As expected, 2024 was a challenging year for the coatings and printing inks industry, with sales volumes falling by 4% to 1.4 million tons. Compared to the previous year, turnover fell by just under 3% to 5.9 billion euros, reported President Dr. Harald Borgholte, President of the German Paint and Printing Ink Industry Association (VdL) at the annual press conference in Frankfurt am Main. The market situation will remain tense in the coming year. The association is forecasting a 2.5% decline in sales volumes for the market as a whole.
Industrial coatings weak
The most important customer sector for industrial coatings in 2024 was the automotive sector with sales of 600 million euros, the automotive refinish sector with 532 million euros and the metal products sector with 390 million euros. Domestic demand shrank by 3%. The association cites the decline in demand for furniture and wood coatings as the cause. Only the area of anti-corrosion coating materials is stable and expects volume growth of 4%.
Not a good development for architectural paints
Due to the decline in residential construction, fewer architectural paints were sold. The do-it-yourself (DIY) sector recorded a 4% decline in volumes, while the professional sector fell by 6%. As the situation in the construction industry remains difficult, a negative picture is emerging for 2025: the VdL forecasts that the quantities sold will fall by 3%.
Imports and exports on the decline
Sales from imports and exports also fell: goods worth 3.6 billion euros were exported in 2024, around 2% less than in the previous year. Goods worth EUR 1.3 billion were imported, a drop of 7%. The VdL expects moderate growth in exports in 2025, boosted by a slight upturn in the economy abroad. It expects imports to stagnate due to the ongoing economic weakness at home.
Calls for a reduction in bureaucracy
A new political mindset is needed in order to free ourselves from economic pressure, said VdL Managing Director Dr. Martin Kanert. Excessive regulations, documentation and reporting obligations were a burden on companies. And it is to be feared that the implementation of existing chemicals legislation and expected measures will lead to a further shrinking of the raw materials base. However, something is now moving in Brussels. The industry is therefore looking forward with hope to the EU Commission's announced Clean Industrial Deal and to Berlin.