2011 German plastics and rubber machinery sales record high

Frankfurt, Germany (February 28, 2012) Germany's plastics and rubber machinery industry achieved sales of 6 billion euros in 2011, setting a record high in 2008.

According to statistics from the German Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association (VDMA), sales to German domestic markets climbed by 18%, while exports rose by 25%.

According to VDMA, headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, although sales to euro-zone countries are relatively small, they still increase by 15%.

VDMA Chairman Ulrich Reifenhäuser said in a press release: “From the perspective of the whole year of 2011, the number of new orders has risen again by 3% at the relatively high level of the previous year. However, the growth rate shows a monthly declining trend and the fourth quarter is new. The number of orders decreased year-on-year, but the number of new orders for the previous year as a benchmark was already high."

He said: "Many of the companies' orders are full, making them busy for months."

According to VDMA, the export of plastics and rubber machinery has returned to pre-crisis levels.

Reifenhäuser said: "German manufacturing companies have achieved above-average growth in exports to the United States, China, Russia, Turkey and South Korea." External exports will hit a record high of more than 4 billion euros.

About half of the German companies interviewed plan to expand their staff in the first half of 2012. According to VDMA, nearly three-quarters of companies surveyed increased their number of employees in the first half of 2011, and more than two-thirds of the companies increased their number of employees in Germany in the second half of 2011.