German manufacturers expect an increase in orders and turnover in 2021

According to a current survey, the member companies of VDMA Plastics and Rubber Machinery expect the order situation and turnover volumes to show positive developments for this year.

"In the second half of 2020, the demand for plastics and rubber machinery has clearly changed across all regions. The situation in China and Germany is seen as particularly positive," says Ulrich Reifenhäuser, Chairman of the Plastics and Rubber Machinery trade association at VDMA. "And expectations regarding the development of incoming orders in the current first half of 2021 are entirely optimistic," he adds.

This is also reflected in the expected turnover trend. Almost half of the survey respondents expect an upswing in the turnover development during the first half of 2021; for the second half of the year, over 50% of participating enterprises expect turnover figures to develop even more positively. "Therefore, it comes as no surprise that almost half the companies interviewed plan to employ new staff in the first half year of 2021," Thorsten Kühmann, Managing Director of the Plastics and Rubber Machinery trade association explains. "It looks like the plastics and rubber machinery industry can look forward to a successful business year. We will be viewing the coming months with anticipation, and hope that our expectations will be met," he adds.

At the end of 2020, figures already hinted at a distinct turnaround in the plastics and rubber machinery industry. The sector had recovered swiftly after the first challenges posed by the coronavirus crisis; this was reflected in distinctly higher incoming order volumes from October onwards. The year closed with a 7% increase in orders compared to 2019.