Exports of plastics and rubber machinery manufactured in Germany increased by over 26% year-on-year in 2010, with sales reaching EUR 3.31 bn. “Despite the welcome growth, we are still some way short of the record figure of EUR 3.99 bn achieved in 2008,” explained Thorsten Kühmann, managing director of the German machinery manufacturers association VDMA (www.kug.vdma.org).

In 2009, exports of plastic and rubber machinery suffered a decline of 34% – see Plasteurope.com of 13.04.2010. China remained the top sales market for German plastics and rubber machinery in 2010, with a year-on-year increase in sales of over 64% to EUR 587m. According to Ulrich Reifenhäuser, chairman of VDMA, “This growth more than made up for the slump the year before, in terms of value, exports [to China] fell only slightly short of the 2004 record.” Sharp rises in sales were also seen to eastern Asia as a whole with an increase of over 60%. Deliveries to Korea showed an above average increase of 141%. Asia’s share of all German exports rose to 38%.

Almost all sales regions contributed to the growth. Exports to the EU 27 countries were up by 16%, with Italy and France sharing top spot and Poland in third place. Exports to the rest of Europe grew by 17%. Despite sales falling, Russia remains the region’s most important customer, VDMA said. However, exports to Turkey more than doubled. In Africa, Egypt has taken the place of South Africa as the major sales market. In North America, up by 30%, orders from the US were up by just under a third, while the growth rate for Central America (25%) reflects rising demand from Mexico. “Deliveries to Brazil, which more than doubled in 2010, are making a significant contribution to South America’s overall increase of 61%,” Reifenhäuser said.

Most of the growth from central and south Asia (15%) is accounted for by India (7% growth), which ranks third in the world top ten. Among customers in South East Asia (4% growth), Indonesia is now the clear leader. The situation in the Near and Middle East is more subdued, VDMA said, with sales falling by 13% year-on-year. The major markets of Saudi Arabia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates all contributed to the decline. Imports of plastics and rubber machinery to customers in Germany also recovered in 2010. Although they rose by 17% to EUR 633m, they, too, fell well short of the pre-crisis figure of EUR 851m. As a result, the German foreign trade surplus in plastics and rubber machinery once again widened.