| KN25003 |
| KEY NOTE PLASTICS PROCESSING : July 2003 |
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This report covers: plastics processing, thermoplastic materials, thermosetting plastics, most commonly used plastic materials, technical processes, injection moulding, blow moulding, extrusion moulding, vacuum forming, compression moulding, lamination, foaming, flow moulding, casting, calendering, filament winding, flexible plastic films, semi-rigid, rigid plastics, closures, labels, general moulding, bulk containers, building products, textiles and floor coverings,
Companies covered include: British Polythene Industries, British Vita, International Process Technologies, Linpac Plastics, Nampak Holdings (UK), Plastribution, Polypipe Building Products, Rexam, RPC Containers, Wellington Holdings,
| Executive Summary 1 |
| 1. Market Definition 8 |
| Report Coverage 8 |
| PLASTICS PROCESSING 8 |
| Thermoplastic Materials 8 |
| Thermosetting Plastics 9 |
| Most Commonly Used Plastic Materials 9 |
| Technical Processes 9 |
| Injection Moulding 9 |
| Blow Moulding 10 |
| Extrusion Moulding 10 |
| Vacuum Forming 10 |
| Compression Moulding 10 |
| Lamination 10 |
| Foaming 10 |
| Flow Moulding 10 |
| Casting 10 |
| Calendering 11 |
| Filament Winding 11 |
| Other Technical Terms 11 |
| Masterbatch 11 |
| Die 11 |
| MARKET SECTORS 11 |
| Semi-Manufactures 11 |
| Principal Manufactures 12 |
| Plastic Packaging 12 |
| Flexible Plastic Films 12 |
| Semi-Rigid and Rigid Plastics 12 |
| Closures 12 |
| Labels 13 |
| Bulk Containers 13 |
| Building Products 13 |
| Textiles and Floor Coverings 13 |
| General Moulding 13 |
| Market Trends 14 |
| ECONOMIC TRENDS 15 |
| Gross Domestic Product 15 |
| Table 1: Gross Domestic Product at Current Prices (£m), 1998-2002 15 |
| Population 15 |
| Table 2: UK Resident Population (000), Mid-Years 1998-2002 16 |
| Inflation 16 |
| Table 3: UK Rate of Inflation ( percent), 1998-2002 16 |
| Employment 17 |
| Table 4: UK Unemployment Rate and Actual Number of Employed Persons ( percent and 000), 1998-2002 17 |
| Household Disposable Income 17 |
| Table 5: Household Disposable Income (index 1971=100), 1997-2000 18 |
| MARKET POSITION 18 |
| The UK 18 |
| Overseas 18 |
| 2. Market Size 20 |
| THE TOTAL MARKET 20 |
| Table 6: The Apparent UK Plastics Processing Market by Value (£m at msp and percent), 1998-2002 20 |
| BY MARKET SECTOR 21 |
| Plastics in Primary Forms 21 |
| Table 7: The Apparent UK Plastics in Primary Forms Market by Value (£m at msp and percent), 1998-2002 21 |
| Plastic Plates, Rods and Sheets 21 |
| Table 8: The Apparent UK Plastic Plates, Rods and Sheets Market by Value ((£m at msp and percent), 1998-2002 22 |
| Plastic Packing Goods 22 |
| Table 9: The Apparent UK Plastic Packing Goods Market by Value (£m at msp and percent), 1998-2002 23 |
| Other Plastic Products 23 |
| Table 10: The Apparent UK Market for Other Plastic Products by Value (£m at msp and percent), 1998-2002 24 |
| OVERSEAS TRADE 24 |
| General Overview 24 |
| Exports 24 |
| Table 11: UK Exports of Plastic Products by Sector (£m), 1998-2002 25 |
| Imports 25 |
| Table 12: UK Imports of Plastic Products by Sector (£m), 1998-2002 26 |
| 3. Industry Background 27 |
| RECENT HISTORY 27 |
| INDUSTRY SYNOPSIS 28 |
| Number of Companies 28 |
| Manufacture of Plastic Products by Turnover Size 28 |
| Table 13: Number of UK VAT-Based Enterprises Engaged in the Manufacture of Plastic Plates, Sheets, Tubes and Profiles by Turnover Sizeband (£000), 1999 and 2002 28 |
| Plastic Packing Goods 29 |
| Table 14: Number of UK VAT-Based Enterprises Engaged in the Manufacture of Plastic Packing Goods by Turnover Sizeband (£000), 1999 and 2002 29 |
| Plastic Builders' Ware and Floor Coverings 30 |
