Although blow moulding occupies only one of the lower positions in the league table for processing methods in Europe with a share of just 11%, it nevertheless shows consistent, above-average growth. Since 1990, consumption has climbed by an average of 5.5% per year. The figures have been compiled by the British market research institute, Applied Market Information Ltd. (AMI, GB-Bristol; www.amiplastics.com), and they appear in its recently updated guide called “The blow moulding industry in Europe”, based on the year 2000.

The highest plastics consumption for blow moulding is recorded by Italy with 17.8%, equivalent to 696,000 tonnes, closely followed by France with 676,000 t (17.3%) and, somewhat further behind, Germany with 517,000 t (13.2%) and the UK with 513,000 t (13.1%).

Of the total of about 4m t plastics processed by the European blow moulding industry in 2000, HDPE accounted for 49% and PET for 40%. This dominance is not surprising, as the plastic bottle is still the most important growth driver for the blow moulding industry. HDPE is used predominantly for small containers for household articles and for cosmetic products and toiletries. Its use in milk and fruit juice packs is another important growth segment. HDPE has also made advances in technical applications – above all for vehicle fuel tanks.

PET consumption profited first and foremost from what has frequently been called the “triumphant march” of the polyethylene bottle. The market research team at AMI calculated that, in 2000, nearly half the PET bottle market was for carbonated soft drinks. The mineral water segment is expected to grow rapidly, with PET continuing to take the place of glass and PVC. Beer bottles of PET still remain a “hoped-for” market. Although a small amount of progress has been made in terms of market acceptance and technology, the breakthrough has yet to be made.

The market for PVC bottles appears to be definitively on the decline. In 2000, this sector experienced a fall in demand of 10% to below 200,000 t. This had consequences in particular in France, where PVC was very popular for mineral water bottles. Other plastics play only a minor role in the blow moulding industry. PP serves a number of niche markets such as bottles for hot-fill applications. LDPE was pushed further into the background by improved HDPE grades. PC is frequently used for the production of baby bottles. There is also considerable interest in the field of returnable milk bottles – trials have been carried out in Germany, Austria and Sweden – but they have still not made a genuine breakthrough.

One trend that plastics manufacturers will have to get used to is the mounting proportion of recycled materials that are finding their way into blow moulding. In 2000, an estimated 50,000 t secondary materials were processed, above all for the production of small containers, and consumption is likely to double over the next ten years. Recyclate is also being increasingly used for the food packaging sector.

The blow moulding segment is not immune to market consolidation either. The biggest blow moulding company on the European market is Schmalbach-Lubeca AG (D-40832 Ratingen; www.schmalbach.de), followed by Alpla-Werke Lehmer GmbH & Co KG (D-88677 Markdorf; www.alpla.com), Crown Cork & Seal (Philadelphia PA /USA; www.crowncork.com), Nampak Ltd. (Sandton, 2146 South Africa; www.nampak.com) and Graham Packaging (York, PA /USA; www.thege.com). The AMI guide includes a list, arranged according to country, of some 1,300 production sites, including detailed information of the materials processed, machinery, end-user markets, production processes, certification and company size.

Book Service: “AMI´s guide to the blow moulding industry in Europe”, 5th edition 2001, 328 pages, DIN A4, paperback, EUR 275.00 + postage/VAT: PIE-No. B 45501.