Extruder builders hope rebound in orders continues through 2025

Lackluster and slow.

That's how 2024 has gone for many extruder builders for the most part.

The challenges are due to global economic and political factors, including the near-recession in Europe, the slowdown in China, ongoing wars in the Ukraine and the Middle East, inflation and, for much of 2024, uncertainty about the U.S. presidential election, according to Paul Lloyd, Farrel Pomini business unit director and president of Farrel Corp.

"Overall, the market in 2024 was flat with some minor fluctuations by quarter," Lloyd said.

Building products were one of the bright spots, particularly flooring and decking.

"Many companies in this space are transitioning from traditional petroleum-based polymers to bio-based or recycled materials, and this is driving a significant amount of equipment purchases," Lloyd said.

2024 didn't even have a tough act to follow at Processing Technologies International L.L.C., said President Dana Hanson, who pointed to other factors for the Aurora, Ill.-based builder of sheet extrusion machinery.

"PTi has experienced lackluster sales over the past couple of years. We've been able to manage market headwinds through our diverse product offerings," Hanson said. "The reduced business levels we attribute to high interest rates, high inflation and reduced reinvestment incentives seen in previous time periods."

For new investment, a business unit of Lebanon, Ore.-based Entek International L.L.C. called Entek Lithium Separators L.L.C. received a direct loan of up to $1.2 billion to build a battery separator manufacturing facility in Terre Haute, Ind. Entek is the only U.S.-owned and U.S.-based producer of wet-process lithium-ion battery separator materials—microporous membranes sandwiched between the anode and cathode of a battery to prevent shorts, which is essential to the performance and safety of lithium-ion batteries.

Entek also manufactures the extruders and material handling equipment for the production of battery separators.

The U.S. Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office officially awarded the loan in November to substantially finance the 1.4 million-square-foot facility, which is expected to create 635 new jobs by the end of 2027.

Entek machine builders also are seeing investments in other areas.

"We have been bucking the trends of the industry, and our largest orders are coming from commercial building products and automotive accessories," said Linda Campbell, Entek vice president of sales.

At US Extruders Inc. in Westerly, R.I., Eric Adair, director of communications and digital strategy, said the company had a slow start in 2024, "but we are finishing the year off very strong" thanks to the recycling, profile and tubing markets.

Adair described the automotive and construction markets as "still somewhat soft."

At R&B Plastics Machinery L.L.C., President and General Manager Fred Piercy said the Saline, Mich.-based company has been working on a large project involving 100 percent recycled material for an industrial product.

Meanwhile, Branchburg, N.J.-based Leistritz Extrusion Technology has experienced back-to-back strong years, President Charlie Martin said.

"2023 was a record year, and 2024 is about equal," Martin said, pointing to the bioplastics, specialty compounding and medical/pharmaceutical markets.

In Lincoln, R.I., Windmoeller & Hoelscher Corp. (W&H) sales are picking up, according to President Andrew Wheeler.

"2023 was a slower year for the industry, including for us. However, this year, we've experienced a significant rebound in order intake, which may even surpass our record year of 2022," Wheeler said. "We've seen continued success in using oriented films as a replacement for PET, leveraging monomaterials for sustainability and recycle-ready films."

Barrier machine direction orientation (MDO) film, which protects products from moisture and oxygen, also has gained popularity, Wheeler added.

"Our customers remain focused on producing sustainable films while closely monitoring the evolving regulatory landscape and strengthening the circular economy for flexible packaging," he said.

At Hosokawa Alpine American Inc. in Northborough, Mass., 2024 was an up year for total bookings despite challenges for the blown film extrusion equipment manufacturer, President David Nunes said. Sales were strong from processors seeking "eco-friendly solutions" related to recyclable mono-based materials and increasing percentages of post-industrial recyclate (PIR) and post-consumer recyclate (PCR).

In Florence, Ky., Krauss-Maffei Corp. operates in various extrusion sectors, including pipe/profile, rubber, compounding and recycling.

"As market demand fluctuates, we consistently achieve record growth. While one market may decline, others often rise, allowing us to thrive through our diversification," said Peter Zut, vice president of extrusion sales and service.

