German plastics and rubber machinery manufacturers recorded a slight increase of one per cent in sales last year. As a result, turnover in core machinery manufacturing remains unchanged at the previous record figure of 6.8 billion euros.
Sales developing as forecast
"This year-end result too is largely in line with our forecast," said Ulrich Reifenhäuser, Chairman of the VDMA Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association. "In the autumn we predicted a one per cent drop in the industry's sales to just below the 2013 level."
Incoming orders on the up
"For the year as a whole, incoming orders are three per cent higher compared with the previous year. A welcome 17 per cent rise in orders has made up the ground lost on the home market in the last few years," commented Thorsten Kühmann, the Association's Managing Director. He added: "In terms of foreign demand, the positive trend in the euro area countries has continued with growth of 15 per cent. Overall, orders from abroad were one per cent below the previous year's figure."
German exports slightly down on previous year
In the period to November 2014, deliveries abroad were 0.9 per cent below the previous year's level; the decline slowed in the course of the year. "The export figures also clearly reflect the recovery in our EU partner countries, with German exports to both the south and the east recording strong growth.
Poland now ranks third among the ten leading customer countries. Growth in China and the US, ranked first and second, paused for breath, albeit at a very high level," reported Ulrich Reifenhäuser.
Outlook for 2015: four per cent sales growth anticipated
The half-yearly trend survey of Association members shows that the industry continues to be optimistic as 2015 gets under way. There were localised improvements in demand for plastics and rubber machinery in the second half of 2014, and expectations for the current half-year are positive for all sales regions except eastern Europe. A return to growth is expected in Latin America and China.
"The Association predicts four per cent growth in sales for 2015; that would take the sales volume over the seven billion euro mark for the first time," concluded Ulrich Reifenhäuser.
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