July 2, 2007

Volume 85, Number 27

Web Exclusive

Tables - Facts & Figures Of The Chemical Industry

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FINANCES

U.S. SHIPMENTS
All categories of chemical products realized positive demand growth in 2006

CANADA SHIPMENTS
Demand for chemicals rose, as that for all manufactured products fell

EUROPE SHIPMENTS
Pickup in shipments from the Netherlands spurred the growth of European shipments

U.S. PRICE INDEX
Year-to-year increases beat the 10-year averages for most chemical sectors

CANADA PRICE INDEX
Rise in chemical prices was more modest than the aggregate change for all commodities

EUROPE PRICE INDEX
Producer prices rose the fastest in the Netherlands while dropping in the U.K.

TOP 50 U.S. CHEMICAL COMPANIES
Chemical sales remained strong, and most of last year’s top companies held on to leading positions

U.S. FINANCIAL ANALYSIS
Financial measures for most major companies improved

U.S. COMPANY RESULTS
Most U.S. chemical companies saw financial improvement, but pharmaceutical firms did not

CANADA COMPANY RESULTS
Overall, results for Canadian firms were positive in 2006

EUROPE COMPANY RESULTS
New companies and acquisitions spurred growth in sales and earnings

JAPAN COMPANY RESULTS
Performance continued to improve at 12 major chemical companies

U.S. CAPITAL SPENDING
Big increases by industrial gas companies Air Products and Praxair sparked a 23% rise in total spending

CANADA CAPITAL SPENDING
Spending eased in 2006 but was still relatively high

EUROPE CAPITAL SPENDING
Total spending in 2006 built on the previous year's gain

JAPAN CAPITAL SPENDING
Taken together, leading Japanese companies sharply boosted their capital expenditures last year

U.S. R&D SPENDING
Most chemical companies and all pharmaceutical firms surveyed increased research spending

EUROPE R&D SPENDING
R&D spending hit decade-long high, dominated by big increases at several companies

JAPAN R&D SPENDING
Companies kept on increasing their spending, and Sumitomo remained in the top spot

EMPLOYMENT

OVERALL U.S. EMPLOYMENT
U.S. chemical employment declined for eighth straight year

U.S. COMPANY EMPLOYMENT
Total number of employees rose, largely on Georgia Gulf’s acquisition of Royal Group

CANADA EMPLOYMENT
Agrium's acquisition of Royster-Clark raised the number of employees

EUROPE EMPLOYMENT
Total employment reversed trend and grew in 2006

JAPAN EMPLOYMENT
Headcount increased at most companies, most sharply at Taiyo Nippon Sanso and Toray

U.S. PRODUCTION WORKERS
Decline in the number of chemical plant workers continued

U.S. PAY
Resins, rubber, and fiber workers gained the largest increases

U.S. PRODUCTIVITY
All chemical sectors except pharmaceuticals saw an increase in productivity …
… as unit labor costs fell for all sectors except polymers and pharmaceuticals

PRODUCTION

U.S. PRODUCTION INDEX
Twelve of 15 major chemical categories increased output

ASIA PRODUCTION INDEX
Chemicals trailed manufacturing in Japan and Taiwan

EUROPE PRODUCTION INDEX
The Netherlands and Spain showed strong growth

CANADA PRODUCTION INDEX
Chemicals outperformed all Canadian manufacturing

U.S. ORGANICS
Ethylene oxide increased nearly 9%, as others grew only modestly or declined

CANADA ORGANICS
Results were mixed for those products with available data

EUROPE ORGANICS
Production of most organic chemicals declined

CHINA ORGANICS
Ethylene production increased by more than 1 million metric tons

ASIA ORGANICS
Production fell sharply for Japanese acrylonitrile, phthalate plasticizers, and phthalic anhydride

U.S. INORGANICS
Only ammonia and sodium chlorate registered increases

CANADA INORGANICS
Production for many products declined in 2006

EUROPE INORGANICS
Some inorganics showed growth, but not enough to offset declines of others

JAPAN INORGANICS
Output of chlorine and titanium dioxide contracted by 5% or more

CHINA INORGANICS
Output of sodium hydroxide jumped sharply, by nearly 22%

U.S. PLASTICS
High-density and linear low-density polyethylene posted gains of more than 7%

CANADA PLASTICS
Volume of polyethylene climbed, as those of polyesters and polystyrene fell

EUROPE PLASTICS
Production remained broadly steady, with synthetic rubber output rising the most

ASIA PLASTICS
Only South Korea posted positive 10-year growth for all categories

U.S. SYNTHETIC FIBERS
Although all categories declined, cellulosics fell precipitously

EUROPE SYNTHETIC FIBERS
Cellulosics picked up in 2006, but production of other synthetic fibers sagged

JAPAN SYNTHETIC FIBERS
Polypropylene showed growth, but just barely

U.S. FERTILIZERS
Production of ammonium sulfate grew meagerly, while output for all others plunged

EUROPE FERTILIZERS
So-so season marked fertilizer industry, with some chemicals up and some down

TRADE

U.S. TOTAL TRADE
Chemical industry kept the number two spot among exporting sectors

U.S. CHEMICAL TRADE, BY REGION
Rebound in German economy spurred highest growth in imports, exports

EUROPE CHEMICAL TRADE
Belgium, Italy, and Spain had double-digit export growth

U.S. CHEMICAL TRADE, BY PRODUCT
Growth in exports exceeded that of imports in most categories

CANADA CHEMICAL TRADE, BY PRODUCT
Exports rose more than imports did in 2006, especially in trading with the U.S.

ASIA CHEMICAL TRADE, BY PRODUCT
South Korea experienced robust overall growth in its chemical trade; in Japan, inorganics surged

CHINA CHEMICAL TRADE, BY PRODUCT
Exports of organics and dyes grew faster than imports

U.S. CHEMICAL TRADE BALANCE, BY PRODUCT
Trade deficit narrowed, thanks to improvements in plastics, perfumery, and coloring segments

CANADA CHEMICAL TRADE BALANCE, BY PRODUCT
Surpluses of basic chemicals and resins soared

EUROPE CHEMICAL TRADE BALANCE
Italy and Spain continued trade-deficit streak

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