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Putting the intelligence in AI for the plastics industry

Putting the intelligence in AI for the plastics industry Artificial intelligence has the potential to enhance precision and productivity, increase uptime and bridge the skills gap. The transition to AI will benefit plastics processors by enabling predictive maintenance, reducing scrap and energy usage, and shortening time to market, according to Samantha Peterson in her e-book, The Benefits of AI in Injection Molding. From monitoring the behavior of raw materials to detecting process variations to real-time assistance for problems, AI offers manufacturers tight control over the entire production process, said Peterson, content marketing and events manager at Traverse City, Mich.-based RJG Inc. Although she focused on injection molding, AI is playing a bigger role in extrusion, blow molding, thermoforming, tool design, part design and more. "AI's capacity to analyze datasets and derive actionable insights enables you to optimize production processes and maximize output. By leveraging AI, you can fine-tune production parameters in real time, optimizing resource allocation and enhancing overall productivity," Peterson writes. AI gives employees tools to fix a process no matter their skill level, which helps build morale and pride, Peterson says. "And it does this all while freeing up engineering time so they can focus their time and energy on larger, more impactful projects," she says. But first that artificial intelligence has to be gleaned from a variety of sources. Think training data, work orders, PowerPoint presentations, tool setup sheets and other related information such as text, images, videos, audio recordings or even scribbled notes on stained paper. So far, most AI in the plastics industry has been limited to machine learning, which uses data to make predictions, like a vibration sensor detecting a motor failure. However, another subset of AI technology called generative AI is creating new content based on information that's analyzed. Generative AI can use the patterns and structures of all the inputs to generate new data with similar characteristics when asked about measurements, methods, malfunctions and more. With this capability, plastics processors will be able to store the knowledge of retiring or relocating senior engineers and technicians, bring new hires up to speed more quickly, and access a secure global database related to machine operations, according to Derek Moeller, founder and CEO of CognitionWorks. Moeller also is the president of Surain Industries, a family operation founded in 1964 that does business as McConkey Co. and manufactures horticultural goods in Sumner, Wash. Founded in March 2023, Seattle-based CognitionWorks specializes in generative intelligence for the plastics industry. The firm trains a processor's AI with manufacturing documents the client already has. At McConkey, AI is used to interact with everything from work orders to manuals, procedure books and other documentation. The goal is to replace institutional knowledge at risk of going into retirements. A lot of the early interest in generative AI is related to the shortage of skilled workers, Moeller said. And while AI may help fill the gap in workplace shortages, Michael Cicco, CEO of robotics supplier Fanuc America Corp., said during a keynote presentation at NPE2024 that it can also help recruit young workers by presenting them with a new idea of what manufacturing can be. The placement of automation equipment such as robots in educational settings is helping spur more interest among students in the manufacturing sector, Cicco said. "We spend a lot of time sitting here talking about 'WTF?'" Cicco said. "And this re- ally means, 'What's the future?' We think about that quite a bit. ...We, as manufacturers, need to keep hiring people, and we can't because of the fact that there's not enough people out there. "So jobs keep opening up, there's not enough people to fill them." Tightening labor market "In the United States, for the overall economy, unemployment is 3.8 percent, but in the plastics industry specifically, it's only 2.6 percent," Moeller said in an email. "That's like a third lower than the broader economy, and that introduces a lot of challenges. One is that pay is going up." In response to the tighter labor market, plastics processors have been raising hourly rates and salaries to retain talent. However, even that's becoming a shorter-term solution. In 2012, plastics industry tenure averaged 6.1 years. In 2022, it was 4.7 years, a 23 percent decline. The outlook continues to be grim. "Over the next 10 years, 3.8 million jobs are going to need to be filled specifically in manufacturing, and