Recent demand increases have come from processors of PVC foam board, thermoplastic polyolefin roofing and tires.

"These markets have demonstrated consistent growth every three to five years," Zut said.

Back at PTi, Hanson said processors of sheet with heavy gauges—greater than 100 mils—are starting to modernize like their packaging counterparts have over the years.

"We expect to see an increased activity level coming from this sector in the next couple of years as capacity is needed and there's a shifting of companies that are making a presence within the space, which also drives the need for new equipment," Hanson said. "Automotive is part of the heavy-gauge wave that we're seeing along with other sectors, including agriculture, marine, construction, etc. We are very optimistic that this will continue over the next several years."

Also, PTi was awarded a key sheet extrusion system featuring advanced twin-screw technology for processing multiple resins including dryerless PET in Mexico, according to Hanson.

"This increases our presence in the south-of-the-border markets," he said.

At Farrel Pomini, Lloyd said the company is making a large investment in rotor manufacturing capabilities and plans to add new assembly capacity and improved operational efficiencies at its Ansonia, Conn., headquarters.

"We will be increasing both assembly and quality control personnel to ensure the best-quality equipment is delivered to our customers," Lloyd said.

At W&H, the company broke ground this spring on the expansion of its North American headquarters to double both its warehouse and office space to support the growing staff.

"The expanded warehouse will allow us to stock more SKUs for both W&H and Garant (our paper division), enabling us to ship nearly 70 percent of spare parts overnight," Wheeler said, describing the investment as significant.

Entek, which continues to manufacture and assemble all of its equipment in the U.S., is adding machine tools to support growth in wear parts.

"We have added to our sales team in 2024 and will continue to grow the team in 2025," Campbell said. "We are actively looking to hire a salesperson in the Southwest U.S. to cover Mexico and Latin America."

At Krauss-Maffei, Zut said the company continues to expand its product offerings by exploring specific machines for local manufacturing.

"By sourcing the components directly globally and locally, this initiative will help us achieve faster lead times and create more competitively priced machines," Zut said.

Krauss-Maffei also added a salesperson in the southern region and a field service technician to support an increased demand for products.

US Extruders also has made hires across multiple departments, including Randy Joubert, a new regional sales manager for New England, New York and New Jersey, and two new engineers. The engineers are Jeffrey Kimmerlein, a University of Rhode Island graduate with a few years of experience in the extrusion industry, and Felix Carpio, a graduate of the plastics engineering program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

"This underscores our commitment to enhancing our technical capabilities and driving growth and excellence in the extrusion industry," Adair said. "We are also continuing our market presence with trade shows, increasing social media [and] educational content, and hosting medical processing panel events."

At Hosokawa Alpine American, the company is adding engineers and technicians as it continues to test and assemble machines at its U.S. facilities.

The machine builder also is updating its test center in Augsburg, Germany, with a nine-layer blown film line with inline MDO for customer demonstrations and product development. This comes on the heels of a large warehouse expansion at the Northborough site to address what Nunes describes as "the ever-expanding need for critical spare parts."

Leistritz's Martin said the machine builder is taking steps to strengthen its North American presence by adding staff and facilities. No details were given.

Extruder builders that attended NPE2024 were satisfied with the foot traffic and resulting leads.

"NPE2024 exceeded our expectations and has resulted in new customers in all areas, including material handling, extruders and wear parts," said Entek's Campbell.

Leistritz's Martin called the event a success.

NPE was a busy show for W&H in terms of booth visitors and some great leads.

"Since our sales cycle is longer, we don't measure shows by immediate sales numbers," Wheeler said. "However, we can say that the interest, attendance and enthusiasm surrounding NPE were palpable."

US Extruders' Adair was pleased with what he described as significant interest generated along with a good number of quality leads.

At Farrel Pomini, Lloyd said NPE presented a good opportunity to see a significant portion of the company's U.S. customer base.

"[That's] always positive. We made new contacts that have developed into leads. However, after a six-year hiatus of the event, we did expect to see higher attendance levels," Lloyd said.

The Plastics Industry Association reported more than 51,000 people registered to attend the show, held May 6-10 in Orlando, Fla., which means attendance likely was down about 9 percent from the last show, which was in 2018.

