Stars and stripesmachinery

US foreign trade in plastics and rubber machinery seems to be consolidating its recovery.
A downtrend was recorded for both imports and exports in Q1 2010. The trend was reversed in June and grew stronger in September: +19% for imports and +5% for exports with respect to January-June 2009 levels.
Almost all customs codes, excluding mono/multifilament plants and machinery for moulding and forming, show a double-digit increase in imports while the situation is somewhat less clear in exports, where there is an equal distribution of both positive and negative figures. For example, exports of extruders have risen by 67% thanks to considerable sales to Brazil, while those for injection moulding machines have shrunk by 21%.
As for imports, Canada is the number one provider for US processors, holding a one-third share of the total (but more than a half was represented by moulds). Next in line are Germany, Japan, China and Italy. The value of extruders, flexographic printing machines and presses for tires and inner tubes supplied by Italy is growing quickly.