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wind energy Photo: Carlos / Saigon - Vietnam, Pixabay
21.02.2024

Composites' hopes are pinned on wind energy and aviation sectors

Composites Germany - Results of the 22nd Composites Market Survey

  • Critical assessment of the current business situation
  • Future expectations brighten
  • Investment climate remains subdued
  • Different expectations of application industries
  • Growth drivers with slight shifts
  • Composites index points in different directions

For the 22nd time, Composites Germany has collected current key figures on the market for fiber-reinforced plastics. All member companies of the supporting associations of Composites Germany: AVK and Composites United as well as the associated partner VDMA were surveyed.
In order to ensure that the different surveys can be compared without any problems, no fundamental changes were made to the survey. Once again, mainly qualitative data was collected in relation to current and future market developments.

Composites Germany - Results of the 22nd Composites Market Survey

  • Critical assessment of the current business situation
  • Future expectations brighten
  • Investment climate remains subdued
  • Different expectations of application industries
  • Growth drivers with slight shifts
  • Composites index points in different directions

For the 22nd time, Composites Germany has collected current key figures on the market for fiber-reinforced plastics. All member companies of the supporting associations of Composites Germany: AVK and Composites United as well as the associated partner VDMA were surveyed.
In order to ensure that the different surveys can be compared without any problems, no fundamental changes were made to the survey. Once again, mainly qualitative data was collected in relation to current and future market developments.

Critical assessment of the current business situation
After consistently positive trends were seen in the assessment of the current business situation in 2021, this has slipped since 2022. There is still no sign of a trend reversal in the current survey. The reasons for the negative sentiment are manifold and were already evident in the last survey.

At present, politicians do not seem to be able to create a more positive environment for the industry with appropriate measures. Overall, Germany in particular, but also Europe, is currently experiencing a very difficult market environment.

However, the main drivers of the current difficult situation are likely to be the persistently high energy and commodity/raw material prices. In addition, there are still problems in individual areas of the logistics chains, for example on the main trade/container routes, as well as a cautious consumer climate. A slowdown in global trade and uncertainties in the political arena are currently fueling the negative mood in the market.

Despite rising registration figures, the automotive industry, the most important application area for composites, has not yet returned to its former volume. The construction industry, the second most important key area of application, is currently in crisis. Although the order books are still well filled, new orders are often failing to materialize. High interest rates and material costs coupled with the high cost of living are having a particularly negative impact on private construction, but public construction is also currently unable to achieve the targets it has set itself. According to the ZDB (Zentralverband Deutsches Baugewerbe), the forecasts in this important sector remain gloomy: "The decline in the construction industry is continuing. Turnover will fall by 5.3% in real terms this year and we expect a further 3% drop next year. Residential construction remains responsible for the decline, which will slump by 11% in real terms this year and continue its downward trajectory at -13% in 2024."

It is not only the assessment of the general business situation that remains pessimistic. The situation of their own companies also continues to be viewed critically. The picture is particularly negative for Germany. Almost 50% of respondents are critical of the current business situation in Germany. The view of global business and Europe is somewhat more positive. Here, "only" 40% and 35% of respondents respectively assess the situation rather negatively.

Future expectations brighten
Despite the generally rather subdued assessment of the business situation, many of those surveyed appear to be convinced that the mood is improving, at least in Europe. When asked about their assessment of future general business development, the values for Europe and the world are more optimistic than in the last survey. The survey participants do not currently expect the situation in Germany to improve.

Respondents were more optimistic about their own company's future expectations for Europe and the global market.

The participants seem to be assuming a moderate short to medium-term recovery of the global economy. The forecasts are more optimistic than the assessment of the current situation. It is striking that the view of the German region is more critical in relation to Europe and the global economy. 28% of those surveyed expect the general market situation in Germany to develop negatively. Only 13% expect the current situation to improve. The figures for Europe and the world are better.

