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News Release from: Applied Market Information
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 28 September 2006
200 injection moulding companies quit in
UK
An update of a comprehensive database of injection moulders in the UK has revealed that there has been a 14% drop in the number of companies carrying out injection moulding.
Further evidence of the contraction of the UK injection moulding industry comes from industry consultants Applied Market Information (AMI), which has just released its 7th update of its comprehensive database of injection moulders in the United Kingdom Since AMI last surveyed the industry in 2003 there has been a 14% drop in the number of companies carrying out injection moulding
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 11 Oct 2004 at 8.00am (UK)
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The trend for OEM and proprietary product manufacturers in the UK to relocate manufacturing to Eastern Europe or the Far East has continued strongly over this period.
Recent examples include Hoover Candy, Gillette Group and Addis Group which have all discontinued moulding in the UK and transferred it to Europe or China.
This has not only led to a reduction in in-house moulding but also a loss of trade moulding.
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Significant closures in the automotive industry, particularly the loss of Rover, also impacted on many trade moulders.
Combined with record high raw material and energy costs, many smaller businesses have been forced out of business.
Others for whom injection moulding was only a peripheral part of their business have sold off their machines and now sub-contract out.
Larger groups have also been consolidating and reorganising their equipment, plants and assets which has led to plant closures.
For example, Nypro, McKechine and Carclo have all closed operations in the UK in 2006.
As a result the volume of polymer used in injection moulding has declined over recent years.
For 2006 AMI estimates that the moulding industry will use just over 750,000 tonnes of polymer.
Of these volumes PP is the most important accounting for nearly 50% of all polymers moulded.
Not surprisingly some 85% of moulders listed in AMI's database are using PP.
PP is widely used for automotive, household and packaging applications.
From the AMI database users can identify moulders of over 20 different types of thermoplastics materials.
The changing structure of the injection moulding is also reflected in the markets the industry serves.
The largest end use market served is the packaging industry which accounted for 36% of polymer usage in 2006.
In AMI's database 35% of moulders are serving the packaging sector.
Traditionally the UK had a relatively large sector serving the telectronics and electrical goods industry but this now at 11% of polymer demand and stands second to the automotive industry in terms of importance, reflecting the shift in moulding capacity for telectronic moulding to Central Europe and Asia over recent years.
Previously telectronics had accounted for over 13% of polymer demand in 2003 and 15% in 1997.
To find out more about the changes in the market and browse through the report, visit the AMI stand J24 in Hall 1 at the Plastics Design and Moulding exhibition in Telford, UK, September 26-28, 2006.
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