TPi January 2018

business & market news

A study of the European market for plastic pipes

types of pipe split by the national markets. Chapter 4 provides company profiles of the largest manufacturers of plastic pipes, arranged according to contact details, revenues, profit, product range, production sites and profile summary. Ceresana – Germany

and sewage continue to have a high backlog demand. Chapter 1 of Ceresana’s study provides a description and analysis of the European market for plastic pipes, including forecasts up to 2024. Chapter 2 deals with the different application areas of plastic pipes within individual countries, while Chapter 3 provides an overview of the demand for individual

Although sewage systems have been around for about 5,000 years, they are not available everywhere. In France, for instance, more than five million households are not connected to the public sewage network. In rural areas in particular, the sewage infrastructure in Europe still has to be expanded. In cities, it is less about new construction than replacing old piping systems. For sewage, potable water, cable protection, gas piping and other applications, pipes made of plastic are becoming more popular. They are lightweight, robust and handy, and are increasingly replacing aluminium, concrete cast iron, copper or steel. The market research company Ceresana has analysed the European market for plastic pipes for the third time, and has forecast demand to increase to over 5.2mn tonnes until 2024. The demand for plastic pipes particularly depends on the development of the construction industry, where plastic has turned into a real alternative to other materials. The degree of importance various application areas have for different types of pipe, however, varies considerably. For example, pipes made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) are relatively cheap and are used extensively in the sewage, potable water and cable protection sectors. Pipes based on polypropylene and polyethylene take a more important role in applications in potable water, gas supply and industry. Demand for high-quality pipes made of polypropylene and polyethylene is particularly increasing in the relatively saturated markets of Western Europe, while demand for PVC pipes is barely growing. In Denmark, Germany and Switzerland, for instance, the demand for plastic pipes is developing positively. Some southern European countries, such as Spain, are not expected to see any significant recovery in the short term. In Eastern Europe, PVC pipes are experiencing even higher growth compared to the west. The analysts at Ceresana expect higher growth rates of plastic pipe consumption for Eastern Europe in the future, especially because the networks for water supply

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