Investment climate remains subdued
The current rather cautious assessment of the economic situation continues to have an impact on the investment climate.

While 22% of participants in the last survey still assumed an increase in personnel capacity (survey 1/2023 = 40%), this figure is currently only 18%. In contrast, 18% even expect a decrease in personnel.

The proportion of respondents planning to invest in machinery is also declining. While 56% of respondents in the last survey still expected to make such investments, this figure has now fallen to 46%.

Different expectations of application industries
The composites market is characterized by a high degree of heterogeneity in terms of both materials and applications. In the survey, the participants are asked to give their assessment of the market development of different core areas.

The expectations are extremely varied. The two most important application areas are the mobility and construction/infrastructure sectors. Both are currently undergoing major upheavals or are affected by declines, which is also clearly reflected in the survey. Growth is expected above all in the wind energy and aviation sectors.

Growth drivers with slight shifts
In terms of materials, there has been a change in the assessment of growth drivers. While the respondents in the last 9 surveys always named GRP as the material from which the main growth impetus for the composites sector is to be expected, the main impetus is now once again expected to come from CFRP or across all materials.

There is a slight regional shift. Germany is seen less strongly as a growth driver. In contrast, Europe (excluding Germany) and Asia are mentioned significantly more.

Composites index points in different directions
The numerous negative influences of recent times continue to be reflected in the overall Composites Index. This continues to fall, particularly when looking at the current business situation. On the other hand, there is a slight improvement in expectations for future market development, although this remains at a low level.

The total volume of processed composites in Europe in 2022 was already declining, and a further decline must also be expected for 2023. This is likely to be around 5% again.

It remains to be seen whether it will be possible to counteract the negative trend. Targeted intervention, including by political decision-makers, would be desirable here. However, this cannot succeed without industry/business. Only together will it be possible to maintain and strengthen Germany as a business/industry location. For composites as a material group in general, there are still very good opportunities to expand the market position in both new and existing markets due to the special portfolio of properties. However, the dependency on macroeconomic developments remains. It is now important to develop new market areas through innovation, to consistently exploit opportunities and to work together to further implement composites in existing markets. This can often be achieved better together than alone. With its excellent network, Composites Germany offers a wide range of opportunities.

The next composites market survey will be published in July 2024.

Source:

Composites Germany

(c) Messe Frankfurt GmbH
13.07.2021

Messe Frankfurt aiming for €500 Million in Sales in 2022

Messe Frankfurt is ready to start up again. Speaking at the Corporate Press Conference earlier today, Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Messe Frankfurt, said: “If the pandemic situation continues to improve, we have every confidence that we will be able to get fully started again in all areas in 2022. We are aiming for sales of over €500 million.”

Mayor Peter Feldmann, Chairman of the Messe Frankfurt Supervisory Board, also stressed: “Our trade fairs, congresses and other events are central elements in the global economy and part of the economic lifeblood of Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region in particular. I firmly believe that, once the pandemic has passed, Messe Frankfurt will be one of the top players in the international trade fair sector.”

Messe Frankfurt is ready to start up again. Speaking at the Corporate Press Conference earlier today, Wolfgang Marzin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Messe Frankfurt, said: “If the pandemic situation continues to improve, we have every confidence that we will be able to get fully started again in all areas in 2022. We are aiming for sales of over €500 million.”

Mayor Peter Feldmann, Chairman of the Messe Frankfurt Supervisory Board, also stressed: “Our trade fairs, congresses and other events are central elements in the global economy and part of the economic lifeblood of Frankfurt and the Rhine-Main region in particular. I firmly believe that, once the pandemic has passed, Messe Frankfurt will be one of the top players in the international trade fair sector.”

Presuming that the pandemic situation and the restrictions imposed by local authorities permit this, events are also to be organised again at the Group’s Frankfurt base in the second half of this year. Since the pandemic broke out in March 2020, it has been scarcely possible to generate any sales at all in Germany. Outside Germany, Messe Frankfurt was only able to hold events to a limited extent, for example in China. The pandemic brought the Group’s decades of growth to an abrupt halt. Since then, Messe Frankfurt has focused on ensuring sufficient liquidity for the Group, with a flexible but strict budget. There are still no plans for redundancies.

