Volkswagen

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

US automotive parts producer opens new plants in Romania and China / German technical centre relocated and expanded

Fuel cell vehicles on the advance / Strong growth forecast for composite-made pressure tanks in the automotive industry / Many approaches seen at JEC 2015 / Carbon fibres and thermoplastics still have to make their mark

German engineering plastics parts producer sold to Indian automotive OEM Jumps Auto / New owner plans to grow sales, build new plant in India

Gains in sales and operating profit as investments come on stream / Asia and western Europe deliver greatest growth / Plan to increase sales to EUR 7 bn by 2018 is on track

US sets up USD 260m IACMI composites research institute in Tennessee

Lower electricity costs drive compounder's plan to invest in South US / Shale gas not a factor

Mexico plant expanded / Catering to North American OEMs

Ground breaking for plant expansion in Poland / “Crafter” assembly to commence in 2016 / Share of Polish OEMs now exceeds 40%

French automotive supplier planning EUR 1.7 bn in investments / Sales increase / Growth expected to pick up significantly from 2016 onwards

South Korean automotive supplier builds second plant in Poland / Manufacturing interior components for Hyundai

Slovakia and Czech Republic en route to becoming key car production centres / Triangle between Prague, Bratislava and Zilina emerges as an OEM stronghold / Hyundai draws South Korean companies to Europe

Two new automotive plants planned in China / 90% of the components will be manufactured locally