Packaging
German packaging machinery still leads the world
Thursday 01. July 2010 - FachPack 2010 impresses with extensive range of products; Backlog of orders for packaging machinery clearing slowly
FachPack 2010, Nürnberg – the entries in the diaries of many packaging experts for the last three days of September, particularly in Germany and the neighbouring European countries, are almost the same. A good 1,300 exhibitors in the segments of packaging materials, packaging supplies, packaging ancillaries, packaging technologies, labelling and marking equipment, monitoring and test equipment, products for packaging recycling, and in the exhibition segments PrintPack (packaging processing) and LogIntern (packaging logistics) are excellently prepared for the good 33,000 visitors expected.
The German packaging machinery sector closed 2009 with a better result than expected in a year marked by the worldwide financial and economic crisis. The around 300 companies in this sector with their some 28,000 employees maintained their leading role in the world market. The decisive factors for this are traditionally the large investment in research and development, the systematic orientation to customer profiles and the use of the latest production technologies. These factors will be shown again at FachPack 2010.
Packaging machinery: markets recovering slowly
As orders received from abroad since the end of 2009 are improving again, the German Food and Packaging Machinery Association – Fachverband Nahrungsmittelmaschinen und Verpackungsmaschinen im Verband Deutscher Maschinen- und Anlagenbau (VDMA) – assumes that the markets are recovering slowly. The economic situation is already rallying in some regions. If the upward trend persists, the packaging machinery sector could return to the usual high sales level more quickly than the general mechanical engineering sector.
The slump in the German packaging machinery sector is due exclusively to the world economic climate, emphasizes the VDMA association.Many projects were shelved during the crisis because of financial difficulties and uncertainty among possible investors. This backlog in orders should now clear gradually and support the sectors generally positive development. The demand for packaged food and drinks will carry on increasing due alone to the growth of the world population and the growing number of mega-cities. Some 60% of all packaging machinery is used in the food and beverage sector, 20 % in the pharmaceutical industry and the remaining 20% in a variety of consumer and industrial sectors.
The entire German mechanical engineering sector lost just under a quarter of its previous production value in the worst year since the start of statistical evaluations a good fifty years ago. Packaging machinery with about 18% less production value got off rather lightly by comparison, with the production value dropping to a good 4.4 (2008 = 5.4) billion EUR according to provisional figures for 2009. This value corresponds approximately to the level of 2006. The backlog of orders from 2008 and the rising demand at the end of the year had a positive impact on 2009.
The export volume for packaging machinery dropped by almost a quarter in 2009 to some 4.0 (2008 = 5.3) billion EUR. This value includes imported components and systems integrated into German machines. Despite this statistical effect, the export share of the German packaging machinery manufacturers is appreciably above 80 %. Even in the crisis year 2009, Germany remained the leading nation in the world market for packaging machinery, which had reached the record value of 23.6 (2007 = 21.8) billion EUR the year before.
Deliveries to the two most important single markets, the USA and Russia, dropped disproportionately in 2009 by 34 and 39% respectively, whereas deliveries to the 27 EU Member States were down 21 %. Deliveries to Asia dropped only moderately by 8%, as some orders – mainly from Japan and Indonesia – increased.
Around one-third of the good 1,300 FachPack exhibitors in Nürnberg present modern packaging technology, which is the second largest product segment at the exhibition after packaging materials and supplies. The ranking for the visitors interests is also similar, according to the results of a survey by an independent institute at FachPack 2009. Here the experts were also mainly interested in packaging materials and supplies (62 %), followed by packaging machinery (43 %, multiple answers). Together with the positive economic prospects, the chances of lively follow-up business are improved.