Medical device makers and contract manufacturers are seeing an uptick in demand for medical plastics, something they say indicates 2010 is off to a strong start. Larry Bell, vice president of business development and marketing for GW Plastics notes that more orders are being placed, as companies recovering from the 2009 financial crunch get back on track and start projects that were previously delayed. Europe, though, still lags behind U.S. levels.
"We are starting out pretty optimistic about 2010, even though this is still uncharted territory," says Larry Johnson, healthcare marketing director for materials supplier PolyOne Corp. "No one knows whether 2009 was an anomaly or whether the changes were permanent. If there is a successful first quarter, there is a good chance it will carry on. We expect a better year in 2010. We are just not sure how much better."
- here's the report from Plastics News for more