Wolfgang Marzin: “In spite of the strict cutbacks, the backing of our shareholders – the City of Frankfurt and the State of Hesse – means that, even in times like these, we are in a position to seize opportunities and invest counter-cyclically. With outside capital and a shareholder loan, Messe Frankfurt’s financial position has been secured for the current financial year and well into 2022.”

After the final financial report for financial year 2020 was submitted, Group sales were approximately €257 million (2019: approx. €736 million). With a consolidated net loss of around €122 million for the year, the result was far removed from the consolidated net profits of previous years (2019: approx. €50 million). The current financial year will also see a decline in all the Group’s financial performance indicators.

In spite of very difficult conditions, a total of 153 events were held over the past financial year – these included 46 trade fairs and exhibitions (2019: 155) with more than 33,000 (2019: 99,246) exhibiting companies and 1.2 million visitors.

As Wolfgang Marzin summed up: “The need to hold all events entirely in digital form illustrated the importance of face-to-face interaction for success in business.” And Detlef Braun, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, added: “The digital working environment and long-distance interaction that have been our everyday reality for over a year have led to a certain digital fatigue among many people. In the overall context of our events, hybrid events will continue to play an important part and to add value for the sectors.” It is not possible at present to predict exactly how the demand for digital and hybrid formats will actually develop. Wolfgang Marzin: “Changes will be of an evolutionary but lasting nature, with great advances being made in integrating valuable digital elements. Aspects relating to sustainability, growing environmental awareness and experience in digital interaction will lead to changes in behaviour – which, incidentally, was already happening before the coronavirus broke out.”

Messe Frankfurt is planning events in digital, hybrid and in-person formats for the third and fourth quarters of the current financial year. The premiere of Frankfurt Fashion Week took place in digital form under the Frankfurt Fashion Week (FFW) Studio label. Detlef Braun: “Back in April, we opted – together with everyone else involved – to hold an exclusively digital event. With an expected international component of 80 percent, a physical event would not have been feasible given that the pandemic situation was still volatile.” Automechanika Frankfurt Digital Plus will be launched in September according to the Plug & Play principle. As Detlef Braun explains: “We developed a hybrid concept that contains a condensed physical exhibition while also allowing all participants to present themselves and network internationally by digital means.” In 2022, Automechanika will be reverting to its original cycle of being held in even-numbered years. For the first time ever, Hypermotion will be taking place parallel to Automechanika. When Nordstil opens its doors in Hamburg in July, it will be the first in-person Messe Frankfurt event to be held again in Germany.

The 70 or so guest events scheduled to take place in Frankfurt in the second half of the year – including trade fairs like Franchise Expo, White Label World Expo, the Frankfurt Book Fair and Food Ingredients & Health Ingredients Europe – will also be creating new momentum at the Group’s Frankfurt base. Uwe Behm, Member of the Executive Board of Messe Frankfurt, commented: “We are delighted that our contract with DECHEMA has been renewed.” This means that the Frankfurt exhibition grounds will be playing host to ACHEMA – the world forum and leading show for the process industries – until at least 2027. Uwe Behm: “ACHEMA is a prime example of the kind of premium international event and personal interaction that will remain important in the future as well as sending an important signal for our Frankfurt base.”

As Mayor Peter Feldmann concluded: “Even in challenging times, Messe Frankfurt continues to invest in its future and in expanding its portfolio, having added a total of 23 events worldwide since 2020. These include, for example, the Cross Border E-Commerce Fair in Shenzhen – the first event of its kind in China – which was added during the current financial year. As well as this, the Group will be stepping up its activities in the North Chinese city of Tianjin. Located in the centre of the Circum-Bohai-Sea Economic Zone, the city’s economic importance is on a par with that of the Greater Bay Area and Yangtze River Delta and it is set to be a new global trade fair hotspot.”

