Supply chain, plastics equipment suppliers

The trade association representing the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw material supplier s. 

E-mail Address beisenberg plasticsindustry.org Web Address www.socplas.org The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI), founded in 1937, is a trade association representing the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. 

Two thirds of the 300 businesses surveyed for the report-which include makers of mechanical equipment, plastics manufacturers, food manufacturers and suppliers to the automotive industry - plan to re-evaluate their supply-chain strategies as a result of the global recession. 

Toolmakers are a specialized subset of the supply chain. They provide customized molds and tools that are used hy the converters to create plastic parts. Toolmakers may be employed by converters directly, or they may he a supplier to the converter. The molds and tools they make are typically designed so that they can be used in most standard processing equipment, but they may also be designed to ht only in a specihc machine. 

Testing is a critical aspect of plastics performance, and there is an extensive network of testing services in the plastics industry. This includes manufacturers of test equipment, independent testing labs, and industry organizations that develop test standards. Test equipment manufacturers supply equipment to all of the participants in the supply chain, and may also offer test services on a contracted basis. Most resin suppliers have extensive in-house testing, primarily for material characterization, but they may also offer test services for customer applications. Independent testing labs typically offer services on a contracted basis and are often considered the private investigators of the industry. 

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See also in sourсe #XX -- [ ]

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