At PTi, Hanson said the company is a long-standing participant at NPE and was satisfied with its booth traffic.

"The attendance was one of the better NPE shows," he said. "This may be in part due to the fact it had been six years—two cycles—since the last show in 2018. PTi closed a substantial heavy-gauge order during the show and is still cultivating business from the activities and customer leads generated from the show."

NPE was canceled in 2021 because of a spike in COVID-19 related cases and deaths, both of which have since declined, but other effects of the respiratory illness that swept across the globe still linger.

PTi's Hanson said the new equipment sector experienced a slowdown, which was to be expected after the increase in capital expenditure spending during the pandemic.

At first, health care systems went into a panicked rush to secure ventilator tubing, respirators, isolation gowns and personal protective equipment (PPE). Medical device manufacturers and sheet extruders responded, scrambling to add capacity to produce tubing, counter dividers and other products to save lives and try to stop the virus from spreading.

A few years later, the long-term impact of the pandemic appears to be how business is conducted, according to PTi's Hanson.

"Video calls vs. face-to-face meetings is the new standard method of interacting," Hanson said. "Regarding plastics ups/downs, the policies of public opinion and government regulations contribute to these cycles. Currently, the market is in a normal phase of evaluating existing capital equipment with respect to equipment age, efficiency, technological advances and ROI. Retrofit/upgrade opportunities continue to increase as customers seek to maximize performance on existing equipment lines."

Krauss-Maffei's Zut agreed about the changes brought about by the pandemic.

"While some pre-pandemic methods are returning, the trend of remote work remains strong. We've discovered that we can maintain productivity with fewer people in the office; however, as we grow, the demand for on-site personnel is increasing," Zut said. "For instance, in engineering, collaborating on new products and materials benefits from in-person interactions, making those one-on-ones essential again."

At Hosokawa Alpine American, Nunes said: "Business is back to normal apart from the most important resource for all companies: people. Most companies are still struggling to find and keep high-quality personnel at every level of manufacturing."

As for the supply chain, Nunes said, for the most part, it is back to pre-supply-chain-crisis status.

Entek's Campbell said the company's business climate has greatly improved.

"We do see more customers preferring North American suppliers, which has helped our business," Campbell added.

Leistritz's Martin said he thinks the business world is "90 percent back to normal."

US Extruders' Adair said, "The supply chain has greatly improved, and business is exceeding pre-pandemic levels."

The company benefits from having about 60 percent of the components in its extruders sourced locally.

"Additionally, we have brought some fabrication component production in-house to further enhance efficiency and reliability," Adair said.

Entek's Campbell said pockets of electrical components continue to be a challenge but overall the supply chain is "very much improved" compared to last year.

PTi's Hanson agreed.

"The supply chain headwinds seem to have settled down to a certain extent," he said. "Overall lead times appear to be somewhat extended and may never fully recover to pre-pandemic levels."

Farrel Pomini's Lloyd said it's time to move on.

"I think, and hope, the pandemic and pandemic hangover is in the past. Plastics producers are good at innovating and fast to adapt," Lloyd said. "We see much more focus and leverage of other challenges and opportunities."

The pandemic kinked up the supply chain and the logistical options to move those products, prompting efforts to reshore production and jobs from overseas to the U.S.

In 2020, U.S. reshoring outpaced foreign direct investment for the first time since 2014.

Nowadays, shipping expenses and uncertain or extended delivery time frames as well as the possibility of port strikes and other global issues make up the top reasons why plastics processors are reshoring and adding capacity within the U.S., Farrel Pomini's Lloyd said.

Entek's Campbell added, "They are predominately in automotive and energy storage. The driving factor appears to be a result of supply chain availability."

At PTi, Hanson said he expects the incoming Trump administration to push for policies that affect reshoring directly.

"These policies will take time to be fully defined, but companies will hedge them by making moves sooner than later. Later will be more costly," Hanson said.

US Extruders' Adair simply said, "We are looking forward to continued reshoring."

Krauss-Maffei officials are monitoring several potential impacts, including supply chain challenges, interest rates and government policies.

