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: 10.9 billion tubes and thus around 70 per cent of the total. When adjusted for the tubes produced by its new members, the association’s figure corresponds to growth of 1.4 per cent compared with the previous year.
Etma president Oliver Höll’s assessment of the figures is equally positive: “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.”
Of the 15.5 billion tubes supplied by European manufacturers to the various packaging markets in 2018, 38 per cent were made of laminate. Aluminium tubes rank just behind with a share of 35 per cent and the remaining 27 per cent are made of plastic.
The broadly diversified cosmetics sector remains by far the largest market for tubes in Europe, with a 47 per cent share of annual production. It is followed by the markets for toothpaste and pharmaceutical products, which each account for around 20 per cent. The food sector, with about 8 per cent, and household goods, with about 5 per cent, 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. Besides discussing current market developments and the latest packaging trends, there will also be discussion of trends in consumer behaviour throughout Europe, innovative optimisations in the supply chain and the current megatrends sustainability and digital transformation.
For more information, please click here.