Global plastics and rubber machinery sales will rise by an average of 3% per year from 2014-2016, a first ever trend report commissioned by the German association for plastics and rubber machinery, VDMA Kunststoff- und Gummimaschinen (KuG, Frankfurt; http://kug.vdma.org), has found. While EU manufacturers will likely end this year with sales down by 2%, the report predicts that they will be able to make up the lost ground again in 2015, which is predicted to see 2% growth. VDMA reiterated its October findings that German plastics and rubber machinery sales will contract by a slight 1% this year, but are expected to grow by 4% next year (see also Plasteurope.com of 17.10.2014).

VDMA said that together with China, the European manufacturing countries account for almost 75% of total global plastics and rubber machinery production. Key sales markets are China and the US, which consume about 25% of global deliveries. Including the EU into that equation would bring the figure up to 47% of total global exports.

Looking towards 2015, the association predicts a positive sales trend in both China and the US as well as a further recovery in Europe.