Historically weak December takes German manufacturers' figures deep into the red / Pressure even before Covid-19 / Three scenarios for the sector in 2020 / Commitment to the 'Green Deal'

摘要

The German rubber industry is under considerable pressure. Even last year before the Covid-19 crisis, Germany's association for manufacturers of tyres and technical elastomers, WDK (Frankfurt), used drastic words in its report on the industry: "The operative and strategic demands facing the companies in our association will put an enormous strain on their earnings. It will be very close to the pain barrier." Now, the WDK - representing over 170 companies - confirms that this was indeed the case. In 2019, the industry's turnover fell 4.2% compared with the previous year to almost EUR 11 bn. Few companies were able to escape this trend. The automotive sector was heavily hit by the slump in demand for tyres and technical elastomer products. For the first time in many years, employee numbers fell, from around 75,000 to 73,000. In this respect, the conditions for the start of 2020 were unfavourable - and then came the coronavirus. Even if forecasts since the spread of Covid-19 appear to have had a low half-life, economic research institutes agree that the effects of the sudden economic slowdown will be immense. That German economic output will plunge 5-10% is likely - with further negative effects on rubber and elastomer processors.