As in previous years, the European GRP market report 2014 is based on data for those European countries, for which production figures can be recorded and validated. In the following report, the term GRP refers to all glass fibre reinforced plastics with a thermoset matrix as well as glass mat reinforced thermoplastics (GMT) and long fibre reinforced thermoplastics (LFT). Data on the European production of short fibre reinforced thermoplastics is only available as an overall quantity and are stated separately.

Carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CRP) are dealt with separately in the second section of the market report.

composites market report 2014

After the decline in the volume of glass fibre reinforced plastics (GRP) manufactured last year, a return to weak growth is expected for the European market this year. For some applications, countries and even manufacturing processes the trend is positive but for others it is negative. As in previous years, the trend line for the GRP market, a specialist segment of the plastics industry, more or less mirrors the current state of the economy and the general trend for the plastics processing market.

The AVK has been publishing a report on the GRP market for many years. In 2009, this was expanded to include a carbon composites market report provided by the association Carbon Composites e.V. (CCeV). Plans are now being formulated to extend this joint market report still further with the inclusion of reports on the aspects of mechanical engineering and research produced by the VDMA Forum Composite Technology and CFK Valley Stade respectively.