MATTRESS INDUSTRY

China accounts for one-third of global production / Growth in Chinese consumption to slow / Global demand outpacing other furniture markets / Flexible PU foam most used material / CSIL reports

ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

3D printing heads for small series production / "Formnext" exhibition in Frankfurt a "centre of gravity" / Market expected to triple by 2023 / Quality assurance a difficult issue

PLASTIC PIPES GERMANY

Production volume stagnates in 2016 / Shift towards PE and away from other materials / Earnings still under pressure / Industry association hopes for positive impetus from Berlin

UNITED KINGDOM

"Brexit" and plastics industry / BPF fears high trade costs with the EU / Priorities include access to skills / European chemical industry signs joint statement / Plastics exports to UK particularly important for Ireland

THERMOFORMED PACKAGING

European market for thermoforms applications reaches 1.1m t / Further growth / Recyclates are important / Petcore Europe report

TDI

Follow up: BASF confirms quality problems in production / Ludwigshafen facility temporarily taken offline / Price rollover nonetheless likely in October / Numerous plant stoppages among converters

COMPOSITES

Volume of GRP processed in Europe grows by 2% / European share of global production declines again / "Composites Europe" attracts far fewer visitors and exhibitors

EXTRUDED PP FOAMS

Strong demand for lightweight vehicles and eco-friendly packaging boost global growth / Grand View Research report

GERMAN PLASTICS CONVERTERS

Around 4% growth in the first half of 2017 / Export share rises to record-breaking 41% / Semi-finished products show disproportionate increase / Technical parts under pressure on profit / Outlook remains good

PLASTICS APPLICATIONS

Security printing market set for growth / Polymer banknotes gain credibility / Smithers Pira report

PLASTICS PROCESSING BENELUX

Steady growth forecast for the region's well-developed processing sector / AMI database

PLASTIC PACKAGING TURKEY

Rising demand for packaged products / Production, imports and exports higher in 2016 / Plans for global centre of excellence to support domestic industry / Pagev report

POLYURETHANE FOAMS

European flexible foam market grows in 2016 / Upsurge in tonnage of EU exports as imports drop / Trend for higher density PU foams

THERMOFORMING MARKET TURKEY

Plastic thermoforming materials market shrinks 8% to USD 972m despite higher volumes / PET contribution falls 7% to USD 424m / Pagev report

ITALY

A country muddles through the swamp / Political warfare inhibits progress / Plastics consumption rises in 2016 / Auto industry orders more engineering thermoplastics / Can it compete internationally?

PLASTICS PACKAGING MARKET

German manufacturers very positive about economic situation shortly before "interpack" trade fair / High feedstock prices still dampening sales and profits / Further consolidation on the European market

COMPOSITES

Composites can open up new horizons in the construction industry / New focus at the “JEC” trade show in Paris / Automotive and aerospace industries still strong / Record visitor numbers / Attention turning to the lack of recycling options

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

EU plastic components suppliers achieve sales of over EUR 22 bn / German plastics processing still leads the field / France bottoms out / Spain makes a comeback / Central Europe continues to show strong growth

GERMAN PLASTICS CONVERTERS

New record for sales and output in 2016 / Year of superlatives / Building is largest end-use market

UNITED KINGDOM

UK plastics industry seeks clarity over Brexit / Concerns surrounding free market access continue / Skills, supply chain and workforce issues unlikely to go away soon