Exports of German plastics and rubber machinery rose by 30.5% year-on-year in 2011, reaching a value of more than EUR 4.3 bn, the latest figures published by the plastics and rubber committee of the German Engineering Federation VDMA (KuG, Frankfurt; www.kug.vdma.org) indicate. Following on from a near 26% rise in 2010, VDMA managing director Thorsten Kühmann said the last two years had “offset the slump of 2009”, while the “record set in 2008 has been significantly exceeded.”

While almost all world regions contributed to growth – aside from North Africa, where the Arab Spring and the drop in orders from Egypt especially, saw German machinery exports down 7.5% over 2010 – China was by far the most important consumer market for German plastics machines. After seeing exports to the People’s Republic rise by more than 60% year-on-year in 2010 (see Plasteurope.com of 15.04.2011), German plastics machinery deliveries to the country rose by another 30.5% lasr year, reaching a total of EUR 766m. “That is a new record for China and at the same time the industry’s highest volume of exports ever to a single country,” said VDAM chairman Ulrich Reifenhäuser.

On the whole, exports to east Asia rose by about 41%, with exports to South Korea alone increasing by more than 82% over 2010. The island state has by now become the sixth most important destination market for German plastics and rubber machinery. Taiwanese deliveries also rose by 33%. All in all, exports to Asia now account for more than 38% of all German plastics and rubber machinery deliveries abroad. India accounted for most of the growth in central and south Asia, while in the continent’s southeast, where exports were up 23% year-on-year, Thailand overtook Indonesia as the leading destination.

The picture was rosy closer to home, too, as sales to the EU 27 member countries rose by almost 27% over 2010. The main market here was France, followed by Poland, Italy and Austria. Exports to the other European countries also grew by almost 37%, with VDMA reporting that although Turkey remains the most important market in this region, deliveries to Russia had recovered as well.

German plastics and rubber machinery exports to North American rose by almost 31% and deliveries to Central America were even up by more than 48% year-on-year, driven primarily by a surge in demand from Mexico, VDMA says. Orders to Latin America were up by more than 27%, with Brazil the largest consumer market, followed by Argentina and Chile – the latter two pegged almost equal.

Not only did German plastics and rubber machinery exports take to new heights in 2011 – VDMA data indicate that imports of such machinery to Germany also reached a new record last year, rising by almost 50% to a total value of EUR 946m. Leading supplier countries were Austria, Switzerland and Italy (for an overview of the Italian plastics machinery landscape, see also Plasteurope.com of 28.03.2012).