a good portion of those in the plastics industry," Moeller said. About 2.8 million of those openings will be the result of retirements, he added. "The people who have been at your company the longest and have the most industry knowledge are leaving. There's going to be a mass exodus of this skilled technical knowledge from manufacturing broadly and plastics processing in particular," Moeller said. Retaining knowledge Most companies have easy access to their explicit information, like manuals, schematics and documents. These materials usually can be easily duplicated for generative AI in a week or two. Even an engineer's note scrawled on a piece of paper can be processed. "AI has an ability to take very messy information — like handwriting on paper stained with hydraulic oil — and extract the information to give us perfect answers to questions and show us the actual citation," Moeller said. He described explicit knowledge as durable. "Explicit knowledge does not walk out the door every day. It is part of your company, and it stays there permanently. The disadvantage is that it's kind of hard to find. It might be in a processing guide that came from a conference or an engineer's note on page 75 in the fifth binder from the left. What's the chance it will be found when it's needed?" The chances are very good with AI, he added. However, tacit information, which is out on production floor in the form of expertise and experience of the mold setters and technicians, is harder to obtain. "This informal knowledge about how to do things is just stored in their heads. It's incredibly valuable, and we cannot discount what they can contribute," Moeller said. Tacit knowledge needs to be converted to explicit knowledge by writings and recordings. Something as informal as a cell phone recording of a company expert's rambling, stream of conscious can be processed. "AI is really good at taking this kind of informal knowledge and making it structured," he said. He points to studies that indicate about 80 percent of a company's knowledge walks in and out the door every day as employees come and go. "We're going to lose a lot of that knowledge over the next 10 years unless we do something about it," Moeller warned. Sharing knowledge AI has the possibility to let plastics processors tap into the knowledge of everyone across the world who has used a particular machine. "There is no reason that the knowledge that you have within your plant about a particular piece of equipment should be the only knowledge that you get access to," Moeller said. "Dozens and dozens of other plants have the same equipment, and maybe hundreds of technicians have used it. Why not be able to tap into that knowledge so you know every single problem that could happen with that machine? Probably somebody has come across it before." It's time for the plastics processors to use AI to share their machine knowledge, Moeller said. "We believe that our industry is at a disservice by not having access to that community common knowledge," he said. "That's something we would like to build for tomorrow and would love to have conversations with people about how to do it." Security is paramount, Moeller added, because AI will have access to company knowledge and proprietary processes. That's why the information is encrypted and compartmentalized. "The cognition engine doesn't actually know your knowledge. That's in a knowledge vault," Moeller said. "You never have to worry about the AI remembering anything that you don't want to remember because it's stored separately." Putting AI to work In the plastics industry, generative text and voice are helping processors the most. For example, suppliers to the automotive market can use generative AI for failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) reports, which can take a long time to write. "With examples, AI can write 70-80 percent of an FMEA with a human doing the final review and polish," Moeller said. The technology also can write summaries from bodies of knowledge, in one case condensing 30,000 pages of information into two paragraphs and summarizing the information needed. Generative AI also is good at taking informal discussion and rewriting it to be formal documents. With speech synthesis, Moeller said, "In the fast-arriving future, we will have AI colleagues." Both machine learning and generative AI are useful to the plastics industry, but Moeller expects to see mostly machine learning AI applications at NPE simply because it has been in the market longer. "Generative AI is so new and changing so fast that we are very early in the cycle. The first high-cognition model was only released 13 months ago," Moeller said. * source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/putting-intelligence-ai

