Fierce competition on the market for magazine paper in Germany

摘要

Competition on the market for coated and uncoa-ted magazine paper in Germany is fierce. Buyers describe competition as intense, not least owing to new printing capacity, and they expect demand to remain stable in the coming months. A number of paper mills will therefore take temporary downtime, especially for LWC. However, producers all say that they plan to increase prices because costs are rising. Although things have calmed down on the market for woodfree paper, the signs are pointing clearly to a price hike. Wholesalers and printing companies confirm that papermakers across the market are trying to raise prices. Supplies of unbleached kraftliner remain tight. In May, sellers continued to put some customers on allocation. Against this backdrop, producers were able to introduce another €50/t hike in a single step as of 1 May.