Results of the 21st Composites Market Survey now available

• Critical assessment of the current business situation
• Future expectations turn negative
• Investment climate cloudy
• Expectations for application industries vary
• Growth drivers with only slight shifts
• Composites index points in different directions

Critical assessment of current business situation

After consistently positive trends were evident in the assessment of the current business situation in 2021, this slipped in 2022. For the third time in a row, the current survey shows pessimistic assessments. The reasons for the negative mood are manifold. However, the main drivers are likely to be the still high energy and commodity prices. In addition, there are still problems in individual areas of the logistics chains as well as a restrained consumer climate. Despite rising registration figures, the automotive industry, the most important application area for composites, has not yet returned to its former volume. This also illustrates the change in strategy of European OEMs to move away from volume models towards high-margin vehicle segments. The construction industry, the second central area of application, is currently in crisis. Although the order books are still well filled in many cases, new orders are often not forthcoming. High interest rates and material costs combined with a high cost of living are placing a heavy burden on private construction in particular. A real decline in turnover of 7% is currently expected for the construction industry in 2023.

Please read here the full press release.

16th August 2023

Results of the 20th Composites Market Survey now available

• General economic developments are dampening mood in composites industry
• Future expectations are optimistic
• Investment climate has remained stable
• Varying expectations for application industries
• Growth drivers have remained unchanged
• Composites Index is pointing in different directions

General economic developments are dampening mood in composite industry

Like all industries, the composite industry has been affected by strong negative forces in recent years. The main challenges over the last few years have been the Covid pandemic, a shortage of semiconductors, supply chain problems and a sharp rise in the price of raw materials. Furthermore, there have been numerous isolated effects that added to the pressure on the industry.

The main challenges during the past year were primarily a steep increase in energy and fuel prices and the cost of logistics. In addition, the war in Ukraine put a further strain on supply chains that had already been weakened.

Please read here the full article (PDF).

28th February 2023

Results of the 19th Composites Market Survey now available

• 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

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 article (PDF).

Results of the 18th Composites Market Survey now available

• 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

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 article (PDF).

Results of the 17th Composites Market Survey now available

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

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 article (PDF).

Results of the 16th Composites Market Survey now available

• Assessment of current business situation is brightening up
• Future expectations positive
• Varied expectations for application industries
• GRP continues to be growth driver
• Composites Index is now positive

Following an extremely negative assessment of the prevailing business situation in the last survey, the latest survey is looking considerably brighter now. A highly positive trend is emerging for all three regions surveyed (worldwide, Europe and Germany). Whereas in last year’s survey an average of 85% described the prevailing business situation as either negative or even very negative, the most recent survey shows that, on average, 50% of all respondents are currently seeing the situation as fairly positive or very positive. 

Please read here the full article (PDF).

Results of the 15th Composites Market Survey now available

• Extremely negative rating of current business situation
• Variety of developments expected in the future
• Varied expectations for application industries
• GRP continues to be growth driver
• Composites Index continues to decline

Following the rather cautious rating of the prevailing business situation in the last survey earlier this year, the most recent survey is now continuing this trend. Partly due to the current impact of the coronavirus pandemic on numerous business segments and areas of application, many companies are facing negative circumstances. The general economic situation has been deteriorating further in recent weeks and months, and this is reflected in the negative ratings given by respondents. Ratings have reached the lowest figures since the surveys were started in January 2013.

Please read here the full article (PDF).

Results of the 14th Composites Market Survey now available

• Increasingly low-key assessment of business situation
• Slight increase in positive expectations for the future
• Somewhat subdued investment situation
• Growth drivers developing at different rates
• Composites Index still at low level

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 was largely qualitative and related to current and future market developments.

Please read here the full article (PDF).

Results of the 13th Composites Market Survey now available

• Continuing decline in business sentiment
• More restrained expectations for future growth
• Investment climate cautiously optimistic
• Growth drivers remain largely stable
• Composites Index falls sharply

The last survey already included a fairly cautious evaluation of the business situation and this decline in sentiment continues to cast a cloud over the current survey. In the last study, 69 % respondents rated the situation in Germany as generally or even very positive – in the current survey this number has fallen to 64%. In other words, 1/3 of respondents now view the current business situation with some degree of concern.

Please read here the full article (PDF).

Results of the 12th Composites Market Survey now available

• Less positive rating of the current business situation
• Future expectations continue to be optimistic
• Investment climate still favourable
• Growth drivers remain stable
• Downturn in Composites Index

The assessment of today’s general business situation continues to be largely positive. For some of the regions, however, there has been a noticeable downturn. Globally, 88% of respondents viewed today’s current situation as positive or even highly positive. The region of Germany, on the other hand, was viewed far more critically, and its current situation attracted a positive rating from only 69% of respondents (see Fig. 1). In the last survey, taken about six months ago, the situation was considered to be positive by 79%.

Please read here the full article (PDF).

Results of the 11th Composites Market Survey now available

• Positive rating of the current business situation
• Optimistic expectations for the future
• Investment climate continues to be favourable
• Growth drivers are continuing to be stable
• Composites Index shows differing developments

This is the eleventh time that Composites Germany has identified the latest KPIs for the fibre-reinforced plastics market. Again, the survey covered all the member companies of the four biggest umbrella organisations of Composites Germany: AVK, CCeV, CFK-Valley 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 had been left unchanged. Once again, the data obtained in the survey was largely qualitative in relation to current and future market developments.

