The German aluminium industry had to cope with a significant economic slump in the first half of the year. However, the slump would have been even more severe if Corona had not led to increased demand for packaging.
The German aluminium industry is expecting a noticeable economic downturn for 2020 as a whole. The sector Raw aluminium most affected. Producers had to cope with a decline of over 14 per cent in the first half of the year. Recycling companies, whose products are primarily used in aluminium mould casting and are therefore 90 percent dependent on the development of the automotive industry, suffered the most.
Packaging market has a stabilising effect
Manufacturers of semi-finished aluminium products had to reduce their production by five percent. The product areas that dominate in terms of volume - rolled products and extruded products - were affected differently by the economic slump. Production in the rolling mills fell due to the stabilising effects of the packaging market The production of profiles, rods and tubes fell by only 2.6 per cent, while manufacturers of profiles, rods and tubes had to reduce their production by over 12 per cent. Here, too, the reason is the strong dependence on automotive plants.
The development of aluminium processors was also unable to escape the negative trend. The Packaging markets have come through the crisis much better so farHowever, capacities in Germany have been reduced in recent years. As a result, German production development is lagging behind the actual market development.
There are signs of a recovery
The outlook for the second half of the year is somewhat more positive: the automotive industry is showing the first signs of a slight recovery. The construction industry, one of the most important customer sectors, has recorded significantly smaller declines than expected. The members of the GDA expect a slight recovery in the second half of the year, although the production volume of 2019 remains out of reach for the foreseeable future.
"The medium-term outlook for the aluminium industry remains very good: "The demand for aluminium will continue to increase globally and demand in Germany also remains high. The material offers innovative solutions for the issues of our time. And Germany is a highly competitive and efficient location. This is largely due to the high innovative potential and technical expertise of its employees"
Marius Baader, Managing Director of GDA, Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie
