Extrusion International 5-2023-USA

19 Extrusion International 5/2023 51% of the surveyed companies. The cost of energy and raw materials bothered nearly every second respon- dent, while labour and salary costs were a concern for every third. As international forces whipsaw prices with increas- ing frequency, plastics processors are having to adjust their ordering practices accordingly. Less than 31% of respondents said their purchasing strategy had not changed, and more than 8% said they didn’t generally purchase resin, which means over 60% of those polled took a different tack when it came to buying product. The survey results show that 9% of companies exclusively use the spot market, more than 28% are shifting to that market by signing fewer con- tracts, and over 17% said they are dropping deals that are longer than a year in favour of those with a shorter timeframe. Around 46% of those polled said the shift toward spot purchasing has also affected their sourcing, with 23% noting that they have expanded their supplier pool, over 18% saying they have bundled procurement to achieve economies of scale, and more than 5% re - porting a change in suppliers. The words of former US disc jockey Casey Kasem are perfect for describing the seemingly countless events that have been battering the global economy, starting with the pandemic: the hits just keep on coming. Wars, inflation, recessions, rising borrowing costs, chaotic weather, and a host of other factors have left many managers unsure about their company’s pros- pects. According to the latest PIE poll, only 9.5% of re - spondents said they have recovered to pre-crisis levels, and nearly 4% said they were not affected. That leaves around 86% that have yet to fully rebound, with over half saying they do not expect to match their pre-pan- demic activity until next year. Less than 6% predict a return to previous levels in the second half, almost 7% forecast that they will never reach that mark again, and more than 17% cannot even venture a guess. PIE - Plastics Information Europe www.pieweb.com Your competent partner in plastics processing mixing, dosing, conveying and drying Made in Germany www.koch-technik.com EXPAND YOUR CAPABILITIES Hall A3 Booth A3-3213 Same: 25.0 % Better: 28.7 % 188 answers Worse: 46.3 %