Manufacturers of plastic containers and packaging in Germany report increasing problems with the supply of raw materials. The current quick survey among members of the plastic packaging association IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen paints an increasingly dramatic picture: three quarters of the companies surveyed rate the supply situation as bad to very bad. This applies in particular to the raw materials PP, HDPE, LDPE and PA. During the day, 75 companies took part in the survey of their industry association. “The plastic packaging industry is alarmed and very worried,” says Martin Engelmann, Managing Director of the IK Association, on the current situation. – The results of the study show a significant deterioration in the supply of raw materials compared to the beginning of the year. And at this point, there is no reason to believe that these supply bottlenecks will disappear. In addition, the price spike has become a heavy burden on the industry. ”

More than 80% of plastic packaging manufacturers claim that their production and therefore their ability to supply products is already limited. Four-fifths also expect this situation to continue or even worsen over the next few weeks. The growing number of reports of force majeure, in most cases announced in a very short time by suppliers of raw materials in Germany and Europe, further exacerbate the situation.

Currently, eight out of ten packaging manufacturers in Germany face one or more force majeure events. “If packaging production stops due to a lack of raw materials, it will also jeopardize the systemic supply of securely packaged food and medical supplies to the population,” emphasizes Martin Engelmann. “Therefore, we urge our partners in the plastics industry to not let packaging manufacturers in Germany get stuck in this crisis and to use every possible leverage to defuse the situation as quickly as possible.”

The shortage of raw materials caught many plastics processors by surprise: last fall, the industry was still expecting a steady supply. In late November – early December, there were already signs of a deficit and an increase in raw material prices. The backdrop of the tense supply situation is an unexpectedly fast recovery and demand in the automotive sector as well as in other industries, and at the same time, the lack of imports of raw materials from the United States and Saudi Arabia, which are mainly directed to Asia, disruptions in factories due to storms and storms in Texas; and force majeure statements by raw material suppliers in Europe.