| Table 15: Number of UK VAT-Based Enterprises Engaged in the Manufacture of Plastic Builders' Ware and Floor Coverings by Turnover Sizeband (£000), 1999 and 2002 30 |
| Other Plastic Products 31 |
| Table 16: Number of UK VAT-Based Enterprises Engaged in the Manufacture of Other Plastic Products by Turnover Sizeband (£000), 1999 and 2002 31 |
| Summary of Plastic Products Companies by Turnover Size 31 |
| Table 17: Summary of Number of UK VAT-Based Enterprises Engaged in the Manufacture of Plastic Products by Turnover Sizeband (£000), 1999 and 2002 32 |
| Employment 32 |
| Table 18: Employment in the Manufacture of Plastic and Rubber Products, Chemicals, Chemical Products and Manmade Fibres (000), December 1998-2002 33 |
| Employment by Manufacturing Units in Plastics Processing 33 |
| Table 19: Number of Employees in the UK Plastics Processing Industry by Number of Manufacturing Units, 1999 and 2002 34 |
| REGIONAL VARIATIONS IN THE MARKETPLACE 34 |
| DISTRIBUTION 35 |
| HOW ROBUST IS THE MARKET? 36 |
| LEGISLATION 37 |
| KEY TRADE ASSOCIATIONS 37 |
| The British Plastics Federation 37 |
| The Plastic Machinery Distributors Association 37 |
| Rubber and Plastics Research Association 38 |
| The Chemical Industries Association 38 |
| Association of Plastic Manufacturers in Europe 38 |
| Other Trade Associations 38 |
| 4. Competitor Analysis 39 |
| THE MARKETPLACE 39 |
| Market Leaders 40 |
| Amari Plastics PLC 40 |
| Financial Results 40 |
| Birkby's Plastics Ltd 40 |
| Financial Results 40 |
| British Polythene Industries PLC 41 |
| Financial Results 41 |
| British Vita PLC 41 |
| Financial Results 41 |
| Distrupol Ltd 41 |
| Financial Results 42 |
| International Process Technologies Ltd 42 |
| Financial Results (Group) 42 |
| Linpac Plastics Ltd 42 |
| Financial Results 42 |
| Low and Bonar PLC 42 |
| Financial Results 43 |
| McKechnie Engineered Plastics Ltd 43 |
| Financial Results 43 |
| Nampak PLC 43 |
| Financial Results (for Plysu PLC) 43 |
| Plastribution Ltd 44 |
| Financial Results 44 |
| Polypipe Building Products Ltd 44 |
| Financial Results 44 |
| Resin Express Ltd 44 |
| Financial Results 44 |
| Rexam PLC 45 |
| Financial Results 45 |
| RPC Containers Ltd 45 |
| Financial Results 45 |
| Wardle Storeys Ltd 45 |
| Financial Results 45 |
| Wellington Holdings PLC 46 |
| Financial Results 46 |
| OUTSIDE SUPPLIERS 46 |
| Marketing Activity 46 |
| Exhibitions and Trade Shows 47 |
| 5. Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats 48 |
| PACKAGING 48 |
| Strengths 48 |
| Weaknesses 48 |
| Opportunities 48 |
| Threats 49 |
| BUILDING PRODUCTS 49 |
| Strengths 49 |
| Weaknesses 49 |
| Opportunities 50 |
| Threats 50 |
| OTHER APPLICATIONS 50 |
| Strengths 50 |
| Weaknesses 50 |
| Opportunities 51 |
| Threats 51 |
| 6. Buying Behaviour 52 |
| CUSTOMER PROFILES 52 |
| THE MAJOR POLYMERS 52 |
| Principal plastic materials used by converters 52 |
| Low density polyethylene 52 |
| High density polyethylene 52 |
| Polyethylene tetraphthalate 53 |
| Polypropylene 53 |
| Polyvinyl chloride 53 |
| Polystyrene 53 |
| Polyurethane 53 |
| Other major resins 54 |
| Polycarbonates 54 |
| Acrylonitrile Butyrates 54 |
| Polyamides 54 |
| 7. Current Issues 55 |
| ROLE OF THE INTERNET 55 |
| EUROPEAN AND INTERNATIONAL MARKETS 55 |
| POLITICAL 55 |
| CORPORATE ACTIVITIES 56 |
| IMPACT of LEGISLATION 56 |
| THE ENVIRONMENT 57 |
| MAJOR TRENDS 57 |
| 8. The Global Market 59 |
| Introduction 59 |
| competition from newer industrial economies 59 |
| CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR 60 |
| THE FUTURE 60 |
| 9. Forecasts 61 |
| FORECASTS 2003 TO 2007 61 |
| Future Trends 61 |
| Key Industry Developments 61 |
| Plastic Plates, Rods and Sheets 62 |
| Plastic Packing Products 62 |
