Through few years’ development, rotomolding industry has already prevail in almost every country. According to the statistic from Plastic News, there are over 400 rotomolding enterprises in North American, and
rotational molding products have a wide range of application, from musical instruments to the automatic machines.
However, the trend may have different impact on the rotomolding sectors. Based on the view point form Jack Welter who is the president and CEO of Elkhart Plastic Inc., there are some tends expected to continue to be a factor for rotmolding manufacturers in 2016.
“We are seeing higher quality expectations from customers and increased value-add to molded parts in the way of assembly or added components,” Jack Welter stated. He also hold the view that the industry also improve the quality of release agents, which have increase the production efficiency and reduce the material waste.
Welter illustrated the importance of release agents, firstly simplify the operation since the products can be demolded easier and secondly is extend the service life of mold.
It’s undeniable that the rotomolding has regional feature and the trend is hardly to change. Differ form other kinds of plastic processes, there is a little threat of working being offshored to cheaper regions of the world.
Welter pointed out that, it’s not an economical method to transport large hollow relatively inexpensive parts for more than 500 miles. The problem is that how to make the rotmolding products small enough so that can be shipped to abroad easier. Up to now, none of manufactures has such sophisticated technique to achieve the goal.
Patrick K.Long, president of Formed Plastic Inc., emphasized that the new trend for 2016 is the pursuit the new end markets.
He pointed that in the future, besides tanks and toys, the rotational molding should get into some other areas.
From his perspective, the rotmolding producers should seek business in end markets that have been traditionally taken by blow molding manufactures.
Patrick Long took medical equipment business for example, since the volumes in this filed was not large enough for blow mold producers, there is a potential market for rotational molding products such as small holding tanks and equipment tanks, which should be a great opportunity for rotomolding manufactures.
