Chemicals
The United States is the top chemicals producer in the world, generating $600 billion per year in turnover. Five million Americans work to produce chemicals and the related machinery & equipment. American exports in the chemical industry are more than $100 billion and make up nearly 10% of all U.S exports annually.
Links:
www.americanchemistry.com The American Chemistry Council
www.cen-online.org Chemical & Engineering News
www.acs.org American Chemical Society
Sources: American Chemistry Council and Chemical & Engineering News
Plastics
Plastics is the 3rd-largest US manufacturing industry. This comprises plastic products manufacturers as well as suppliers of raw materials (resin), machinery & mold makers. The U.S. plastics industry employs about 1.1 million people. In 2006, plastics industry shipments totaled more than $375 billion.
Productivity in the plastics improved at a rate of 2.3 percent from 1980-2006 , more than the average productivity increase for U.S. manufacturing as a whole.
Plastics consumption in the U.S. grew by 7.6% in 2006 to $271 billion. A great majority of plastics used in the U.S. is domestically produced with imports accounting for only 14.6% of the total. Exports of plastic products; raw materials and machinery/molds increased 12.3% in 2006 with a value exceeding $43 billion. The top export destinations for plastics are Canada, Mexico and China.
Links:
www.plasticsindustry.org SPI- The Society of the Plastics Industry
www.myplasticsindustry.com Plastics Industry Data
www.npe.org Website of the NPE The International Plastics Showcase show, June 22-26, 2009 (Chicago)
Sources: SPI- The Society of the Plastics Industry and Plastics Industry Data
Rubber
Rubber products manufacturing of tires, hoses, belts, seals etc. employs some 120,000 people in the U.S. and generates more than $21 billion in annual sales. While imports of original equipment tires have increased, US growth of replacement and original equipment tire shipments combined has increased by 0.6 percent in 2007.
Links:
www.rma.org RMA- The Rubber Manufacturers Association
http://rubber.org/ The Rubber Division of the American Chemical Society
Sources: RMA- The Rubber Manufacturers Association