Volkswagen

Industry on solid course for growth / Both exports and imports of plastics on the rise / Plastics processing activities continue to increase / Automotive segment a key driver / Political impasse in Madrid slows economic dynamics

Plans to acquire OEM International Automotive Components? / Pro-forma revenues approach USD 11 bn

New automotive parts production facility in Mexico opened / EUR 35m investment

Company restructuring nears its end / Automotive OEM targets sales of close to EUR 1 bn by 2018

16th International Automobile Recycling Congress takes place in Berlin in March

French OEM drawn to auto boom in the US / Investing USD 650m in four additional plants

MoU to acquire Faurecia's Automotive Exteriors business / EUR 665m deal would propel company to top 25 ranking of global OEM providers

Eye on the world: A journey from Brazil to China, from Russia to Italy / Challenges experienced by most countries

Plastic's cheap fix for Dieselgate

Composites/GRP November 2015: Slide in resins notations slows slightly / Still room for further declines / Demand expected to fall / Glass fibre products still stable but firming

Sales after first nine months of 2015 match those of last year / Packaging products perform above average / Construction and semi-finished goods barely move / Technical parts and consumer goods looking up / Positive mood despite feedstock upheaval

Engineering Recyclate October 2015: PA and PC notations take a nosedive following virgin material declines / Other regrind materials mostly stable / Demand quite respectable towards year's end

German plastics fair meets expectations / Rising internationality among visitors / Movers and shakers attend / Aside from VW crisis, sector mood mostly upbeat

Composites/GRP September 2015: Resins point slightly downward / Order surge toward year's end / Glass fibre producers gearing up for price increases

Engineering Thermoplastics September 2015: Notations come under pressure / Slump in cost of benzene begins to impact PA 6 / Start of new quarter and VW crisis will nibble increasingly at prices during October

Polypropylene September 2015: Rebates for standard grades exceed monomer's fall / Downswing loses momentum / Prices to continue downward in October / VW crisis clouds compound outlook

Big engines, individualised cars roar at “IAA 2015” / Small combustion engines steal the show from e-vehicles / OEMs favour structural parts made of steel and aluminium / GFRP and CFRP deemed too expensive / Hybrid materials pose a challenge for recycling

Metals substitution and rising production of passenger cars drive global demand / PP accounts for about 28% of market / Grand View Research study

Plastics division builds new production hall in Czech Republic / EUR 30m investment to cater to rising regional automotive demand

South Korean group merges its compounding businesses / Heycoustics acquisitions broadens processing activities

Plastics industry sees dynamic growth / Processing rises by 7% in 2014 / 3.1m t polymer consumption / Dependent on feedstock imports / Few petrochemical projects / Large-scale investment in packaging

Panasonic acquires 49% stake in Spanish automotive OEM / Production of electronic rear-view mirrors / New plants in China and the US

New injection moulding plant in US state of Georgia / Expansion of main facility in Germany

EUR 50m investment in German site / Underlining commitment to automotive industry

VW and SAIC build on partnership / Collaboration on electric cars / First model to be launched in 2016