AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Supply chains remain unreliable / Volatile demand affecting production more than usual / Suppliers expect at least 20-30% lower sales for the year / Losses inevitable

CETIM

French technical centre building pilot line for high-speed composite parts production

AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

Demand for new cars in Europe to bottom out in 2013 / Slight growth predicted for 2014 / Production stagnates at 12m vehicles / Producers fight poor demand with technology / Suppliers raise proportion of plastics in cars

COOPER STANDARD

US company consolidates French activities, buys Jyco Sealing / Reports strong global growth in Q2

COMPOSITES

French consortium surrounding Cetim starts producing CFR suspension for automotive use / Less than two minutes of cycle time

POLYMER PRICES

Composites/GRP September 2012: Ortho resins prices bounce back to last year's level / Trend still pointing upward / Glass fibre notations move at the fringes / OEM supply shows skid marks

AUTOMOTIVE MARKET

Suppliers suffer the brunt of declining sales figures / Growth driver China shows signs of weakness / Will the lull drag on until 2015?

POLYMER PRICES

Composites/GRP August 2012: Ortho resins mostly unchanged / Only slight contractions at the lower end / Glass fibre products stable / Demand gathers strength after summer lull