European tube production shows positive trend in 2018

Production by all European tube manufacturers totalled a remarkable 15.5 billion tubes in 2018.

The member companies of the European tube manufacturers association, etma, contributed the lion’s share of this figure: almost 11 billion tubes and thus around 70% of the total. When adjusted for the tubes produced by its new members, the etma figure corresponds to growth of 1.4% compared with the previous year.

etma president Oliver Höll’s assessment of the figures is equally positive: “We’re satisfied with the market situation in 2018. Production capacities were well utilized. We expect demand for tubes to remain stable in 2019, too, because our most important markets, namely cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, toothpaste and food, are proving to be very robust. However, we’re somewhat concerned about the considerable increase in costs for energy, transport, coatings and printing inks. Nevertheless, all in all I’m confident about the future market developments for our industry and our member companies’ prospects.” Of the 15.5 billion tubes supplied by European manufacturers to the various packaging markets in 2018, 35% were made of aluminium.

The broadly diversified cosmetics sector remains by far the largest market for tubes in Europe, with a 47% share of annual production. It is followed by the markets for toothpaste and pharmaceutical products, which each account for around 20%. The food sector, with about 8%, and household goods, with 5%, are also important end-use markets.

The etma World Tube Congress, which takes place in Hamburg on 23 May 2019, will provide a good opportunity to look ahead and bring together the entire supply chain for the tube as a packaging material.