The future of the US petrochemical industry appears uncertain at present

The US Petrochemicals Industry has undergone lifecycle path phases from initial growth augmentation to slowing down in marginal returns and thereafter facing possible downturns aided by many factors of competitive or resource constraints. Some of these constraints are visibly manifested in the manner of high feedstock prices which are forcing many U.S. giants to reassess their bottom line priorities in comparison to global players and resulting in taking a back foot on overall market activity interest. High feedstock prices have forced producers to reconsider their investment scenario settings and tweaking is evident in the realigned strategic goal movement of the industry as a whole. The lack of investment focus is also resulting in labor issues for rates which are directly impacting production. The change of stance to short term investment reaping instead of long term capital building efforts are being exercised through organizational efficiencies and asset management systems. The future of the US petrochemical industry appears to be uncertain at present with the imbalance create in the market by the high feedstock process and the industry seems to be poised to become a net importer by 2010 rather than the dominant exporter role it once played. The abundance of feedstock has diminished over the years and this has hit producers further with increasing costs. Research and Markets have analyzed this scenario in its report "Analyzing the Petrochemical Industry in the United States". The report looks at the factors which were instrumental in the current state of the industry and the trends most expected to be prevalent in the near future. The report clearly demarcates the industry boundaries and explains the early as well as present activity quantum of this industry with the overall health analysis of the industry by applying a SWOT analysis. The report further delves into the directional pointers of the industry which are steering its course conditions and the resultant diversion of investment planning by the industry majors in their existing projects. In order to better analyze the factors which have contributed to the industry the report provides a study of the overall macroeconomic activity prevalent in the US and the overall future outlook it provides for the industry. The major contributors of the industry are also analyzed in depth in this report which provides a complete insight on the factors plaguing the U.S. petrochemical industry and the road ahead for the same.