| Other Plastic Goods 63 |
| Table 20: The Forecast Apparent UK Demand for Plastics by Sector (£m), 2003-2007 64 |
| 10. Company Profiles 65 |
| British Polythene Industries Plc 66 |
| British Vita Plc 68 |
| International Process Technologies LTD 70 |
| Linpac Plastics LTD 72 |
| Nampak Holdings (UK) PLC 74 |
| Plastribution LTD 76 |
| Polypipe Building Products LTD 78 |
| Financial profile 79 |
| Rexam Plc 80 |
| RPC Containers LTD 82 |
| Wellington Holdings Plc 84 |
| 10. Further Sources 86 |
| Associations 86 |
| Bonnier Information Sources 86 |
| Government Sources 88 |
| The plastics processing industry is prominent in every aspect of modern life. As new polymers and composite materials are introduced by the chemical industry, so the industry is constantly refining and adding products to those that have been made over many decades. In its early years, the plastics industry greatly benefited from the substitution of plastic for other materials including various metals, wood, paper, glass, cardboard and natural fibres, etc. However, as a mature industry, the possibilities for substitution are limited, leading to greater dependence on economic growth and the expansion of demand in plastic's existing markets. The industry is also vulnerable to volatility in the global price of oil and gas feedstocks, used by the chemical industry to produce its raw and semi-finished materials. |
| Total apparent UK demand peaked in 2000 and then dropped to an estimated £10.41bn in 2002. This downward trend is expected to continue until there is significant global economic recovery which will stimulate domestic and world demand. The leading markets for plastics are in packaging, building and construction and the automotive/transport industries, all of which have generally been buoyant. However, a number of other industries which use some form of plastic, e.g. the textile, clothing, electrical, electronic, mechanical engineering and agricultural industries, have experienced a profound downturn in demand, as they struggle to adjust to changes in the market for their products and against a rising tide of imports. |
| Overseas competition from the advanced developing countries is having an impact on domestic demand, as cheap imports of relatively low added-value products are causing some parts of the UK's plastics industry to restructure. A number of UK companies have relocated their manufacturing facilities to these low-cost countries and have themselves become importers. The rising cost of the polymers used by the UK's plastics processing industry has made many of its customers resist the inevitable price increases that follow and led them to seek alternative sources of supply, wherever possible. Plastic processors are also seeking cheaper material suppliers and this downward spiral has led to the closure or suspension of production at several bulk chemical plants in the UK. |
| Key Note expects that demand will eventually recover over the next 5 years to reach £10.97bn in 2007, but the outlook for the immediate future is uncertain. Ultimately, the technical advances which introduce new capabilities to plastic materials and the resulting specialised plastics, new polymer alloys and composites, should open up new applications and opportunities for plastic which could be sufficient to offset the rise in imports of less specialised plastic products. However, new production techniques and materials demand investment in machinery and operator training, which will inevitably limit the number of plastic processors able to make the necessary investment, forcing those which cannot out of business. |
Text © 2003 Key Note
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Last updated by Amanda Porteous July 2003
