An analysis of compounding sites by AMI has shown Italy and Germany have by far the highest number of facilities compared to other European nations.
With an improving European economy and an increased use of plastics in automotives and white goods, investment in the compounding industry is growing.
Germany remains the largest producer of compounds in Europe and is still a country which has seen investment to expand capacity. In 2017 Lehmann&Voss laid the foundation for a €4.5 million laboratory and technical centre, and Delta Kunststoffe invested in a new twin extruder.
Underemployed industrial capacity and a lower wage level has also drawn plastics compounders to Eastern Europe, as finished goods manufacturing in the region has increased, the producers have moved closer to buyers. A.Schulman installed new extruders at its facilities in Poland and Hungary whilst European machinery producers have seen exports increase in 2017 with Poland and the Czech Republic both in the top 10 for export markets.
The Benelux region retains a large volume of production in comparison with the overall size of its polymer market as many international companies use it as a base to supply the European market. These countries also have substantial compounding operations operated by the polymer producers. Whilst integrated compounders account for only around ten per cent of the companies operating in Europe, they are estimated to supply nearly half of all compounded polymers (excluding masterbatch).
AMI’s compounders database in Europe provides contact and production details on 720 sites producing compounds or masterbatches. A research summary and buying options are available here.
Table showing the production and facility rates for European nations, from AMI 2018 database.