22.10.2019

Germany’s Trade Fair Market

Number one worldwide  
Germany is the world's number one location for international trade fairs. Some 160 to 180 international and national trade fairs are held in the country every year, with around 180,000 exhibitors and ten million visitors. Trade fairs in Germany bring partners together from around the world. They are forums for communication and innovation that reflect the world's markets. Around two-thirds of all global trade fairs are held in Germany
 
Important for the overall economy
Exhibitors and visitors spend a total of around €14,5 billion a year for their activities at trade fairs in Germany. The overall effect on economic production amounts to €28 billion German exhibition organisers post sales of around €4 billion a year. Of the ten highest-grossing trade fair companies in the world, five are headquartered in Germany.   

Number one worldwide  
Germany is the world's number one location for international trade fairs. Some 160 to 180 international and national trade fairs are held in the country every year, with around 180,000 exhibitors and ten million visitors. Trade fairs in Germany bring partners together from around the world. They are forums for communication and innovation that reflect the world's markets. Around two-thirds of all global trade fairs are held in Germany
 
Important for the overall economy
Exhibitors and visitors spend a total of around €14,5 billion a year for their activities at trade fairs in Germany. The overall effect on economic production amounts to €28 billion German exhibition organisers post sales of around €4 billion a year. Of the ten highest-grossing trade fair companies in the world, five are headquartered in Germany.   
Trade fair organisation secures a total of about 231,000 jobs. An average of two employees at exhibiting companies work on trade fairs. With around 58,000 companies currently active in the B2B segment at trade fairs, that means more than 100,000 full-time jobs.

Advantages for Germany as a trade fair location

State-of-the-art event facilities

Germany has 25 exhibition venues of international or national significance, with a combined hall space of 2.8 million square metres. The country’s exhibition facilities set international standards in architecture, logistics and technology. German exhibition centers invest around 300 million euros a year in optimising their facilities.
   
Four of the world’s eight largest exhibition venues are located in Germany, and ten venues in the country each have hall capacities of more than 100,000 square metres. Regional exhibition centers offer an additional combined hall space of around 380,000 square metres.

High international presence
A special competitive advantage of German trade fairs is their international appeal – the fairs draw the world’s markets into the country. Almost 60% of the approximately 180,000 exhibitors a year come from abroad, and one-third of these from countries outside Europe. Of the 10 million visitors each year, nearly 30% come from abroad.

Leading service standards
German organisers offer exhibiting companies a wide range of services. They support exhibitors by booking travel and accommodations and by doing press, publicity and marketing work. They also continuously expand their spheres of activity. In addition, many trade fair organisers have installed permanent online marketplaces, making them expert marketing partners for exhibiting companies throughout the year.

Excellent cost-benefit ratio
Trade fairs in Germany have moderate stand fees compared to other international sites. At the same time, they attract a high quantity and quality of visitors, which means that exhibitors in the country come into contact with many potential customers. Costs per visitor contact are favourable compared to trade fairs in other countries and to other marketing media.

Attractive regional trade fairs
The international and national trade fairs are supplemented by a dense network of well-organised regional trade fairs for distinct target groups. They include both specialist and consumer fairs. These events draw a total of around 50,000 exhibitors and 6 million visitors a year.
 
The exhibition business structure in Germany

Organisers

Approximately 100 exhibition organisers are active in Germany, around 40 of which handle international fairs. The largest of them are amongst the highest-grossing trade fair companies in the world. This makes the exhibition business one of the leading service sectors in Germany, also in comparison to other countries.
The German organisers in AUMA put on around 300 trade fairs in other countries – primarily in major growth regions such as Asia, North America, South America and Eastern Europe. That too benefits the German economy, because it needs expert partners for its trade fair activities – particularly in highly competitive foreign markets.