"We collaborate internally and with our industry suppliers to proactively address any anticipated issues," Zut said. "Additionally, being part of organizations such as PPI (Plastics Pipe Institute), PPFA (Plastic Pipe and Fittings Association) ... and the Plastics Industry Association is crucial for gaining insights into market trends and industry developments, ensuring we are well prepared for the future."

PTi's Hanson keeps abreast of economic, geopolitical, sustainability and industry-based factors that affect the machine builder's day-to-day operations and its customers. Right now, he is concerned about tariffs and the labor market.

"Wage pressure is always a concern as inflation places pressure on driving wages at an imbalanced rate with business conditions," Hanson said. "Tariffs will also add to the mix of concerns as they will drive up equipment costs independent of inflation as parts are sourced globally and especially from European suppliers, which will also be impacted by tariffs."

At W&H, Wheeler agreed.

"As a German machinery manufacturer, we are watching developments of potential tariffs closely, as they could impact both our business and our customers. Over the years, we've seen stable duty rates, and any increase in tariffs on German-made machinery would effectively serve as a tax on our U.S. customers," Wheeler said. "This is particularly concerning because this segment of the industry has few, if any, U.S. suppliers, meaning that raising tariffs would directly affect U.S. manufacturers. Historically, business incentives have supported investments, and we remain optimistic that such incentives will continue. Ultimately, we hope for policies that maintain stability and encourage investment."

W&H officials also are concerned about sustainability issues.

"The real unknown for us lies in the issues and challenges of successfully creating a circular economy for films and flexibles," Wheeler said. "Several groups, including some we are involved with, are working tirelessly to create solutions for collection, recycling and developing end markets, all while facing evolving legislation. It's a challenging task with plenty of headwinds, but one that is achievable."

At Farrel Pomini, Lloyd said finding qualified candidates to hire has been challenging for several years.

"This has caused positions to remain open for a prolonged period of time. Fortunately, that situation seems to have eased a bit recently," he added.

At US Extruders, Adair said, "While many of our competitors are restructuring, we have chosen to invest in our team by hiring across various positions, ensuring we are well equipped to support our customers effectively."

The year also bought about some manufacturing feats and changes.

PTi delivered the largest heavy-gauge sheet in North America at 144 inches overall width and rated at over 6,000 pph of high molecular weight polyethylene for sheet thicknesses up to 350 mils.

"This system featured many of PTi's latest design innovations, including a plurality of auxiliary rolls to promote lay flatness and cooling," Hanson said.

At Leistritz, Martin said 2024 was a year for substantial growth in bioplastics compounding.

For 2024 and into 2025, Zut said Krauss-Maffei Extrusion has launched special pricing campaigns for calender rolls, screw and barrel components, and component repairs.

To mitigate supply chain risks, Adair said US Extruders increased the in-house fabrication of some components and have added a new lab line to support customers developing medical tubing processes and applications.

Campbell said Entek officials have been focusing on "becoming the leader in wear parts supply in our lead time, price and quality."

The company also is in the final assembly stages of its new HT 162 mm extruder and are in the early designs of the HT 92 mm extruder.

Milacron debuted several new technology innovations, such as advanced controls and die heads, advanced single/twin screws and barrels, and full-line integration for polyolefin piping, at NPE2024.

At Farrel Pomini, Lloyd said 2024 brought a partnership with Lummus Technology regarding a pyrolysis system for recycling post-industrial and post-consumer waste streams of high and low density PE and polypropylene-based products.

The Farrel Continuous Mixer (FCM) is an essential component of the system as the initial step for thermal degradation of the recycle stream, Lloyd said. The FCM melts the feedstock resins and homogenizes them under specific temperature and pressure parameters.

"Farrel Pomini compounding equipment is ideal for processing a wide variety of chemical, as well as mechanical, recycling applications and proud to be working with companies like Lummus, who are dedicated to developing real-world solutions to solving the plastic waste problem," Lloyd said.

At Hosokawa Alpine American, Nunes called the latest series of Select-brand extruders a game-changer for processing large percentages of PCR- and PIR-based resins. The series offers high output, low shear and low energy consumption, he added.

In 2025, Farrel Pomini will be making a large investment in state-of-the-art rotor manufacturing equipment.

