The polyethylene film extrusion market in the Nafta region performed well in 2004 with a near 9% increase reflecting a throughput of 6.8m t annually, according to a report on the PE extrusion business in the region from British market research group Applied Market Information Ltd (AMI, GB-Bristol BS1 3QP; www.amiplastics.com).

Rising resin prices and an increase in imports from Asia and Latin America sparked consolidation in the industry and forced many companies to cut costs, though AMI still foresees growth in the market by as much as 4% per year over the next five years. If this estimated growth rate is realised it will result in a market of 9m t by 2009.

The majority of companies surveyed are located in the US. The largest number of these are located in the southern states, with Texas having more film extruders than any other. There are also significant numbers in the midwest. The industry is highly concentrated in the hands of the leading players. The top 10 polyethylene film extrusion companies account for over 40% of the industry and the leading 50 groups account for almost 70% of all PE film manufactured in North America.