Recovery...not for everybody

According to the latest survey carried out by Fédération de la Plasturgie, French production of plastics articles grew by 8% in the first half of 2010.
The upsurge was principally sustained by technical articles, where production volume increased by 23% over January-June 2009 thanks to improvements in the automotive sector. A positive trend was also recorded for packaging (+6%), while building materials and "other" products shrank by approximately five points. Exports also grew by 11% in the period.
The short-term forecast is characterised by "cautious optimism", principally because of price volatility.