President of the association of the German paint industry (Verbands der deutschen Lack- und Druckfarbenindustrie, VdL) Peter Jansen presented the economic figures for the paint industry for 2023 at the annual press conference: In Germany, according to Jansen, 1.47 million tons of paints, coatings, and printing inks were sold in 2023 - a decrease of just over 3% compared to the previous year. A further decline of 2% to 1.44 million tons is expected for the current year, Jansen reported on Monday (19.02.) in Frankfurt am Main.
The turnover of paints, coatings, and printing inks sold in Germany increased by almost 2% to 6.1 billion euros in 2023 compared to the previous year, due to inflation. The VdL also expects a further slight increase of 1% to 6.2 billion euros for the current year. In addition to the weak domestic market, the significant decline in exports also surprised, with a decrease in quantity by 11.3% to only 774,000 tons.
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Forecast for 2024: it remains challenging
The business for the paint industry will remain challenging in 2024 as well. In addition to the still weak market for architectural paints, the environment for industrial coatings will also deteriorate, with the economic situation in the industry possibly brightening slightly only in the second half of the year.
Jansen announced his resignation from the office of VdL President after six years. He will not run for a third term in May, but will focus on his company, which was severely affected by the flood catastrophe in the Ahr Valley in 2021.
Bureaucracy and political issues
Companies have reached a limit in terms of their burdens from regulations, reporting requirements, and bureaucratic rules from Brussels and Berlin. These have now reached a level where the effort and costs hinder economic progress and innovation. The number of tasks has grown to such an extent that especially small and medium-sized enterprises can no longer cope with the volume. 'Efforts to reduce bureaucracy and improve legislation are indispensable - this applies to politics in Germany and in Europe,' said VdL Managing Director Dr. Martin Kanert. He calls for efficient and effective design of laws to minimize bureaucratic effort. 'This reduces costs and increases competitiveness.'
More information:
Verbands der deutschen Lack- und Druckfarbenindustrie
www.wirsindfarbe.de