Composites Germany - Results of the 22nd Composites Market Survey are available 

• Critical assessment of the current business situation 
• Future expectations brighten 
• Investment climate remains subdued 
• Different expectations of application industries 
• Growth drivers with slight shifts 
• Composites index points in different directions 

For the 22nd time, Composites Germany (www.composites-germany.de) has collected current key figures on the market for fiber-reinforced plastics. All member companies of the supporting associations of Composites Germany: AVK and Composites United as well as the associated partner VDMA were surveyed.  In order to ensure that the different surveys can be compared without any problems, no fundamental changes were made to the survey. Once again, mainly qualitative data was collected in relation to current and future market developments. 

Critical assessment of the current business situation 

After consistently positive trends were seen in the assessment of the current business situation in 2021, this has slipped since 2022. There is still no sign of a trend reversal in the current survey. (see fig. 1). The reasons for the negative sentiment are manifold and were already evident in the last survey. At present, politicians do not seem to be able to create a more positive environment for the industry with appropriate measures. Overall, Germany in particular, but also Europe, is currently experiencing a very difficult market environment. 

However, the main drivers of the current difficult situation are likely to be the persistently high energy and commodity/raw material prices. In addition, there are still problems in individual areas of the logistics chains, for example on the main trade/container routes, as well as a cautious consumer climate. A slowdown in global trade and uncertainties in the political arena are currently fueling the negative mood in the market.  Despite rising registration figures, the automotive industry, the most important applica-tion area for composites, has not yet returned to its former volume. The construction industry, the second most important key area of application, is currently in crisis. Alt-hough the order books are still well filled, new orders are often failing to materialize. High interest rates and material costs coupled with the high cost of living are having a partic-ularly negative impact on private construction, but public construction is also currently unable to achieve the targets it has set itself.

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