The future is uncertain for 74 employees of a local plastics plant after its owners put it up for sale.

Despite headlines to the contrary, the U.S. economy remains in a state of slow growth, according to the American Chemistry Council's (ACC) monthly Chemical Activity Barometer (CAB) released today.

While China's macro economy may be showing signs of softness, global automotive plastic component makers at the recent Auto Shanghai trade fair had few, if any, plans to hit the brakes with their investments.

French plastic fuel tank maker Inergy Automotive Systems, for example, said it was building two tank blow moulding plants in China this year, and planned another in 2014 to bring its advanced twin-sheet blow moulding process to the country to tap increased local demand for plastic fuel tanks.

K’Nex, the US-based construction toy company, is to set up shop in the UK next year, two decades after it first started sending its products to this side of the Pond.