Approximately 55 percent of the plastic bottles manufactured in the United States are used for beverage bottling, and half of the plastic bottle manufacturing industry’s revenue comes from carbonated soft drink bottles, according to Santa Monica, Calif.-based IBISWorld’s Sept. 2013 report “Plastic Bottle Manufacturing in the US.” In fact, the $13 billion industry is expected to grow by 0.2 percent this year and another 1.9 percent annually through 2018 because of demand from the beverage industry, it states. Therefore, the plastic bottle manufacturing industry is expected to stabilize and grow during the next few years, it adds. 

As the plastic beverage bottle market expands, manufacturers are looking for ways to reduce their total cost of ownership and environmental impact while maintaining the flexibility needed to compete in the market, according to Denis Marcon, North American sales director for SIPA North America Inc., Atlanta. This can mean saving energy, producing lightweight containers to save materials, and operating efficiently, he explains.