NEWS


Plastics Europe reports output declined in 2023


Total plastics production in Europe declined 8.3% in 2023 to 54m tonnes compared with 2022, with production of mechanically recycled post-consumer plastics dropping by 7.8% to 7.1m tonnes, according to figures published by Plastics Europe. These figures contrast with a 3.4% global increase in plastics production, and mean that Europe’s share of the global market has declined to 12%. Whilst Europe has maintained a positive trade balance in value terms, in tonnage terms it became a net importer of plastics resins in 2022 and plastic finished goods in 2021, while exports of resins fell by 25.4% between 2020 and 2023. In addition, only 0.12m tonnes of chemically


jobs across 51,700 compa- nies and generated more than €365bn in turnover within the EU in 2023. “The EU’s transformation


recycled plastic was produced in Europe in 2023, while bio-based and bio-attributed plastics production slightly in- creased to 0.8m tonnes. “Europe’s eroding competitiveness threatens our industry’s circular plastics transition,” said Plastics Europe. The shift threatens the viability of the European plastics value chain, it said, which currently supports more than 1.5m


to a circular plastics system is in acute danger from imported plastics which do not always meet EU stand- ards,” said Marco ten Bruggencate, President of Plastics Europe, and President of Dow EMEAI. “The hard truth is that we already see EU manufactur- ing plants being shut down, leading to offshoring of the industry, jobs and sustain- able investments. The circularity transition will only be successful if policymak- ers urgently implement the framework conditions needed to regain our competitiveness.” � https://plasticseurope.org


Barkley celebrates 60th


News sponsored by


Oetiker


moves into moulding


Oetiker, a manufacturer of connectors, has moved into injection moulding by acquiring Sweden-based AD Plast. The company says this


strengthens its position as a supplier of connecting solutions to the automo- tive and other industries. AD Plast’s capabilities include injection mould- ing, product design and in-house mould manufac- turing and assembly. . “Having collaborated closely with AD Plast over the last five years, we’ve developed a strong mutual understanding – and I see a great cultural fit between our two companies,” said Thomas Meier-Bickel, CEO of Oetiker. �www.oetiker.com �www.ad-plast.se/en/


with new orders


Barkley Plastics, an injection moulder and toolmaker based in Birmingham in the UK, recently celebrated its 60th anniversary by securing a number of new projects. These include producing controller


parts and ambient lighting for a high-end shower manufacturer, car charger components for Fast Amps and plumbing fittings for Ecoclip. The company also supplies interior trim and specialist lighting products to Nissan, Toyota, JLR and several supercar manufacturers. It says it is now on course for sales of more than £4 million – and plans to increase revenue further by 2026.


Expansion plans have been boosted by a £100,000 modernisation of its


8 INJECTION WORLD | January/February 2025


Highgate facility. This includes several cobots, for increased automation, and a temperature-controlled quality control room with two coordinate measurement machines. “Since Covid-19, there has been a


lot of supply chain disruption – and the automotive sector has been extremely volatile in terms of volumes,” said Matt Harwood, managing director of Barkley Plastics. “We’re now in a position to target a significant amount of reshoring work that directly suits our technical plastic moulding expertise.” The company has a toolmaking facil- ity within its moulding plant, and over 30 modern moulding presses ranging from 5 to 650 tonnes. �www.barkley.co.uk


www.injectionworld.com


IMAGE: BARKLEY PLASTICS


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