‘Soft start,’ mixed bag for machinery shipments
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‘Soft start,’ mixed bag for machinery shipments
The value of primary plastics machinery shipments in North America increased 8.5 percent from a year ago and reached an estimated $273.5 million in the first quarter of 2026 with investments in injection molding machines driving the gain over extruders.
Machine shipments were down in two of three categories tracked while duties on imports tripled and optimism took a dive.
In a statement announcing the results, the Plastics Industry Association said plastics machinery shipments saw a “soft start” to 2026.
Machine builders likely adjusted pricing contracts at the start of 2026 to reflect higher tariff costs, according to Perc Pineda, chief economist for the Washington, D.C.-based association.
Pineda and the trade group’s Committee on Equipment Statistics (CES) track shipments for injection molding machines and single- and twin-screw extruders from their participating members, which include many but not all machine builders.
For the first quarter of 2026, injection molding shipments increased 19 percent compared to the prior year while single-screw and twin-screw extrusion shipments fell 26.2 percent and 52.7 percent, respectively, according to latest CES report.
The numbers are bleaker compared to the previous quarter with shipments of primary plastics machinery down 16.4 percent overall.
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* Source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/suppliers/machinery/pn-machinery-shipment-values-q12026/
* Edit : HANDLER