Exhibiting companies
Around 58,000 German companies are active exhibitors in the B2B segment. The majority of them are in the manufacturing sector (55 %), followed by the service sector (23 %), and trade (20 %). Medium-sized companies dominate in terms of both number of employees and sales: 51 % of exhibitors have fewer than 50 employees, and 39 % have 50 to 499. Some 47 % of exhibiting companies post sales of up to 2.5 million euros, and 35 % of 2.5 to 50 million euros.

Visitors
The percentage of decision-makers among all trade fair visitors is exceptionally high at 63 %. Managing directors, board members and self-employed people from Germany make up 35 % of trade visitors, and 73 % of those from abroad. The latter group commands above-average decisional powers, with 91 % having determining or co-determining influence on business decisions. Thirteen per cent of trade fair visitors come from companies with more than 1,000 employees, including top decision-makers from global corporations. Some 54 % of trade visitors come from companies with fewer than 60 employees.

More information:
trade fairs Trade Fair Market
Source:

AUMA Association of the German Trade Fair Industry

Bild von Michael de Groot auf Pixabay
13.08.2019

TRADE FAIR MARKET NETHERLANDS

  • EXPORT NATION WITH LARGE TRADE FAIR PORTFOLIO

The economy is flourishing and economic forecasts are rising: The Netherlands is one of the five largest export nations in the world.  Motor of the Dutch economy and at the same time the cultural center is the Randstad region, which comprises the major cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. The most important trade fair venues in the country are also located here, off from the seat of the government in The Hague.

  • EXPORT NATION WITH LARGE TRADE FAIR PORTFOLIO

The economy is flourishing and economic forecasts are rising: The Netherlands is one of the five largest export nations in the world.  Motor of the Dutch economy and at the same time the cultural center is the Randstad region, which comprises the major cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. The most important trade fair venues in the country are also located here, off from the seat of the government in The Hague.
The trade fair venue of Amsterdam, which is operated by RAI Amsterdam, the Dutch trade fair company with the highest turnover, is of primary importance here. The ISE Integrated Systems Europe, IBC - International Broadcasting Convention and the Modefabriek are among the trade fairs with the largest number of visitors and an international focus. Due to the proximity of the market, however, national and regional trade fairs can also be of interest to German companies.
 
Economy
The Dutch economy is flourishing, above all due to private consumption and investment activity of companies. The Dutch economy is expected to grow by 3% in 2018 and 2.6% in 2019, according to Germany Trade & Invest. To the Dutch gross domestic product (GDP) 55% services, 12% industrial production and 4% by the construction industry contribute.

The Netherlands is one of the five largest export nations in the world. They are particularly dependent on the world trade, as around 45% of exports are re-exports. 75% of the Netherlands' exports go to the EU, 25% thereof to Germany. This makes Germany the Netherlands' most important foreign trade partner. In terms of imports, China has meanwhile taken the first place, followed by Germany, Belgium, the USA and Great Britain. From a German perspective, the Netherlands, with a trade volume of EUR 167.3 billion in 2017, was Germany's second most important trading partner (after China).
 
German exports of pharmaceuticals, food, machinery and motor vehicles play a particularly important role in the German-Dutch trade. Imports to Germany include food, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, gas and electronics.

The four large cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, located in the west of the country, are grouped together under the name Randstad. This region is the engine of the Dutch economy and the cultural center of the country. The Randstad is home to 42% of the total population. Half of all jobs are located there. Consequently, half of the GDP is generated in the Randstad.

