Plastics packaging is more in demand than ever

The German plastics packaging industry was able to increase production by 5% to a record 4.3 million tons in 2011. This is shown by current figures provided by the IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen e.v. Plastics packaging were more in demand than ever in the previous year. The turnover has increased by 9% in 2011. However, this growth is also due to an adaptation of raw material prices, which had increased again last year. This is demonstrated clearly in the area of packaging films, by far the biggest sector in the plastics packaging industry. A turnover increase of almost 15% was achieved, as well as a production growth of 5%. Considering that the raw material cost amounts to an average of 70% of the manufacturing costs in the film industry, the turnover growth was far too low in relation to increased raw material prices. Correspondingly, the profit situation was tense for many companies in the past year. The industry expects a continuously positive development for the current year. Export business was somewhat flagging at the beginning of 2012, but is now back on track. According to IK managing director Ulf Kelterborn, it depends on the development of raw material and energy prices whether the industry will manage to achieve an urgently necessary increase in margins in addition to an increase in turnover and production (Press Release IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen, 14 May).