The United States is the top chemicals producer in the world, generating $600 billion per year in turnover. Five million Americans work to produce chemicals and the related machinery & equipment. American exports in the chemical industry are more than $100 billion and make up nearly 10% of all U.S exports annually.
Links:
- www.americanchemistry.com The American Chemistry Council
- www.cen-online.org Chemical & Engineering News
- www.acs.org American Chemical Society
Sources: American Chemistry Council and Chemical & Engineering News
Plastics is the 3rd-largest US manufacturing industry. This comprises plastic products manufacturers as well as suppliers of raw materials (resin), machinery & mold makers. The U.S. plastics industry employs about 1.1 million people. In 2006, plastics industry shipments totaled more than $375 billion.
Productivity in the plastics improved at a rate of 2.3 percent from 1980-2006 , more than the average productivity increase for U.S. manufacturing as a whole.
Plastics consumption in the U.S. grew by 7.6% in 2006 to $271 billion. A great majority of plastics used in the U.S. is domestically produced with imports accounting for only 14.6% of the total. Exports of plastic products; raw materials and machinery/molds increased 12.3% in 2006 with a value exceeding $43 billion. The top export destinations for plastics are Canada, Mexico and China.
Links:
- www.plasticsindustry.org SPI- The Society of the Plastics Industry
- www.myplasticsindustry.com Plastics Industry Data
- www.npe.org Website of the NPE The International Plastics Showcase show, June 22-26, 2009 (Chicago)
Sources: SPI- The Society of the Plastics Industry and Plastics Industry Data
Rubber products manufacturing of tires, hoses, belts, seals etc. employs some 120,000 people in the U.S. and generates more than $21 billion in annual sales. While imports of original equipment tires have increased, US growth of replacement and original equipment tire shipments combined has increased by 0.6 percent in 2007.
Links:
- www.rma.org RMA- The Rubber Manufacturers Association
- http://rubber.org/ The Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society
Sources: RMA- The Rubber Manufacturers Association
