PLASTICS MACHINERY
Order boom for German producers in 2007 / Production value tops EUR 5 bn / World leader
German manufacturers of plastics and rubber machinery are predicting growth of 8% in 2008 following a strong 2007 in which the value of core machinery produced rose 7.5% to a record EUR 5.2 bn and orders surged forward 21% against 2006. At its annual meeting in Mainz / Germany on 5 June 2008, the plastics and rubber committee in the German machinery manufacturers association VDMA (Frankfurt; www.guk.vdma.org) said it expects business to hold up well this year, despite soaring raw materials costs and the strength of the euro.
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Not only the core business improved last year, the association said, pointing to a sales value of EUR 8 bn for the sector altogether. Moulds and dies saw an increase of 2.5% to EUR 1.9m, while peripherals improved by nearly 12% to EUR 698m. By contrast, the small flexographic printing machinery segment (for films) declined by 2.4% to EUR 176m. The industry stepped up its exports by 6.5% to EUR 3.8 bn – nearly 73% of output was sold abroad. Imports picked up by 22.6% to a value of 840m.
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Germany is the world’s largest producer of plastics machinery, with a share of nearly 25% of global output worth EUR 21 bn. Number two, China, trails at considerable distance with 15.2%, followed by Italy with 12.8%, the US with 7.9% and Japan with 7.2%. The biggest customer for German-made machines is the US, followed by China and Russia.
The plastics and rubber grouping said the German industry is well positioned for continued success, especially as higher costs enhance worldwide customers’ demand for quality and efficiency.
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19.06.2008 Plasteurope.com 760 [211061]
Published on 19.06.2008
German version of this article...