이명규 기자 2024-07-26

Detroit 3 fall behind international automakers in US vehicle production

Detroit 3 fall behind international automakers in US vehicle production International automakers produced 4.9 million light vehicles in 2023 compared with 4.6 million from the Detroit 3. Toyota Motor Corp. photoToyota is among the manufacturers contributing to international auto makers' producing more light vehicles in the U.S. than the Detroit 3 in 2023. International automakers produced more light vehicles in the U.S. than the Detroit 3 for the first time in 2023, according to a report from Autos Drive America and the American International Automobile Dealers Association released July 9. International automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp., Hyundai Motor Corp. and Volkswagen AG, produced 4.9 million light vehicles in 2023. The Detroit 3, in contrast, produced 4.6 million light vehicles during the same period, the groups said. The groups represent international automakers and dealers doing business in the U.S. The change underscores major transformations in automotive production as international automakers gain more prominence in the U.S. market. International automakers have increased U.S. production by 85 percent since 1998, while Detroit 3 production fell around 50 percent during the same period. "I think what the report shows is that (international auto makers) are invested, and they're going to continue to invest here in the U.S.," Jennifer Safavian, CEO of Autos Drive America, told Automotive News. "They are not going anywhere." U.S. electric vehicle manufacturers Tesla Inc., Rivian Automotive L.L.C. and Lucid Group Inc. produced 754,342 light vehicles in the U.S. in 2023, according to the report. * source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/global-auto-makers-produce-more-vehicles-us-detroit-3

이명규 기자 2024-07-26

PP prices climb in June

PP prices climb in June North American polypropylene resin prices reversed course in June, increasing 2 cents per pound. Prices for the material had dropped 2 cents in May and 10 cents in April. Those moves, as well as the June increase, matched price changes seen for polymer-grade propylene (PGP) monomer feedstock. Prior to the April-May price drops, regional PP prices had increased for three consecutive months and six times in the previous seven months. Combined with previous increases and decreases, regional PP prices now are flat so far in 2024. In a recent report, PP supplier Blue Clover of New York said PGP prices "continue to climb higher" in early July. Officials added that reasons for higher PGP prices include planned maintenance at a PDH process PGP unit operated by Enterprise Petrochemical in Baytown, Texas, as well as possible inventory restocking for hurricane season and better-than-expected demand for PGP derivatives such as PP resin. The Enterprise unit has annual production capacity of almost 1.7 billion pounds of PGP. Short-term PP supplies also could be affected by temporary shutdowns put in place by Formosa Plastics Corp. USA and other suppliers in advance of Hurricane Beryl, which made landfall July 8 in Matagorda, Texas. Tighter supplies could serve to keep PP prices flat or provide momentum for another price hike. Blue Clover officials also said they don't believe a 10-cent-per-pound premium for PGP compared with 2022-23 average pricing will hold. "While demand for PP is better than expected, PP producers have been operating at sub-80 percent in an attempt to match production to demand," they added. "Blue Clover believes the market for PP will get longer at some point over the summer, and that oversupply will push into reduced PGP demand," officials said. "PP days of supply on hand are relatively healthy compared to prior years … [but] it's not the easiest time of year to hold this view." * source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/resin-pricing/polypropylene-prices-reverse-course-rise-june

