2009 review: plastics machinery sales dropped 30%

The VDMA's most recent monthly sample survey shows that member firms' sales were down by a nominal 30% at the end of last year. "The drop in sales was not quite as severe as expected," said Ulrich Reifenhäuser, chairman of the Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association, referring to an earlier forecast made in mid-2009 of a 40% slump. Reifenhäuser is also one of the directors of the extrusion systems manufacturing company of the same name.

Sales to processors in Germany were down 35% on the previous year. Earnings from foreign sales fell by 28%. Output in core machinery manufacturing declined from the all-time high of €5.6 billion recorded in 2008 to €3.9 billion for last year.

Germany's official trade figures confirm the VDMA survey's findings, as they revealed that German exports of plastics and rubber machinery fell by 36.1% for the period Jan.-Nov. 2009. Reifenhäuser said the only real bright spot in the industry for the manufacturers was in Asia, with exports to India up and those to Southeast Asia and the Near and Middle East falling less sharply than elsewhere. —[email protected]