In terms of supply, EPDM Rubber manufacturers continued to produce on a regular schedule until the beginning of January, with standard cracker uses. The availability of ethylene and propylene was stable throughout this entire period so that manufacturers could produce without interruption to their regular schedules. Manufacturers reported no significant plant shutdowns, force majeure announcements, or port traffic congestion, thus allowing for the continual movement of EPDM Rubber throughout the domestic distribution system. The sufficient inventory of EPDM Rubber at producer and distributor&#xx;s locations provided adequate supply to meet the normal contractual obligations and removed any need to be concerned about allocation management.
The automotive industry provided partial support to domestic end-use applications. In December xxxx, sales of vehicles in the US were x,xxx,xxx units, xx.xx higher than in November. This retained a base demand for EPDM Rubber as used in...
