MOSCOW (MRC) -- While visiting the Schwertberg headquarters of injection moulding machinery producer Engel Austria on 7 March, Plastics News Europe discussed company results and the market situation for injection moulding machinery with Engel chief sales officer (CSO) Dr Christoph Steger, as per Plasticsnewseurope.
According to Steger, Engel will exceed 2017 results by several percent in 2018, adding “It will be positive, but we see a significant degree of global weakening, although it varies from one industry to another".
Global statistics show incoming orders for machinery producers significantly below last year, but that has not yet worked through to delivery times, which are still as long as three to six months depending on machines sizes.
"My personal opinion is that we will settle down at around the 2015 volume - if there are no more bad omens. The present high tensions between the US and China affect sentiment throughout the world, by leading to reluctance to make investments," Steger noted.
Additionally, Steger sees a potential source of further negative impacts to the world economy in the Middle East. "I am not only speaking about Iran with a Damocles sword hanging above it, more about potential proxy wars that could impact the global economic development," he added.
There are several activities in Latin America recycling fishing nets into palettes, and in Europe “it is interesting that for example Werner & Mertz's Frosch cleaner brand is being promoted with cradle-to-cradle packaging features. The main challenge though is to be active everyday, looking at what can be done differently with design for recycling and how to handle multilayer plastics packaging".
"Plastics are being demonised, despite everyone being confronted by the advantages of plastics packaging. There will be huge changes in the future. The circular economy is now in focus, so we have to ask ourselves: What can we do about it as a machine producer? We have a responsibility to be involved, and pro-actively, by working together on common solutions with our customers and their customers, in order to support society".
MRC