PLASTICS MACHINERY GERMANY
VDMA forecasts 2014 sales to fall slightly below 2013 level / EU 28 sees increase while exports abroad tumble / 2015 expected to record 4% rise / Sustainability initiative at "Fakuma"
The German association for plastics and rubber machinery, VDMA Kunststoff- und Gummimaschinen (KuG, Frankfurt; http://kug.vdma.org), has further downgraded its forecast for sales in 2014. In its most recent announcement it said that it expects sales to total EUR 6.7 bn, just short of the level achieved in 2013 (EUR 6.8 bn). In June 2014, it had said that it expected sales to rise by 3% this year, with output hitting a record EUR 7 bn – see Plasteurope.com of 17.06.2014. This was down from an original 6% forecast increase. However, the association said that its forecast of a 4% increase in sales in 2015 remained.
VDMA chairman, Ulrich Reifenhäuser, said that the machinery association’s members are optimistic for the year ahead. “Our industry forecast is for a 4% increase in sales in 2015, the global crises are however also increasingly affecting sentiment in the firms concerned,” he said.
Orders from customers in Germany rallied strongly in the period from January to August 2014, up 20% year-on-year, the association said, but orders from abroad were 3% lower in the period. However, there was a 10% increase generated in the countries of the euro zone and, overall, orders were 2% higher than in 2013.
Thorsten Kühmann, VDMA managing director, said: “German deliveries abroad have decelerated sharply, falling by 5.3% in the first half of the year. The export picture is dominated by negative trends in demand from and exports to Brazil, Russia, India as well as Turkey and Mexico. China, too, is weakening.” He added that the EU 28 sales region is developing, with the increase in demand making up for the sharp fall in Russia. Growth has come from eastern Europe in particular, along with Italy, Spain and Portugal, with deliveries to the US and Canada continuing at a high level, he said.
The association said that the optimistic forecast for 2015 assumes that capital investment in Germany will continue to grow and that the sales trend in China and the US will remain positive. Large increases in the consumption of plastics are predicted for China in particular, bringing rising demand for high-quality machinery.
For the association’s “Blue Competence” sustainability initiative, at “Fakuma” 2014 (see Plasteurope.com of 14.10.2014), partner firms will focus on functional integration – the concentration of different tasks in one component or production process. They will demonstrate what functional integration looks like in plastics and rubber machinery manufacturing and how it saves energy and resources.
e-Service:
VDMA’s “Blue Competence” functional integration at “Fakuma” 2014 brochure as a PDF file
VDMA chairman, Ulrich Reifenhäuser, said that the machinery association’s members are optimistic for the year ahead. “Our industry forecast is for a 4% increase in sales in 2015, the global crises are however also increasingly affecting sentiment in the firms concerned,” he said.
Orders from customers in Germany rallied strongly in the period from January to August 2014, up 20% year-on-year, the association said, but orders from abroad were 3% lower in the period. However, there was a 10% increase generated in the countries of the euro zone and, overall, orders were 2% higher than in 2013.
Thorsten Kühmann, VDMA managing director, said: “German deliveries abroad have decelerated sharply, falling by 5.3% in the first half of the year. The export picture is dominated by negative trends in demand from and exports to Brazil, Russia, India as well as Turkey and Mexico. China, too, is weakening.” He added that the EU 28 sales region is developing, with the increase in demand making up for the sharp fall in Russia. Growth has come from eastern Europe in particular, along with Italy, Spain and Portugal, with deliveries to the US and Canada continuing at a high level, he said.
The association said that the optimistic forecast for 2015 assumes that capital investment in Germany will continue to grow and that the sales trend in China and the US will remain positive. Large increases in the consumption of plastics are predicted for China in particular, bringing rising demand for high-quality machinery.
For the association’s “Blue Competence” sustainability initiative, at “Fakuma” 2014 (see Plasteurope.com of 14.10.2014), partner firms will focus on functional integration – the concentration of different tasks in one component or production process. They will demonstrate what functional integration looks like in plastics and rubber machinery manufacturing and how it saves energy and resources.
e-Service:
VDMA’s “Blue Competence” functional integration at “Fakuma” 2014 brochure as a PDF file
 The blue Playmobil horses are a symbol for the "Blue Competence" initiative (Photo: VDMA) |
17.10.2014 Plasteurope.com [229529-0]
Published on 17.10.2014
German version of this article...