Sales by German plastics and rubber machinery manufacturers have surpassed the previous record set in 2008, following a sustained rise over the last two years. Output in core machinery manufacturing increased to a high of EUR 6 bn in 2011, according to the plastics and rubber committee of the German Engineering Federation VDMA (KuG, Frankfurt; www.kug.vdma.org).

The VDMA’s monthly representative survey shows that member firms’ sales rose by 23% year-on-year in 2011, in line with forecasts. Domestic sales increased by 18% and foreign sales by 25%, although demand from euro zone countries, up 15%, lagged behind the rest of the world.

“For the year as a whole, incoming orders were 3% ahead of the previous year’s high level. Growth rates declined month-on-month, however, and the last quarter’s figures were down, albeit from the previous year’s very high base,” said VDMA managing director Thorsten Kühmann. He added that many firms have very full order books, with sufficient work for months ahead.

Deliveries abroad grew rapidly during 2011 and in November were almost 35% higher than in the previous year. The export ratio has now returned to over 70% after two years below that level. “German manufacturers have achieved above average growth in their exports to the US, China, Russia, Turkey and Korea,” said VDMA chairman Ulrich Reifenhäuser, adding that "exports as a whole will also reach a new record of more than EUR 4 bn.”

More than two thirds of plastics and rubber machinery manufacturers employed additional staff at sites across Germany in the second half of 2011, according to the survey. Almost three quarters of respondents had increased their payroll in the first six months of the year. Just under half of the respondents to the survey plan to increase their workforce in H1 2012, with a similar proportion planning no change.