NEWS
German converters report 6% sales fall
German plastics converting, 2023 Sales 2023 (bn€)
Domestic 42.3 Export 30.2 Total 72.5 Source: GKV
GKV, the trade organisation that represents German plastics processors, reported a fall in turnover last year. It said this was down to “current
unfavourable conditions for the German industry”, such as lower consumer spending, rising interest rates and higher energy prices. In addition, uncertainty over future prospects led to a reluctance to invest. GKV said that sales fell below €73 billion (US$78bn) in 2022, a decline of 6% compared to 2022. Nearly 42% of sales (€30bn, or US$32bn) were from exports – almost identical in value to the preceding year. At the same time, domestic sales fell by almost 10%, to account for more than €42bn (US$45bn). “The cause of the economic crisis in Germany is predominantly of a structural nature,” said Helen Fuerst, president of GKV. “We need a future-oriented growth agenda so that industry can pick up speed again in two to three years.”
Such an agenda must focus on energy, bureaucracy, investments and
% Change -9.4 -0.3 -6.0
digitalisation, she said. Processing volumes also fell – by
around 9% to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic. Of this, 2.4m tonnes was recyclate – the same amount as in 2023. In the same period, the indus- try’s workforce declined by around 2% to just under 320,000 people. The number of processing plants remained stable at around 3,000 facilities. Figures are not broken down into specific processes (such as extrusion). However, the packaging sector – which is most relevant to film and sheet extrusion – saw a near-10% decline in the amount of material processed (4.2m tonnes). This equated to turnover in the sector of nearly €17bn (US$18bn) – a fall of nearly 8%, said GKV. Fuerst also called for a re-think on
regulation. “Europe and Germany need an effective stop sign against bureaucracy,” she said. “We demand that at least half of all regulations be abolished within the next parliamen- tary term of the European Parliament.” ❯
www.gkv.de
Azek reports improved sales
US-based WPC decking manufac- turer Azek reported increased sales in 2023, though profitability fell. The company posted a 1% rise in sales to US$1.37 billion. This was due to higher sales in its residential segment, which rose nearly 5%. However, the commercial segment
www.pipeandprofile.com
fell by more than 21%. Overall profits for the period fell by nearly 10% to US$68 million. For Q1 in 2024, Azek expects
sales of US$230-260m, and full-year sales to be similar to those in 2023, said the company. ❯
www.azekco.com
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