Society and the economy are facing existential challenges. In addition to the consequences of climate change, these include the realisation that energy and many resources are no longer available in the usual quantities, so that their efficiency must be significantly increased in the short term. Lightweight construction, especially with fibre composite materials, can and will make an important contribution here, e.g. in wind power plants or hydrogen storage systems. As an umbrella organisation, Composites Germany represents the capabilities and interests of the German fibre composite industry. With the re-entry of Composites United, Composites Germany will combine the forces of the two leading composites networks in Germany and its position will be significantly strengthened. Changed framework conditions make the re-entry possible and necessary.
VDMA and Leichtbau BW will continue to support the work of Composites Germany as associate members and contribute the know-how of their members. "Together, the organisations will promote sustainable lightweight construction as a key technology for Germany, focusing on composites materials," says Prof. Klaus Drechsler of Composites United, one of the two board members of Composites Germany. "As a network and mouthpiece of the composites industry, Composites Germany bundles the interests of its members. The aim is to continuously expand activities, promote innovations and technologies, develop new markets and new value chains, and anchor training and further education," adds his board colleague Dr Michael Effing of AVK. The agreement was concluded on 29 November 2022 during the JEC Forum DACH in Augsburg, where both associations were cooperation partners of the event.
Please find here the press release as a PDF file.
29.11.2022
Prof. Dr. Klaus Drechsler - Composites United Dr. Michael Effing - AVK
- 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.
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Assessment of current business situation positive
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Future expectations subdued
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Investment climate friendly
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Varied expectations for application industries
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GRP is still a growth driver
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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.