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SVI 14. February 2024 0 Comments

Press release from the German Folding Carton Industry Association FFI dated 13.02.2024

2023 was a mixed year for the German folding carton industry. The Federal Statistical Office only has figures for the first three quarters available for the sector as a whole. However, the overall industry trend can be adequately deduced from this and from the business development of members of the Fachverband Faltschachtel-Industrie e.V. (FFI), for which full-year figures are already available. FFI members account for two thirds of the production value and just over half of the volume of the industry as a whole.

Their production volume fell by 6.2% to 519,795 tons in 2023, while the production value increased by 2.3% to 1.470 billion euros. The background to the decline in volume is the reduction in stocks of finished goods along the supply chain, consumer restraint as a result of inflation and an overall slowdown in economic growth. The changes in production value are primarily due to the fact that, as in other sectors, higher basic costs for raw materials, energy and freight were passed on. The calculated production value is EUR 2,828, which corresponds to an increase of 8.3%.
Extrapolating this annual development to the sector as a whole, a comparable picture emerges. The decline in volume there is likely to be over 5%, while the increase in production value will be around 2%. “The overall economic situation has not spared the folding carton industry and demand has fallen. After the coronavirus pandemic, stockpiles and full warehouses were reduced and inflation has led to a noticeable reluctance to spend among consumers,” says Andreas Helbig, spokesman for the FFI Executive Board. The association expects a sideways movement in 2024.
About the Fachverband Faltschachtel-Industrie e.V. (FFI)
Since 1948, the FFI – Fachverband Faltschachtel-Industrie e.V. has represented the interests of more than 60 companies with over 80 production sites in this branch of industry, which produces around 943,000 tons of folding cartons annually, corresponding to a production value of around 2.218 billion euros. FFI members represent around two thirds of the industry’s turnover. The folding carton industry employs around 9,500 people in a wide range of professions. Industry-specific professions such as packaging engineer, printer, packaging technologist, packaging developer or media designer are just as much a part of this as commercial, technical and logistical professions. Traditionally, the industry is forward-looking and responsible, with around 700 trainees at present. The FFI supports its members with a wide range of products and services and thus makes a sustainable contribution to increasing competitiveness. The FFI’s range of committees and information is unique in Europe. It systematically ensures know-how transfer and competence enhancement through information events and training seminars, but also with guidelines, directives, samples and checklists.

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