Plastics In Midst of Banner Year

Profitability in the plastics industry this year will be the best of this decade. Production and demand will increase substantially above 1986. Prices for most plastics will be well over last year's. And most of the individual polymers again will set production records. By all accounts, plastics are in the midst of a banner year. What's more, a large number of new polymers and variations on existing polymers are coming out of research and development laboratories, which bodes well for potential new growth for the industry. Among the largest volume plastics, thermoplastics (polyolefins in particular) are in high demand this year. Polyethylene and polypropylene will account for just under half of 1987 production of 39 billion lb of thermoplastics. Counting polyvinyl chloride production, these polymers will make up almost two thirds of thermoplastics output. As a group, production of all of the thermoplastics will increase about 7% this year. An increase also is expected in ...