"We are optimizing processes and reducing lead times, which is crucial for meeting customer demands," Lloyd said.

At Leistritz, Martin said the machine builder is expanding its process laboratory with a ZSE-60 MAXX sheeting system in the U.S. and a ZSE-75 MAXX in Germany.

US Extruders is continuing to invest in manufacturing capabilities, talent and resources, Adair said.

PTi's Hanson said the machine builder will add another demonstration line at its Technology Development Centre (TDC). The line will have the latest technology, including advanced twin-screw extrusion, roll stand through winding and the newest generation of Titan machine automation.

"This represents an investment of approximately $4 million," Hanson said. "Further to this, PTi added another demonstration line to its TDC consisting of its latest HighSpeed (brand) extrusion technologies, roll stand through winding system at an investment of $2.5 million. These two systems will allow customers to run trials on our latest offerings on full production scale demo systems, which is unique in the sheet equipment producers' markets."

In addition, PTi plans to modernize its enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management software systems with a greater emphasis on the customer service experience.

Plastics processors are recognizing the benefits of automation to address the labor shortage and support sustainability efforts by optimizing production to reduce energy and material consumption.

"Today, we see a growing number of customers investing in automated air rings and changeover systems. We will continue to develop automation that makes our customers' production easier," said W&H's Wheeler.

At US Extruders, Adair said extrusion systems can seamlessly incorporate advanced sensors and data collection tools, allowing them to be adaptable to evolving technologies.

"Machine-learn functions and predictive maintenance are continuing to be added to reduce unplanned downtime," Adair added.

Automated equipment and self-tuning optimization routines will continue to evolve and be in high demand from processors seeking increased efficiencies and return on investment, said PTi's Hanson.

"Man-machine interface automation is critical to providing tools whereby customers can employ machine operators that may not possess the historic skill level required in past extrusion technology eras," Hanson said.

Advances in machine automation will continue to see AI attributes in how people interact with equipment along with the information that is derived from processing data, Hanson also said.

AI tools are developing rapidly, added Alpine American's Nunes said.

"Predictive maintenance, predictive process analysis and automated correction are all being considered and implemented," he added.

AI is revolutionizing the manufacturing landscape and will "greatly change" the plastics industry, said Farrel Pomini's Lloyd.

"However, I feel the plastics industry is slower to adopt than others," he added. "We need to do a deeper dive with our internal teams to better understand how to adopt AI into our business, and this will allow us to better support our customers."

Processors need to brush up on AI, too, particularly how company data will be incorporated.

"W&H is investing significantly in AI. However, the key question is how much data will manufacturers be willing and comfortable to share about their unique processes and art of manufacturing," Wheeler said.

There is significant opportunity for AI to support plastics processors, Lloyd said, pointing to process optimization, material development, quality control, production planning and predictive maintenance.

"Currently, we see a focus on online condition monitoring and machine learning, and although we expect the focus on artificial intelligence to grow, adoption is slower than other industries," Lloyd said.

The key to customer acceptance is to provide AI attributes that are seamless and easy to culturally assimilate at the production floor levels, Hanson added.

"It's the wave of the future, so to speak, and we're gearing up for its benefits and what it will mean to machine intelligence," Hanson said.

It's all leading up to Industry 4.0, which means fully integrated processes from order entry to shipping and everything in between like molding and assembly.

W&H officials have been working toward this for almost a decade.

"Back in 2015, W&H developed its own adaptation called Packaging 4.0, which focuses on smart factories and our digitization efforts on intelligent machines, integrated processes and intuitive operation," Wheeler said.

At Farrel Pomini, Lloyd said, "Industry 4.0 for the plastics industry can lead to significant advancements in efficiency, quality and sustainability. We see scattered interest in a wide range of technologies, including smart manufacturing, data analytics, automation and robotics, supply chain optimization, sustainability and enhanced quality control."

The spotlight on the recyclability of plastics products continues to get attention from consumers, politicians, regulators and corporations with environmental, social and governance (ESG) vital for companies navigating the plastics industry, according to Farrel Pomini's Lloyd.

