Industry enjoys robust 2012 / 'All hail shale' great morale booster but little substance / Polymer production still below pre-recession levels / Large customer sectors see slowdown around the corner / SPI outlook for 2013

摘要

Despite a rather sluggish US economy over the last few months, the long-term forecast of a manufacturing renaissance is still very much alive and relevant - that is the opinion of not only the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM, Washington DC / USA; www.nam.org), but also the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI, Washington DC / USA; www.plasticsindustry. org). Indeed, William Carteaux, president and CEO of SPI, believes this is especially true for the US plastics industry as well. Though shale gas hype has done a fine job of lifting the nation's morale, it has done little substantially to boost the nation's economic recovery.