Applied Market Information says its database contains information on about 1,000 injection moulders operating in the Iberianpeninsula. From the database users can identify moulders of about 20 different types of thermoplastic materials.
According to AMI's estimates injection moulders in Spain and Portugal consumed over 900,000 tonnes of resins in 2005. Of thesevolumes polypropylene (PP) accounts for about 45 per cent of all polymers moulded.
The database shows that Spain and Portugal's injection moulding industry was one of the better performing markets in Western Europe in recent years. Polymerdemand from moulders has grown on average by over three per cent per year since 2000, compared tothe one per cent average for Western Europe, AMI stated.
Nearly 80 per cent of moulders listed in the AMI's database are using PP, a plastic widely used forpackaging, the automotive sector and in the household.
Packaging is the largest end use market. The segment accounted for 25 per cent of polymer volumesconsumed in 2005. Within AMI's database nearly 40 per cent of moulders are serving the packaging industry.
according to AMI, Spain's largest moulding group is Mondragon Corporacion Cooperativa, whose subsidiaries are involved in automotive moulding (Maier, Incoplast and Tajo) andcomponents for domestic appliances and electrical goods (Matz Erreka, Manchalan and Tajo).
In Portugal the leading group is better known as a mould manufacturer, but Simoldesalso operates three plants,which mainly manufacturing automotive components.