• Current crises are dampening mood in composites industry
• Pessimistic outlook
• Subdued investment climate
• Varying expectations for application industries
• GRP is still a growth driver
• Composites Index continues to decline

This is the 19th time that Composites Germany has identified the latest performance indicators for the fibre-reinforced plastics market. The survey covered all the member companies of the three major umbrella organisations of Composites Germany: AVK, Leichtbau Baden-Württemberg and the VDMA Working Group on Hybrid Lightweight Construction Technologies.

As before, to ensure a smooth comparison with the previous surveys, the questions in this half-yearly survey have been left unchanged. Once again, the data obtained in the survey is largely qualitative and relates to current and future developments in the market.

Current crises are dampening mood in composites industry

Both the economy in general and industry in particular are struggling with numerous challenges at the moment. The Covid-19 pandemic has now had a negative impact for over two years and is still affecting a range of segments of the composites industry. One area that has been hit especially hard by the resulting losses is the mobility sector. Another major strain has been a sharp rise in energy costs recently. Above all, we can expect price increases in fuel and gas to become a central issue over the next few months. In addition, there are still problems along international supply chains, coupled with steep increases in raw material prices, partly due to bottlenecks in the supply. The war in Ukraine has put an additional strain on many business sectors, affecting their supply chains, in particular.

In the current survey, both these and other effects have had a major negative impact on the mood in the composites industry.

Please read here the full press release.

• Assessment of current business situation positive
• Future expectations subdued
• Investment climate friendly
• Varied expectations for application industries
• GRP is still a growth driver 
• Composites Index is now positive

This is the 18th time that Composites Germany (www.composites-germany.org) has identified the latest KPIs for the fibre-reinforced plastics market. The survey covered all the member companies of the three major umbrella organisations of Composites Germany: AVK, Leichtbau Baden-Württemberg and the VDMA Working Group on Hybrid Lightweight Construction Technologies.

As before, to ensure a smooth comparison with the previous surveys, the questions in this half-yearly survey have been left unchanged. Once again, the data obtained in the survey is largely qualitative and relates to current and future market developments.

Assessment of current business situation is brightening up

Both the economy in general and industry in particular are currently struggling with numerous challenges. They include the ongoing challenges of the coronavirus pandemic, the currently apparent shortage of raw materials and the lack of semiconductors with its massive impact on production, especially in two markets: passenger cars and commercial vehicles. The situation is extremely tense in some segments, while others are only marginally affected.
The composites industry is highly heterogeneous, and areas of application can be found in nearly all its relevant segments. These have been and still are being impacted by the above-mentioned effects in very different ways. Unlike the rather gloomy picture that is often expressed, the respondents in this latest survey give a somewhat more positive assessment of today’s business situation. 70% of respondents describe the current general situation as positive or even highly positive. The relevant index has therefore risen significantly, with values that are clearly approaching the pre-crisis level.

Please read here the full press release.

• Highly positive rating of current business situation
• Future expectations are optimistic
• Varied expectations for application industries
• Still the same growth drivers

This is the seventeenth time that Composites Germany (www.composites-germany.org) has identified the latest KPIs for the fibre-reinforced plastics market. The survey covered all the member companies of the three major umbrella organisations of Composites Germany: AVK, Leichtbau Baden-Württemberg and the VDMA Working Group on Hybrid Lightweight Construction Technologies.

As before, to ensure a smooth comparison with the previous surveys, the questions in this half-yearly survey have been left unchanged. Once again, the data obtained in the survey is largely qualitative and relates to current and future market developments.

Highly positive rating of current business situation

After ratings of the current business situation had been steadily declining for nearly two years in succession, last year’s survey already displayed a trend reversal towards a more positive outlook. This positive trend has now continued in the latest survey, with entirely positive ratings for all three regions (Germany, Europe and worldwide). For example, 80% described the current general business situation as either positive or indeed very positive.

Please read here the full press release.