"Larger companies have led the way by investing in sustainable practices and product innovation and created a ripple effect for midsized and smaller businesses to follow suit," Lloyd said. "The emphasis on recycling and sustainability is not just a trend; it is a core business strategy. Companies that align with these practices are likely to see long-term benefits."

Hanson agreed.

"Recycling is embedded in our futures forevermore. It is essential in the rationalization for plastics as a practical packaging solution. Otherwise, it could not continue as a viable packaging solution," Hanson said.

The nature of recycling continues to evolve and is becoming much more sophisticated to serve as a virgin substitute, Hanson added.

"Thus, it goes without saying, recyclability is an ongoing objective for processors and machinery builders alike. The ESG factors will continue to have an active role and be a determinant factor in the decision-making process. For these reasons, engineering efforts aren't simply focused on perfecting the quality, reliability and output rates, but designing a solution that is energy-efficient, versatile, intuitive, reliable and cost-effective."

At Krauss-Maffei, Zut said some exciting projects involve chemical-based recycling, which the company sees as an opportunity.

"The new PureCycle recycling plant in Ironton, Ohio, uses KraussMaffei Blue Power twin-screw extruders and KE single-screw extruders," Zut added. "We have a lot of different projects in the U.S. and Canada that we are working on. Some of those projects are related to compounding machines. We also see some new opportunities using natural fibers and composites extruded into pellets that will then be used in the injection molded electric vehicle market."

US Extruders' Adair said he sees a clear increase in recycling efforts as companies add pelletizing lines for scrap and expand their existing recycling operations. "Molders and extrusion processors are beginning to start recycling internal scrap to reduce their carbon footprint by keeping it out of landfills," he said.

W&H's Wheeler said recyclability is top of mind for everyone right now.

"You don't have to look hard to understand why. There's a strong and growing sentiment against plastic waste, and it's driving the push for more sustainable solutions across the industry," Wheeler said, pointing to the United Nations' plastics treaty talks and some U.S. states implementing packaging extended producer responsibility initiatives.

"Monomaterial PE and PP structures are growing in popularity because they're easier to recycle and support the circular economy," Wheeler said.

In addition to providing pelletizing systems for recycling scrap, Adair said US Extruders incorporates energy-efficient components like direct drive motors, which consume approximately 10 percent less energy than traditional AC motor and gearbox combinations.

W&H's Wheeler said machine builders are focused on minimizing material consumption for processors in addition to energy.

"We also work closely with them to learn how to run PCR and PFAS-free resins on our extrusion lines. Going through that process has been a good learning experience for all of us," Wheeler said.

At Leistritz, Martin said the company offers a development lab to advance new processes, particularly for bioplastics, recycling and multifunctional systems.

At least 70 percent of customers trialing materials in Farrel Pomini's U.S. and U.K. process laboratories are working with a bio-based or recycled material, Lloyd said. Processors are drawn by Farrel Pomini's continuous mixing equipment, which Lloyd said is well suited for biopolymers, biodegradable plastics, recycled polymers and recycling applications.

"We support our customers as they pivot toward processing more environmentally friendly or circular materials, which provides for a ripple effect throughout the supply chain," Lloyd said.

Farrel Pomini equipment is energy-efficient and processes material at low temperatures, Lloyd added.

"Energy savings of our compact processor is 10 percent or greater compared with competing technologies," he said. "This enables our customers to be more energy-efficient, supporting their sustainability goals. The energy efficiency allows them to be more profitable as well."

From a circular economy standpoint, Lloyd said, Farrel Pomini launched a complete mechanical recycling solution in 2024 and has partnered with Lummus Technology for its plastics pyrolysis solution as well as WF Recycle-Tech for the end-of-life tire recycling system.

Farrel Corp. is an investor in WF Recycle-Tech, Lloyd added.

Also, in September, the company earned a gold medal rating from EcoVadis for performing in the top 5 percent of companies globally that were evaluated for sustainable management systems.

At Entek, the company is seeing a rapid increase of processors setting ambitious corporate targets to support sustainability goals.

"With this, they are reaching out to us for assistance in many different areas, such as support with process development in order to incorporate scrap materials from their own production process, help designing a process around increasing the amount of recycled materials in their formulations, and reducing scrap from startups and changeovers," Campbell said. "We also continue to see a focus on using biopolymers for well-established customers as well as emerging companies."

