After the economic situation in the electroplating and surface treatment industry was better than that of the industry for a long time, sales in this sector also fell in the fourth quarter of 2023. Falling sales and concerns about the overall economic development were the main topics of discussion at the autumn conference of the ZVO Chemicals and Plants Division in Berlin in September. As a cross-sectional technology for almost all sectors of the economy, electroplating and surface technology is dependent on the development of the industry, which has been in crisis since 2021. Until the first quarter of 2023, the ZVO specialist area was still able to enjoy the acyclical positive business development of industrial coaters. Since the sometimes-double-digit slump in sales from late summer 2023, there has been growing concern that the previously decent financial year will end with a decline in sales. Due to the geopolitical situation, industrial coaters also expect their business to decline in 2024.
The situation also remains tense in the market for plastic-metallized components (plating on plastics/POP), which is heavily dependent on the automotive industry. As chrome-plated components are being installed less frequently in the automotive sector and not at all in electric vehicles, demand for chrome surfaces on plastic components will continue to decline, at least in the European market. According to forecasts from long-term automotive studies, a reversal of the negative trend is not expected until 2028 at the earliest. The members of the ZVO Chemicals and Plants Division, the association of raw material and process chemistry suppliers as well as plant and component manufacturers, are nevertheless satisfied with the economic development to date in 2023. Although there is a wide range in the individual companies, the weak economy could have had a much worse impact in the current financial year.
Autor(en): spa