이명규 기자 2024-07-26

Australian government invests in new soft plastics recycling plant

Australian government invests in new soft plastics recycling plant Recycling Plastics Australia The Australian government announced a A$20 million) (US$13.5 million) investment in a new soft plastics mechanical recycling plant. Recycling Plastics Australia will build a plant with a capacity of 14,000 metric tons per year at its Kilburn headquarters in South Australia. Deploying technology from mechanical recycling specialist PreOne Australia, the plant is expected to recycle soft plastics such as shopping bags, chip packets, and food wrappers into new feedstock. The facility will require a total investment of A$40 million (US$27 million). The parties involved did not disclose when the plant is expected to start operations. The new investment follows the collapse of Australia’s soft plastics recycling program in 2022. Industry giants poured millions into REDcycle to collect material for recycling since 2010. In November 2022, it was revealed that the company was stockpiling soft plastics in several warehouses across Australia rather than directing them for recycling. The collapse of the scheme was partly blamed on lack of soft plastics recycling infrastructure. To address the issue, the Australian government introduced the Recycling Modernization Fund (RMF). It is investing A$250 million (US$168.8 million) in new and upgraded recycling infrastructure through the RMF, including the new facility in Kilburn. The Department for Climate Change, Energy, the Environment, and Water is also chairing a new Soft Plastics Taskforce, which has taken over responsibility for 11,000 tonnes of soft plastics previously managed by REDCycle. The scheme operates take-back programs in three major supermarkets: Woolworths, Coles, and Aldi. “I applaud the commonwealth for this significant investment which acknowledges both the need for this service, and the strength of South Australia’s existing resource recovery and recycling industry,” said Deputy Premier of South Australia, Susan Close. “Scaling up equipment and personnel to tackle the challenge of soft plastic recycling is the first step into rebuilding the infrastructure we need for an effective supermarket ‘take back’ scheme." Australia introduced national targets for packaging in 2018 in an industry-led scheme that does not impose penalties for failures. It requires 70 percent of plastic packaging to be recycled or composted by 2025. Australia will not reach the target, with only 18 percent of plastic packaging being recycled in 2023. Groups have called for the introduction of a plastic tax and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme in response. The Australian government has also introduced new rules that will come into force this year, including a ban on all soft plastics shopping bags and single-use plastics including coffee cups from Sept. 1. The new laws also require packaging to be designed to be recovered, reused, recycled, and reprocessed safely in line with circular economy principles. * Source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/soft-plastics-recycling-plant-debut-australia

이명규 기자 2024-07-23

Recycled PET prices climb alongside summer temperatures

Recycled PET prices climb alongside summer temperatures Getty ImagesBales of green plastic bottles at a recycling facility. North American recycled PET pellets pricing is continuing to be affected by seasonal demand. Sources in contact with Plastics News say recycled PET prices have increased by an average of 2.5 cents per pound. Clear post-consumer PET pellet prices are up 3 cents per pound and green post-consumer pellets are up 2 cents. These price changes are shown on this week's Plastics News resin pricing chart. "With temperatures on average being elevated, folks are certainly consuming more cold beverages. With that comes an obvious increased demand," said a manufacturer in New Hampshire. "But at the same time, you have the same supply." Recycled PET prices have been on the rise throughout 2024 and in the second half of 2023. "I think with it just being a coming into an election year, and just a lot of uncertainty there, [we are] probably going to see, I'd say, stabilization or price [increases]. I don't see price going down," the source added. * Source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/resin-pricing/recycled-pet-prices-rise-seasonal-demand-heats

이명규 기자 2024-07-23

Detroit 3 fall behind international automakers in US vehicle production

Detroit 3 fall behind international automakers in US vehicle production International automakers produced 4.9 million light vehicles in 2023 compared with 4.6 million from the Detroit 3. Toyota Motor Corp. photoToyota is among the manufacturers contributing to international auto makers' producing more light vehicles in the U.S. than the Detroit 3 in 2023. International automakers produced more light vehicles in the U.S. than the Detroit 3 for the first time in 2023, according to a report from Autos Drive America and the American International Automobile Dealers Association released July 9. International automakers, including Toyota Motor Corp., Hyundai Motor Corp. and Volkswagen AG, produced 4.9 million light vehicles in 2023. The Detroit 3, in contrast, produced 4.6 million light vehicles during the same period, the groups said. The groups represent international automakers and dealers doing business in the U.S. The change underscores major transformations in automotive production as international automakers gain more prominence in the U.S. market. International automakers have increased U.S. production by 85 percent since 1998, while Detroit 3 production fell around 50 percent during the same period. "I think what the report shows is that (international auto makers) are invested, and they're going to continue to invest here in the U.S.," Jennifer Safavian, CEO of Autos Drive America, told Automotive News. "They are not going anywhere." U.S. electric vehicle manufacturers Tesla Inc., Rivian Automotive L.L.C. and Lucid Group Inc. produced 754,342 light vehicles in the U.S. in 2023, according to the report. * Source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/global-auto-makers-produce-more-vehicles-us-detroit-3

