Extrusion International 1-2025-USA

26 Extrusion International 1/2025 26 INDUSTRY NEWS Tracking Plastic and Rubber Products Inventories PLASTICS has released an of - cial analysis of plastic and rubber product inventories, authored by PLASTICS Chief Economist, Dr. Perc Pineda. Dr. Pineda writes, “A closer look at the breakdown of plastic and rub- ber products inventories highlights howmanufacturing has maintained steady production. Work-in-process inventories averaged $3.9 billion in 2023 and 2024, with occasional spikes in certain months.” To read the full analysis: https://www.plasticsindustry.org/ blog/tracking-plastic-and-rubber-prod- ucts-inventories/ Analyses Released: Fed’s Final Move in 2024, Plastics Industry Impact The Plastics Industry Association (PLASTICS) has released an of cial analysis on the Federal Reserve’s recent decision to cut interest rates and its impact on the plastics in- dustry, authored by PLASTICS Chief Economist, Dr. Perc Pineda. Dr. Pineda writes, “Despite the macroeconomy continuing to ex- pand in 2024, manufacturing and housing experienced another year of slumps due to the high-interest rate environment. For the plastics industry, it appears that an inter- est rate of 4.0% or higher serves as a “threshold rate,” restricting capi- tal expenditures and new invest- ment projects both upstream and downstream. Plastics production and capacity utilization continued to decline, marked by unsustainable spurts in output.” To read the full analysis on the PLASTICS blog page: https://www.plasticsindustry. org/blog/the-feds- nal-move-in- 2024-whats-next-for-the-plastics- industry/ December Jobs Report PLASTICS has released an of- ficial analysis of the December 2024 jobs report and its impact on the plastics industry, authored by PLASTICS Chief Economist, Dr. Perc Pineda. Dr. Pineda writes, “The U.S. econ- omy’s unemployment rate was 4.1% in December, while the manu- facturing unemployment rate was 3.5%, consistently remaining be- low the overall unemployment rate throughout 2024. The manufactur- ing unemployment rate averaged 3.2% for the full year, uctuating between 2.7% and 3.6%.” To read the full analysis on the PLASTICS blog page: https://www.plasticsindustry.org/ blog/workforce-challenges-2024-decem- ber-job-gains-highlight-pressures-on-u- s-manufacturing/ Dr. Perc Pineda Interview with PLASTICS CEO While in Albany, New York, for a legislative y-in Plastics Industry Association’s President and CEO, Matt Seaholm sat down with The Capitol Pressroom for an interview on New York’s extended producer responsibility legislation and how the plastics industry and lawmakers can work together to truly address waste in the environment. “There is a shared goal of in- creased circularity. We want to im- prove the amount of plastic that is being recycled. If we start from a place of saying we need to collect, sort and ultimately recycle more plastic, now, we can talk about so- lutions that do that. Unfortunately, the bill, as proposed, goes so much further and beyond anything that would really be workable in the state. That's why we nd ourselves in Albany talking about the issues with this bill versus trying to support something that can get across the nish line.” To listen to the full interview: https://capitolpressroom. org/2025/01/30/plastics-industry-push- es-against-waste-reduction-bill/