At the European Association for Plastics and Rubber Machinery Manufacturers (Euromap) General Assembly recently held in Venice, Italy, the association announced that its members accounted for 40 percent of the 32.5 billion euro ($36.7 billion) global output of plastics and rubber machinery in 2014.
This figure amounts to an output of 13 billion euros ($14.7 billion) in 2014 a 1.9 percent increase on the annual results from 2013.
Euromap currently represents almost 1,000 manufacturing companies in Austria, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey.
Addressing the assembly, Luciano Anceschi, the president of Euromap, said: "We are meeting here after three years at a very interesting moment, a period when our sales and turnover are at their highest ever level but equally large are the geographical uncertainties and pitfalls."
He highlighted how in 10 years the global output of plastics and rubber machinery had grown from 19 billion euros ($21.5 billion) to 32 billion euros ($36.1 billion).
“The export share [of Euromap countries] grows to 50 percent or 9.6 billion euros ($10.8 billion) an increase year on year of 1.6 percent,” said Anceschi.
In a statement, Euromap vice president Helmut Heinson said: “Despite China's share rising sharply over the past few years Euromap managed to hold its own. The same applies to exports with Euromap maintaining a market share of around 50 percent over the past five years.”
Euromap's biggest export regions for 2014 were Europe with a 42.9 percent share, a gain of 2.4 percent on 2013, the Americas with 18 percent and China with 11 percent. Anceschi said: “India, China and the rest of Asia account for 21 percent — very close to the Americas and half of what we are selling in Europe.”
Anceschi commented on Brazil, Russia, India and China's markets for Euromap exports saying: “The performance of those markets did not meet our or our manufacturers' expectations. The shortfall mainly resulted from a slump in demand in Brazil and an even sharper drop in Russia. As for China, the plastics and rubber machinery industry's development was uneven and needs to be closely monitored. India, on the other hand, is giving cause for optimism after a couple of years of declining exports."
Anceschi speaking about global plastics and rubber machinery exports said: “Germany maintained the main position with a 23 percent share, but what is interesting is China, we have seen strong growth in production but much less in its exports particularly in the last five years where they gained only 20 percent over the period.”
Euromap's forecast for 2015 is a 2 percent increase with its output rising to 13.3 billion euros ($15 billion).