이명규 기자 2024-07-23

Diligence, knowledge key for injection molders in uncertain markets

Diligence, knowledge key for injection molders in uncertain markets Michael A. MarcotteLaurie Harbour, principal at consulting firm Wipfli, at the Plastics News Executive Forum 2024. During a soft automotive market, injection molders should be diligent in evaluating the true cost of product lines and rightsizing their businesses, experts say. With high interest rates, a tough economy and an upcoming U.S. presidential election, consumers are waiting to see if a new car purchase is "an investment they want to make right now," Laurie Harbour, principal at consulting firm Wipfli, told Plastics News. Although the auto market is "not bad, … OEMs are still making good money," Harbour said, but it's "a softer market than what we would have ever expected pre-COVID. We're not at the 17 million-unit mark, and I don't think we will be for many years to come, if at all." With consumer debt soaring and vehicle prices remaining high, consumers are waiting to see if the Federal Reserve Board lowers interest rates, and car dealership inventories are growing, she said. "I never thought we'd go back to During a soft automotive market, injection molders should be diligent in evaluating the true cost of product lines and rightsizing their businesses, experts say. With high interest rates, a tough economy and an upcoming U.S. presidential election, consumers are waiting to see if a new car purchase is "an investment they want to make right now," Laurie Harbour, principal at consulting firm Wipfli, told Plastics News. Although the auto market is "not bad, … OEMs are still making good money," Harbour said, but it's "a softer market than what we would have ever expected pre-COVID. We're not at the 17 million-unit mark, and I don't think we will be for many years to come, if at all." With consumer debt soaring and vehicle prices remaining high, consumers are waiting to see if the Federal Reserve Board lowers interest rates, and car dealership inventories are growing, she said. "I never thought we'd go back to these days of 100 days of inventory, but we have," Harbour said. "I thought COVID taught us some things. Prices have kind of leveled off, but incentives are growing at the dealer. … I think this softness will continue through the balance of the year." Market "softness," she added, is "creating a level of uncertainty" in the market. "It's still a better industry than some others, but [suppliers] have to be diligent." EV slowdown ‘gridlocks' supply chain Automakers have also "taken about a five-year slowdown on the implementation of electric vehicles," Harbour said. "It's related to the economy and the price of vehicles and the lack of infrastructure in place to charge these products," she said. The EV market is past the "apex of early adopters," she said. "Now we need things like cost to come down." OEMs have slowed launches of new vehicle products by 12-24 months, directly affecting suppliers already selected for those programs, Harbour said, adding that the supply chain is "gridlocked" as carmakers stall the release of data needed by suppliers to start up design and production of components. "All of the OEMs are stepping back and revisiting their strategies on BEV," Harbour said. "That makes them revisit their ICE strategy … [and hybrid vehicles] to get people more excited about electric vehicles. "[OEM] engineering may not be ready with the design of the product or all the necessary milestones … [while a molder] is sitting there with engineers ready to start designing and processing that component," she said. "A big molder has 10-20 programs going all at once. … If 50 percent of them are on hold or delayed in redesign … then they're not full. "Engineers are sitting there not able to capitalize on their capacity. Then [projects] all bottleneck … and then they release at the same time, those people can't manage everything," Harbour said. "It's chaos, internally. … Cadence is key." Stalled volumes force companies to ‘rightsize' Some Tier 1 suppliers have begun to lay off production workers because volumes have not grown at the expected pace, Harbour said. Amid the COVID pandemic, "companies kept people because it was so hard to find [skilled labor]." "In many cases, [larger Tier 1 companies are] publicly traded and more diverse … so they tend to have some ability to flex," she said. "But on a plant-by-plant level … it depends on what programs they're on. It's easier as a big company to kind of get fat in some production areas. … They're not all as healthy as they can be. If they haven't done all their rightsizing, they'll struggle too. "Some [injection molders] are proactively