A recent survey with member companies of the VDMA Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association indicated optimism in their order intake and sales this year.
“The demand for plastics and rubber machinery has changed significantly in all regions in the second half of 2020. The situation in China and Germany is assessed as particularly positive in this regard,” explains Ulrich Reifenhäuser, Chairman of the Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association within the VDMA.
He furthers that the expectations for the development of order intake for the currently running first half of 2021 is also consistently optimistic for all regions.
This is also reflected in the expected sales development. Almost half of the survey participants expect an increasing sales trend for the first half of 2021; for the second half of the year, more than half of the companies surveyed expect a better sales trend once again, VDMA stated.
Thorsten Kühmann, Managing Director of the Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association, said, ” Almost half of the companies surveyed are planning to recruit again in the first half of 2021.”
Sharing his observations, Kühmann noted, “It seems as if the plastics and rubber machinery industry is at the start of a successful business year. We are looking forward to the next few months with anticipation in the hope that the estimates will also come true.”
Already at the end of 2020, the figures showed a clear turnaround in the plastics and rubber machinery industry. The industry had recovered quickly after the initial challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic, which was reflected in a significant increase in incoming orders from October onwards. The year closed with a 7% increase in orders compared to 2019.