POLYURETHANES

Flexible foam producers fined EUR 114m for price fixing / EU sees antitrust offence confirmed

MOULDED PLASTICS

Global market forecast to grow by nearly 5% per year to 2019 / Strengthening automotive demand / Transparency Market Research study

CHINA PLASTIC PIPES

People's Republic is world's largest producer and user of plastic pipes / 11m t produced in 2012 / Increasingly competitive on a global scale

POLAND

Plastic processing: Production value continues to climb despite 2012 volume drop / Blustery economic headwinds picking up / Construction sector in a hole following completion of large projects / New impetus for growth starting 2014

PP FILM MARKET

European demand to rise by 2.2% annually through 2017 / Growth returns to western Europe / PCI study

BRAZIL

Plastic resin imports climb 26% in H1 / Converted plastics consumption rises 6.7% / Only 1.5% rise in production forecast for 2013

PLASTICS PROCESSING EUROPE

Technical Parts: Changing European landscape / Germany expands leading position / Central European countries on the advance / France undergoes massive restructuring

GERMAN PLASTICS CONVERTERS

Sales bounce back to 2012 half-year level / Seasonal peak shifts into April / Packaging and technical parts see gains / Export trade picks up again / Improved outlook for full year

AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLY FRANCE

German premium brands give boost to suppliers amid slump / Poor domestic demand compensated by healthy international business

GERMAN INJECTION MOULDING MARKET

Showing modest growth / Demand boosted by pickup in automotive industry / AMI report

FRANCE

Plastics Processing: 2012 volume drops to 4.5m t / Further declines expected in 2013 / Heavy losses in the automotive sector / Insolvency filings on the rise / Market expected to rebound in 2014

COMPOSITES

German market seen as healthy and with potential to get even better / Europe viewed weaker but still in a positive situation

GERMAN STRETCH FILM MARKET

Imports from outside the EU on the rise / Main supplier Italy suffers considerable setback / Poland continues to make inroads

RIGID FILM MARKET EUROPE

Competitive pressures drive corporate restructuring / Role of private equity grows / AMI report on top 50 producers

US SPECIALITY FILMS

Market to reach USD 8.0 bn in 2017 / Barrier films forecast to grow 5.1% / Construction industry boosts demand / Freedonia report

BOPET FILMS

Latest PCI study indicates projected capacities not enough / Western markets may experience a shortfall by 2017

PLASTICS MARKETS

Latest European data shows demand for plastics materials retreating slightly / Industry recovering but only slowly

BOPP FILM MARKET

Plant expansion still too fast for healthy consumption growth / Capacity utilisation below 70% / Consolidation unavoidable / Situation in China unclear / Middle East expands single-mindedly

COMPOSITES MARKET

Focus on automation and mass production capability / Expected growth of 6-8% per year / GRP applications take a back seat in Europe / JEC Show in Paris experiences continued growth

THERMAL INSULATION

European market to reach over EUR 10 bn by 2017/ Polymers lose out to fibres as demand rises for fire properties / Turkey leads growth in eastern Europe