working to improve their business, and others are, frankly, not doing much of anything," Harbour said. "With volumes not returning to where we expected them and programs being start-and-stop, at some point you have to rightsize your business." Injection molders need to put "moderate" plans in place to catch overspending and reduce debt, general administration costs, including "everything from supplies to travel" and employees in finance, HR, and other selling, general and administrative expense functions, she said. "A good company should be doing that every month anyway. "At the end of the day, it's about the strength of their balance sheet and their ability to flex down and still make money," she said, adding that 25-35 percent of Tier 2 automotive suppliers are "struggling because they don't have clear balance sheets." Some injection molders are "not taking seriously what they need to do in today's environment," Harbour said. "We can't bury our head in the sand [and] … say, 'It's coming back; we'll be fine.' We need the data to tell us the story." Morgan ‘True cost" of manufacturing components Injection molders that can't manage to find the "true cost" of manufacturing their product mix will likely end up victims of the market's continued consolidation, Ted Morgan, partner at advisory firm Plante Moran, told PN in an interview. "There's this entrepreneurial spirit within the average custom injection molder, to say, 'We'll get the business and figure it out later,'" Morgan said. "This is a very hard industry. The stakes are very high to take those leaps of faith." That entrepreneurial spirit can cause injection molders to "underbid" the cost to make a product line, he added. "A growing number of plastics injection molders in automotive [have a] product mix [that] isn't where they need it to be," Morgan said. "It sounds so obvious, but injection molders have to know what it costs to make their parts. "With interest rates where they are and the cost of capital where it is … you can't afford to have low-margin business," he said. "The average injection molder under-costs high-complexity, low-volume products," like components for EVs, which are "a more difficult production rate to manage." The market slowdown on EV implementation is causing operational complexity for suppliers in the space, Morgan said, "unraveling" production schedules with unpredictable volumes. "If you're getting a call from [customers] every day [with] … revisions of a certain part … that volatility … the higher the level of complexity, the more expensive it is on your indirect labor," he said. "The total cost to make a product is well beyond the cost of the injection molding process. There's so much that happens before and after the molding that adds to your total cost." That total manufacturing cost of a component can also vary between customers, Morgan said. "This is not rocket science. But it comes down to being very mindful and understanding … [of] the cost to serve the customer," he said. Investment in automation, efficiency As automation becomes more affordable, plastic injection molders of any size have opportunities to integrate automation into their operations, he said, adding that suppliers are contemplating how much to invest in new equipment and still get a return amid high interest rates. "The No. 1 way" for suppliers to control costs is though evaluating labor, Morgan said. "The benefits of automation continue to grow. … The industry has been saying this for 25 years. "The carrot is definitely there to invest in newer equipment," he said. "[New injection molding presses are] more efficient and going to save money compared to older equipment. "Machine manufacturers are good about trying to drive more efficiency in the cost to run their machines," Morgan said. "There are efficiencies to be gained. … The challenge is they're really expensive, and interest rates are high. It has a big impact on [suppliers' ability to upgrade]. "The more things change, the more things stay the same. You have to be really good to make money as an injection molder." The firm is beginning to see a "trend of some distress in some challenged suppliers," Morgan said, which he expects to continue "at a reasonable pace" throughout the next five to 10 years. Tier 1 or stronger Tier 2 companies may need to "rescue" smaller companies experiencing most of the stress on the market through acquisition, he added. "The injection molders that will remain are going to be really strong. … But there will be [fewer] automotive molders in the future than there are today." * source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/top-injection-molders-ranking-injection-molders-uncertain-markets