Economic data 2017/2018 (estimates/forecasts)
GDP 733.1 bn. EUR
Residents  17.1 bn. EUR
Exports to Germany 91.3 bn. EUR
Imports from Germany 85.8 bn. EUR

  Source: AHK, Ministry of Foreign Affair, GTAI
   
Exhibition industry
180 trade fairs were organized in the Netherlands in 2017. As in the previous year, 68% of these trade fairs were nationally oriented, while 21 trade fairs had an international reach (12%). This means that fewer international trade fairs took place than in the previous year (26), but four more than 2015 (19), which is the more meaningful year of comparison due to many trade fairs with a two-year cycle. 45,144 exhibitors and 1.7 million trade visitors took part in the 180 trade fairs in 2017. The 21 international trade fairs, which had 9,527 exhibitors and 310,065 visitors, were also very successful.

Between 2010 and 2014, there were significantly more trade fairs than in 2017, around 230 trade fairs per year. The decline primarily affects national trade fairs and is attributable to cooperation between organizers and the consolidation of trade fairs. The average number of exhibitors and visitors in 2017 was significantly higher than in 2014, while the number of trade fairs with an international orientation changed only slightly.

In 2017 a total of 539 professional trade fairs and public exhibitions took place in the Netherlands. 6.3 million visitors came to see the products and services on offer from 101,780 exhibitors. These figures were announced by the Dutch industry association Centrum Voor Live Communication (CLC-VECTA).

  2017 2016 2015 2014
Industry and consumer fairs 539 608  562 579
Thereof industry fairs 180 214 207 231
- thereof international 21 26 19 28
Consumer fairs 359 394 355 348

Source: Jaarcijfers Beurzen 2017, CLC-VECTA

Trade fair organizations
The trade fair industry in the Netherlands is represented by the association CLC-VECTA. This is the industry association for companies and professionals who organize, host and provide trade shows, conventions and events. The network has around 200 members. CLC-VECTA publishes annual figures on the Dutch trade fair market and provides information about events in the industry.

In the smaller NVBO (Nederlandse Veriniging van Beursorganisatoren) with 18 members, mostly smaller Dutch trade fair organizers are organized usually without an exhibition venue of their own.
For their foreign trade activities, Dutch companies are looking for international platforms abroad, especially in Germany. In 2017, 5,576 companies from the Netherlands exhibited at 148 trade fairs in Germany. This corresponds to 59% of companies represented at international trade fairs in the Netherlands.
 
The AUMA trade fair database lists between 85 and 90 trade fairs in the Netherlands every year. Only individual trade fairs have tested figures. Due to the proximity of the market, national and regional trade fairs may be of interest to German companies.

The Dutch industry association CLC-VECTA announces the number of exhibition organizers at 270 in 2017. Of these, 95 organizers organized 180 trade fairs. Most fairs are organized by Easyfairs, Jaarbeurs Utrecht and RAI Amsterdam.

Trade fairs and organizers
Of the 25 most visited trade fairs in 2017, six are internationally oriented:

Exhibition City Organizer Number of visitors Number of
exhibitors
ISE - Integrated Systems Europe Amsterdam Integrated Systems Europe 73,413 1,192
IBC - International Broadcasting Convention Amsterdam International Broadcast Convention 57,669 1,076
Modefabriek Amsterdam Modefabriek BV 38,000 600
Europort Rotterdam Rotterdam Ahoy 26,733 1,100
METSTRADE - Marine Equipment Trade Show Amsterdam RAI Amsterdam 24,865 1,552
Aquatech Amsterdam Amsterdam RAI Amsterdam 20,490 909

Contact

German-Dutch Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Website: https://www.dnhk.org/

German Embassy Den Haag
Website: https://niederlande.diplo.de/nl-de/vertretungen/botschaft

German Consulate General Amsterdam
Website: https://niederlande.diplo.de/nl-de/service/generalkonsulat1

Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI)
E-Mail: info@gtai.de
Website: http://www.gtai.de

AUMA
Heike Schöttle
Specialist global markets
Regions: Western Europe, Middle East / North Africa, South Asia
Tel.: +49 30 24000-126
Fax: +49 30 24000-320
E-Mail: h.schoettle@auma.de

Source:

AUMA Ausstellungs- und Messe-Ausschuss der Deutschen Wirtschaft e.V.