Entek also designs equipment with the newest energy-saving technology, such as energy-efficient motors to help with sustainability. "Converting solid barrels into sleeved barrels help reduce cost and can reduce scrap of used barrels that can find their way to the landfill," Campbell added.

At PTi, Hanson said design innovation has been helping processors introduce sustainability measures within product offerings. "The advancements being offered via our multiresin twin-screw technology give an advanced production tool that provides solutions toward achieving sustainability objectives," Hanson said. "Our newest roll stand technologies address unique challenges that may otherwise prove difficult by providing tools that directly tackle processing headwinds related to formulation changes and product impacts from meeting sustainability goals."

Farrel Pomini's Lloyd expects the company's end markets to be largely flat and aligned with 2024 performance.

"This expectation parallels the recent contraction of plastics machinery sales in 2023 and so far in 2024," Lloyd said, adding he wouldn't be surprised if there's more market volatility.

"Current developments are slower than expected to progress. However, once aligned, they should move quickly," Lloyd said.

Entek's Campbell said: "2024 was a rough year in extrusion sales as a result of the economy. We are optimistic that things will improve in 2025. NPE2024 happened at the perfect time for our wear parts division, where we have seen significant growth and interest from new-to-Entek customers as we continue our journey to become the leader in that market."

Entek officials' expectations for 2025 are tied to what the Federal Reserve does about the price of borrowing money, Campbell added.

"That will depend on what the interest rates do for the homebuilding market and whether lower interest rates spur automotive sales," she said. "Recycling and biopolymers are strong, and Entek anticipates that will continue into 2025."

At W&H, Wheeler said the outlook for 2025 is very positive, and he expects strong order intake.

At Hosokawa Alpine American, Nunes remains optimistic about blown film markets and the industry in general.

R&B's Piercy said: "I don't think 2025 is going to bounce out of the first quarter real strong, but I do expect Q2 and beyond to pick up some. I believe as interest rates come down, which they look like they will, we're going to see a more robust 2025 than what we've had in 2024."

Leistritz's Martin is cautiously optimistic about 2025.

At US Extruders, Adair said he anticipates next year will be a "highly successful" one based on the momentum from the company's strong end to 2024 coupled with the high level of interest generated at trade shows.

"We see strong tailwinds in 2025 across all markets," Adair said.

His optimism has nothing to do with politics and the reelection of Republican Donald Trump.

"The outcome of the presidential race is not a concern for us. Our uptick began well before the election and has continued steadily since," Adair said.

Krauss-Maffei's Zut said the extrusion business has seen activity and growth across the board with significant increases related to recycling and the circular economy. "We have seen demand for extrusion equipment, PET chemical waste recycling systems and RPM—the latter from customers turning not only to polyurethane but also carbon-fiber composites to produce lighter parts and components," Zut said.

He thinks 2025 looks promising because of Krauss-Maffei's expanded presence in the market.

"Growing sectors like recycling, PVC and polyamide for hydrogen pipe applications are gaining traction," Zut said. "These market needs require specialized expertise and production lines, which Krauss-Maffei is well equipped to deliver."

PTi officials expect a Trump presidency to bode well for 2025.

"We're optimistic about the new administration's pro-business and expansionism philosophies within the plans to drive the economy," Hanson said. "We are looking forward to increased business levels as a result and are already seeing customers' attitudes towards the same shifting in a positive manner."

Election years bring about a lag in decisive action on capital purchases, regardless of expected outcomes, Hanson said.

"Once the powers that be are set in place for the next four years, customers can best set their outlooks accordingly and regain confidence in the decisions and buying processes," Hanson said. "The incoming administration has a history of providing business-friendly investment incentives including but not limited to accelerated tax deductions for depreciation on capital investments and deregulation across many industries."

As a U.S.-based manufacturer, PTi is very bullish on the future despite global headwinds.

"European suppliers may have seen a harsher climate given the feedback we've received from offshore partners," Hanson said. "The future holds promise, and PTi is well positioned to partner with our customers in continuing to supply world-class extrusion solutions. The Golden Age is right around the corner."