이명규 기자 2024-06-24

Prices for European recycled resins drop across the board

Prices for European recycled resins drop across the boardNo sign of a demand pickup in sight Green rPET flake Europe's recycled resin producers managed to push through a price increase in May linked to higher raw material costs, but in June the short-lived price boost came to an end as a result of lower costs and weak demand. The recycled PET sector saw the largest price increases, but input costs increased at a faster rate in May, squeezing recyclers’ profit margins. Recycled PET clear flake prices increased by €40 per metric ton in May, clear food-grade pellet prices increased by €50 per tonne and with colored flake prices were up by just €10 per tonne for the month. But in June, recycled PET clear food-grade pellet prices have fallen by €30 per tonne with colored flake prices declining by €10 per tonne due largely to the lower cost of bottle scrap. Clear flake prices increased slightly. In May, few other recyclate classes registered a price upturn; with prices for most classes being rolled over. Recycled low density polyethylene natural film prices saw the biggest gains with prices up €40 per tonne. In most cases, the price rollovers and small price increases for all classes have been insufficient to cover the increased purchasing cost, and hence recyclers’ profit margins are squeezed further. In June, the prices for recycled LDPE, recycled polypropylene, recycled high impact polystyrene and recycled high density PE injection molding fell, with onlymblow molding grades of HDPE remaining unchanged over the previous month. While volume calls across all standard recyclate types have picked up slightly over the last two months, demand remains well below normal levels with no sign of a pickup in sight. Recyclers continue to run their plants at reduced rates to match the low level of demand. Recycled PET In May, R-PET clear food-grade pellet and clear flake prices increased by €40-50 per tonne because of an increase in the cost of bottle scarp and good seasonal demand. Colored flake prices were up by €5-10 per tonne with just a modest rise in colored bottle scrap costs. An increase in cheaper imports of recyclate from Asia meant that producers were mostly unable to pass through the cost increase in full. The upswing appears to be at an end, at least for the time being. In June, only clear flake prices have increased slightly, colored and food-grade pellet prices fell by €10 per tonne and €30 per tonne, respectively. Recyclers had to factor in a reduction of €35 per tonne for clear bottle scrap and a €20 per tonne reduction for colored bottle scrap. Beverage sector demand is running at normal levels, but may now have peaked for the summer season. Recycling plants continued to operate at normal levels. Recycled HDPE In May, recycled HDPE producers were largely unable to pass through the price increases they called for due to growing competition from low-priced imports of virgin material. Producers maintained production curbs but there was still sufficient material to meet contractual obligations. In June, blow molding prices were rolled over; injection molding grade prices fell by €10 per tonne. For the injection molding material, prices remain under pressure from lower costs and weak demand. Plants continued to operate at reduced rates. Volume calls by the construction and automotive sectors remained low. Recycled LDPE Recycled LDPE prices continued to gain ground in May with the price of natural film up by €40 per tonne and translucent film prices rising by €20 per tonne. These price rises just about covered an increase in the cost of scrap. There was more than sufficient material to cover demand despite ongoing production curbs. Volume calls remained at a low level. In June, prices fell as a result of lower costs and meager demand. Natural film prices were down by €25-30 per tonne with translucent film prices falling by €20 per tonne compared to the previous month. Recyclers adjusted output to the lower demand. There are few signs of a demand stimuli for the market. Recycled PP Prices nudged higher in May, rising by €10-20 per tonne on the back of higher raw material costs. Recyclers continued to produce just enough material to meet the low level of demand. The only positive demand push appeared to come from the horticulture market. In June, prices fell due to low demand and pressure from the falling cost of off-spec material. Recyclers maintained low plant operating rates with no sign of any end use stimuli to demand. Consequently, further downward price pressure is likely over the summer. Recycled PS In May, price movements showed a wide disparity; some recyclers offered a discount while others raised prices in line with higher purchase costs. On balance, black recycled pellet prices gained around €5-10 per tonne. Recyclers reduced their production rates in line with the low level of volume calls. In June, black pellet prices fell by €30 per tonne as a result of the lower cost of virgin material and very low demand. Prices are expected to remain under pressure with neither an upturn in virgin material prices nor improved demand in sight. * source : https://www.plasticsnews.com/news/prices-european-recycled-resins-drop-across-board

이명규 기자 2024-06-24