Excerpt: By K. John Gutshaw & David S. Laszlo, Wadley Donovan Gutshaw Consulting, originally posted at expansionsolutionsmagazine.com
Plastics production is essentially a two-phased process that begins with the raw material preparation and manufacturing of polymer resins. This product, typically in the form of pellets or beads, is then shipped to fabrication sites where the material is formed into final plastic products. Several processing methods are utilized depending on the type of product, i.e. extrusion (film), injection molding (containers), blow molding (bottles) or rotational molding (hollow plastic items).
The industry’s significant global economic influence is undeniable – with annual plastics production reaching 288 million metric tons. The same holds true in the U.S., where we see an extraordinary impact on the economy. Consider: Plastics is the third largest industry within the manufacturing sector, employing 892,000 people (or 6.7 of every 1,000 non-farm jobs); reported annual shipments of $373 billion and capital investment expenditures of $9.6 billion; and, 15,949 manufacturing facilities spread across all 50 states.
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