ure, U.S. plastics processing shipments declined to a mere US$146 billion in 2001. And the industry - like every other - had to suffer through an even rockier 2002, with plant closings, consolidations and flight to offshore markets. But more than perhaps any other sector, the plastics industry molds itself to the times, and new projects around the world both reflect and point the way for new economic trends.
        In fact, U.S. resin production totaled 79.1 billion pounds (30 billion kg.) in 2002, a 6.7-percent jump from 2001. Sales and captive (internal) use of those resins in 2002 totaled 79.7 billion pounds (30.1 billion kg.), an increase of 5.8 percent compared to 2001.
        At the Alliance for the Polyurethanes Industry (API) conference in November 2002, Martha Moore, senior economist with the American Chemistry Council, noted that growth opportunities for polyurethanes exist in the automotive, office and residential sectors. "The end-use markets for polyurethanes are holding up," she said.
        That observation is supported by a recent Freedonia Group analysis of the worldwide markets for floor covering and insulation, two of polyurethane's principal uses. Worldwide floor covering demand of some $63 billion is projected for 2006, while the dramatic industrialization and construction in the Asia Pacific will drive the insulation market to $18 billion by 2006.