Overview ...is the message resounding throughout plastics drums manufacturing plants at present. With yet another industry feeling the knock-on effect of a chemical downturn, the gloves are off to capture the remaining customers. Nigel Brooker, European sales manager at French drum and Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) manufacturer Sotralentz, believes that a slow market for the remainder of the year and into the beginning of next year is inevitable, owing to a number of factors that are maintaining weak trading conditions for chemical manufacturers. Many obstacles - not least a war - have beset the industry over the past year, he believes. "The Iraq War was the starting point for what continued to be a very frustrating year for plastics drums. The volatile market continued with a sharp rise in polymer prices during the war also. Despite the war officially ending, prices were slow to come back down and are now rising once again," he complains.
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