NEWS


Milacron gets new


owner Private investment firm Bain Capital has taken a major shareholding in plastics machinery manufacturer Milacron. Bain will buy an ownership stake of around 51% of Milacron for US$287 million, subject to customary closing adjust- ments. Current owner Hillenbrand will retain a stake of around 49%. “With manufacturers


increasingly focused on supply-chain resilience and domestic production, we believe the US is entering a manufacturing renaissance that will create significant opportu- nities for industry leaders like Milacron,” said Matt Evans, a partner at Bain. � www.milacron.com


German converters report 4% sales fall


GKV, the trade organisation that represents German plastics processors, report- ed another fall in turnover last year.


It said this was down to


“domestic reasons” such as lower consumer spending, rising interest rates and high energy prices. GKV said that sales fell to just over €69 billion in 2024, a decline of 4% compared to 2023. Nearly 43% of sales (almost €30bn) were from exports – around 2% lower in value than the preceding year. At the same time, domestic sales fell by more than 6%, to account for nearly €40bn.


“Our industry has the potential for growth,” according to Helen Fuerst, president of GKV. “The


German plastics converting, 2024 Sales 2024 (bn€) 39.7 29.7 69.4


Domestic Export Total


Source: GKV


proverbial silver lining on the horizon is gradually becoming visible after two challenging years.” The number of employ- ees in the industry fell by about 2%, to around 313,000, while processing volumes dipped by 5% to 12 million tonnes. Of this, 2.5m tonnes was recyclate – a 4% increase on 2024. The number of processing plants remained stable at just under 3,000 facilities. Figures are not broken down into specific process-


es (such as extrusion). However, the construction sector – which is most relevant to pipe and profile extrusion – saw a 12% fall in the amount of material processed (4.3m tonnes). This equated to turnover in the sector of around €22bn – a fall of 7.5%, said GKV. For companies in the


sector, the prerequisites for an upturn are relief from high energy costs and a consistent reduction in bureaucracy, she said. � www.gkv.de


Polypipe profits and sales down in 2024


UK-based Genuit Group – which trades as Polypipe – saw sales dip by around 4% last year. Sales fell to just over £561 million, while ‘underlying’ pre-tax profits fell nearly 2% to £73m. Sales in the water management solutions business – which supplies stormwater and wastewater infrastructure – fell by nearly 6% to £161m. Underlying profit in the division fell 23% to around £14m. Revenue was affected by project delays, including prolonged wet weather and low business confidence, said the company.


6


Sales in Polypipe’s water management business fell nearly 6% last year


which cut changeover times by 80%. The company also raised


the proportion of recyclate it used in its products from 49% to 52% in 2024. It previously set itself a target of 62% for this year. “We saw some signs of


IMAGE: POLYPIPE


Sales in the sustainable business solutions – mainly focused on plumbing and water supply – declined by nearly 5% to £232m. Underlying profit in the division rose by 2%, exceed-


PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | Spring 2025


ing £54m. Sales suffered due to lower volumes, but profits rose thanks to effective cost management, it said. One example of this was the use of SMED (‘Single Minute Exchange of Dies’),


market stabilisation in the second half of 2024 and volumes in the early part of this year have been in line with expectations,” said Joe Vorih, CEO of Genuit. “Our growth prospects remain strong, given the need for investment in UK infrastruc- ture and housing.” � www.polypipe.com


www.pipeandprofile.com


% Change -6.1 -1.7 -4.3


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