Please read here the full article (PDF).

Results of the 10th Composites Market Survey available

• Less positive rating of the general economic situation
• Positive expectations on individual business situations
• Investment climate continues to be favourable
• Growth drivers are remaining stable
• Divergent Composites Index

This is the tenth time that Composites Germany has identified up-to-date KPIs for the fibre-reinforced plastics market. Again, the survey covered all the member companies of the four biggest umbrella organisations of Composites Germany: AVK, CCeV, CFK-Valley 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 had been left unchanged. The data obtained in the survey was largely qualitative again in relation to current and future market developments.

Please read here the full article.

Composites Germany – results of 9th Composites Market Survey now available

• Very positive assessment of the general economic situation
• Investment climate continues to be positive
• Shift in growth drivers
• Composites Index shows numerous differences

This is the ninth time that Composites Germany (www.composites-germany.org) has identified up-to-date KPIs for the fibre-reinforced plastics market. Again, the survey covered all the member companies of the four biggest umbrella organisations of Composites Germany: AVK, CCeV, CFK-Valley and the VDMA Working Group on Hybrid Lightweight Construction Technologies. Having received over 100 responses, the survey again represents a good cross-section of the entire composites industry. 

Read here the full press release.

For the eighth time Composites Germany (www.composites-germany.org) has identified up-to-date KPIs for the fibre-reinforced plastics market. As before, the survey covered all the member companies of the four biggest umbrella organisations of Composites Germany: AVK, CCeV, CFK-Valley and the VDMA Working Group on Hybrid Lightweight Construction Technologies. Having received over 130 responses, the survey again represents a good cross-section of the entire composites industry. 

Current Composites Market Report Online!

• Continuous production volume growth in virtually all market segments
• The volume of glass fibre reinforced plastics (GRP) manufactured in the European countries considered in this report will grow by over 2.5% in 2016.
• Growth will thus continue at the same rate as in 2015. Total production is forecast to reach 1.096 million tonnes.
• Thermoplastic systems and CFRP with highest grwoth rates.

Find the current report as free download at the AVK webpage.

• Assessment of the general business climate remains positive
• Companies more critical of their own business situation
• Investment climate remains friendly
• Slight shifts in growth drivers
• Composites Index points in different directions

Composites Germany (www.composites-germany.de) is pleased to announce the results of its 7^th survey of the market for fibre reinforced plastics. Once again, the questionnaire was sent to all member companies of Composites Germany’s four major supporting associations: AVK, CCeV, CFK-Valley and VDMA Working Group Hybrid Lightweight Technologies. The number of participating companies was greater than ever before with nearly 140 completed questionnaires returned.

READ BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION

Picutre source:© Thorben Wengert/pixelio.de

Developments & Trends
Read more

￭   Different assessments of general and own business situations
￭   Investment climate continues to be positive
￭   Still the same growth driver
￭   Composites index down slightly

For the sixth time Composites Germany (www.composites-germany.de) has identified up-to-date KPIs for the composites market (market for fibre-reinforced plastics). As before, the survey covered all the member companies of the four biggest umbrella organisations of Composites Germany: AVK, CCeV, CFK Valley and VDMA.
The market survey mainly looks at qualitative data concerning general market developments and also the specific developments of the various composites segments. Like in the previous surveys since 2013, the level of satisfaction among participating companies was generally very high, despite a slightly negative trend for certain indicators.

The continuous growth of the European and worldwide composites market goes on. Please find current figures and estimations in the composites report. You can download the full document for free in the download area.

Fibre-reinforced plastics/composites are considered to be materials with enormous potential, including considerable potential for development in a wide variety of applications. They can be used, for instance, in the automotive industry, construction, aviation and electronics. Many sectors of industry and areas of application are developing ever new uses for these versatile, young materials.

Fibre-reinforced plastics/composites are considered to be materials with enormous potential, including considerable potential for development in a wide variety of applications. They can be used, for instance, in the automotive industry, in construction, in aviation and in electronics. Many sectors of industry and areas of application are developing ever new uses for these versatile, young materials.

As in previous years, the European GRP market report 2014 is based on data for those European countries, for which production figures can be recorded and validated. In the following report, the term GRP refers to all glass fibre reinforced plastics with a thermoset matrix as well as glass mat reinforced thermoplastics (GMT) and long fibre reinforced thermoplastics (LFT). Data on the European production of short fibre reinforced thermoplastics is only available as an overall quantity and are stated separately.

Carbon fibre reinforced plastics (CRP) are dealt with separately in the second section of the market report.

composites market report 2014

After the decline in the volume of glass fibre reinforced plastics (GRP) manufactured last year, a return to weak growth is expected for the European market this year. For some applications, countries and even manufacturing processes the trend is positive but for others it is negative. As in previous years, the trend line for the GRP market, a specialist segment of the plastics industry, more or less mirrors the current state of the economy and the general trend for the plastics processing market.

The AVK has been publishing a report on the GRP market for many years. In 2009, this was expanded to include a carbon composites market report provided by the association Carbon Composites e.V. (CCeV). Plans are now being formulated to extend this joint market report still further with the inclusion of reports on the aspects of mechanical engineering and research produced by the VDMA Forum Composite Technology and CFK Valley Stade respectively.