturing products such as base metals, plastics and machine parts, all pass through east and gulf ports.
In short, we could see and overabundance of American produced commodities and a shortage of imported goods. This may lead to price increases in imported goods and domestic manufacturers/producers may be forced to scale down production and halt hiring and expansion plans. All of which will negatively affect the US economy. Learn more about this topic by exploring the links below.
UPDATE Oct 4: The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) workers union and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) port operators reached a deal and ports will reopen Friday October 4. However it will take some time to clear the cargo backlog. Some estimates propose that it will take 2-3 weeks for the flow of goods to become normal once again.
What products could be affected by the port strike? - CBS News
Port strikes will 'disproportionately' hit America's auto industry, Goldman says | Morningstar
ACC Statement Regarding Impact of U.S. Port Strike on Chemical Manufacturing - American Chemistry Council
The American Chemistry Council has expressed serious concerns regarding the port strike. They estimate that about 90% of waterborne chemical shipments that move to and from the U.S. pass through the east and gulf ports. Of course, these shipments include plastics/polymers and related materials. The ACC points to major economic consequences if the strike continues. “Nearly all manufactured goods are touched by the business of chemistry, which means transporting chemicals is essential to keeping the economy running. The chemicals shipped through these ports are used by every segment of the economy, including chemistry needed to support healthcare, energy generation, agriculture, auto manufacturing, building and construction, household products, aerospace and defense, semiconductor chips and electronics, and more”, said Chris Jahn, President and CEO of the American Chemistry Council. As things stand , plastic materials and products produced in the U.S. wont be able to be exported as efficiently as before or at all, and this could negatively affect the domestic plastics sector. Goods wont be able to be imported either so companies reliant on global supply chains may suffer as well.
Analysts at Goldman Sachs said that the strike will significantly affect the furniture, home appliance, food product, and auto industries. The disproportionate impact on these industries is due to their heavy reliance on commodity-based industries such as plastic, wood/paper, and metals industries. Additionally, many plastic product manufacturers import raw materials from abroad, and the strike may affect their operations considerably. Morgan Stanley confirmed this fact as they too mentioned that commodities that go into manufacturing products such as base metals, plastics and machine parts, all pass through east and gulf ports.
In short, we could see and overabundance of American produced commodities and a shortage of imported goods. This may lead to price increases in imported goods and domestic manufacturers/producers may be forced to scale down production and halt hiring and expansion plans. All of which will negatively affect the US economy. Learn more about this topic by exploring the links below.
UPDATE Oct 4: The International Longshoremen's Association (ILA) workers union and United States Maritime Alliance (USMX) port operators reached a deal and ports will reopen Friday October 4. However it will take some time to clear the cargo backlog. Some estimates propose that it will take 2-3 weeks for the flow of goods to become normal once again.
What products could be affected by the port strike? - CBS News
Port strikes will 'disproportionately' hit America's auto industry, Goldman says | Morningstar
ACC Statement Regarding Impact of U.S. Port Strike on Chemical Manufacturing - American Chemistry Council
October 19, 2024
Arburg Announces New Process to Injection Mold Paper Fiber Based Products
Arburg Announces New Process to Injection Mold Paper Fiber Based Products
Arburg recently announced a new injection molding technique that can produce paper fiber-based products. The process does not require petroleum-based plastics, and the products are compostable. Arburg could open up an entire new realm of possibilities with their new paper fiber injection molding process, which enables new applications and products based on paper fiber. The company is confident that the new technique will be a great success. They estimate that it could be especially attractive in the furniture industry as well as other sectors such as the toy, cosmetics, and household goods industries. The process was demonstrated earlier this month at the world famous Fakuma 2024 trade event in Germany. At the event they exhibited an energy efficient production cell with an electric ALL rounder 370 A Comfort with 600 kilonewtons of clamping force. The exhibit demonstrated the production of paper fiber based products using what Arburg called “Paper Pearls.” Paper-based injection molding is certainly a breakthrough achievement, however, paper fiber by itself cannot be injection molded. This is why the material development team added bio-based and biodegradable plastics to allow the paper fibers to be molded properly. Nevertheless, paper fiber is still a primary material, as the paper pearls retained a material content of over 50 percent paper fiber. What's more, the process does not make use of any disturbing additives, which allows the products to be composted in garden compost after use. Learn more about this topic here.
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