The members of the German Association of the Corrugated Board Industry (VDW) sold 7.9 billion square metres of corrugated board last year. This was just under 42 million square metres less than in 2018 - a decrease of 0.5 per cent. Due to the same number of working days in 2019 and 2018, the rates of change in the absolute figures correspond to those of sales adjusted for working days.
With this result, the Corrugated board manufacturer missed the growth target of 1.0 per cent forecast for 2019.
According to Dr Steffen P. Würth, Chairman of the VDW, the causes are obvious: „2019 was characterised by great uncertainty caused by the trade wars instigated by the USA and Brexit.“
The German government and economic research institutes also revised their forecasts downwards several times over the course of the year. In December 2019, the VDW had forecast growth in the number of working days in 2020. Corrugated board sales of 0.5 per cent forecast.
„Despite all the difficulties, which have been exacerbated by the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, our industry is in a fairly solid environment,“ says Würth continues. „On the one hand, our most important customer group, the food and beverage industry, which accounts for 30 per cent of sales, is experiencing very stable demand. On the other hand, the continued growth of online and mail order business is also having a stabilising effect on our industry. Nevertheless, the upheavals in the global economy that could result from the coronavirus are not yet foreseeable.“
Würth describes the cost situation in the corrugated board industry as still difficult. According to the VDW Chairman, paper raw material prices continued to fall slightly in the fourth quarter of the previous year. Accordingly, paper prices across all grades were 2.4 per cent lower in December 2019 than in January 2017, when the price spiral was set in motion with exorbitant increases.
„However, the now normalised price level should not obscure the fact that the cost increases incurred in 2017 and 2018 could not be compensated for last year either,“ says Dr Steffen P. Würth
This is also shown by a look at the revenues, which according to Würth were by 6.6 per cent to 53.9 cents per square metre of corrugated board sunk are.
„In addition, the costs for wages, energy and logistics rose by around 3.4 per cent last year,“ says Würth. „This places an additional burden on the already strained earnings situation of member companies.“
Source: VDW
