NEWS


German machine exports expand by 8% in 2017


Exports of German plastics and rubber machinery grew by almost 8% last year – the eighth consecutive year of growth.


Sales of core machinery to the USA – the top export destination – swelled by 10%, taking total sales there to €847m (US$1bn). China remained the second largest export market, with sales there up more than 14% to €717m (US$851m).


Other major export


markets were Mexico – up nearly 5% to €269m (US$319m) – and Italy, where sales grew by 32% to reach €250m (US$297m). This growth was down to policies of the Italian government to stimulate the use of ‘Industry 4.0’ tools, said VDMA. The only dips in demand, in major export markets, were from France – down 3% to €191m (US$227m) – and India, which fell nearly 4% to €172m (US$204m).


Top 10 export markets for German plastics machinery, 2017


Country USA China


Mexico Italy


Poland France


Czech Republic India UK


Spain


Sales, 2017 (m €)


847 717 269 250 233 191 175 172 145 139


Total exports: €5.4bn (+7.7%) Source: VDMA


% change vs 2016


10.1 14.3 4.5


32.1 9.7


-3.2 7.2


-3.7 2.3 2.1


Outside the ‘Top 10’, sales to Russia bounced back after a long decrease, rising more than one-third to €114m (US$135m). In Brazil, where “the longest and strongest recession has come to an end”, sales grew by 35% to reach 75m (US$89m). VDMA said that 2018


order books were full, and that it expected growth of at least 3% for the year. However, it signalled a note of caution, saying the “climate is starting to change”. “We are in a very long boom phase that has already exceeded its usual length,” said Thorsten Kühmann, managing director of VDMA’s plastics and rubber machinery division. “Due to this, delivery times of machinery manufacturers – and those of suppliers – are unusually long.” Kühmann added that companies were also finding it hard to recruit qualified skilled workers. � http://plastics.vdma.org


Bangladesh plastics is booming


Bangladesh’s plastic industry grew by around 20% last year, fuelled by both local and foreign demand for its products, says a report in the local Daily Star newspaper. For the 2017-2018 year, the domestic market for plastic products reached


8


Tk250bn (US$3bn), accord- ing to the Bangladesh Plastic Goods Manufacturers and Export Association (BPGMEA).


“Bangladesh has huge potential to grow further,” said Kamruzzaman Kamal, director for marketing at Pran-RFL Group, a leading


PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | June 2018


Bangladeshi plastics company.


Bangladesh currently has a 0.6% share of the US$546bn global plastic market, says BPGMEA – but has set a target of raising this to 3% by 2030, says the report. � www.bpgmea.org.bd


Mexichem turnover rises in Q1


Mexichem, the Mexican chemicals company with interests in PVC and plastics extrusion, boosted sales by more than 25% – and profitability by nearly two-thirds – in the first quarter of the year. The company posted


sales of US$1.75bn for the period, and a profitability (EBITDA) of US$330m. All the company’s divisions reported growth. Sales in the PVC division grew 8% to US$646m, though actual volume sales were flat.


At the same time,


EBITDA rose by 80% to US$84m, said the company. Sales in its Fluent division – which includes pipe extruder Wavin and newly acquired Israeli irrigation company Netafim – were up more than one-third to US$947m. EBITDA rose by 30% to US$103m. Currency fluctuations


actually raised sales in the Fluent division by US$55m, due mainly to appreciation in currencies such as the Euro and UK sterling against the US dollar. “Each of our business segments posted substan- tial EBITDA growth,” said the company. “Our major focus in 2018 is the successful integration of Netafim – which holds tremendous promise for our organisation.” � www.mexichem.com


www.pipeandprofile.com


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