Record sales, production above pre-crisis level, higher research spending and more jobs: 2011 was a good year in many respects for the chemical industry in Germany. In 2011 total sales of the German chemical industry rose by 9 % to 186.5 billion euros. Business with customers abroad developed somewhat more dynamically than domestic business. Foreign sales of German chemical companies went up by 10 % to 110.2 billion euros. In parallel, domestic sales climbed by 7.5 % to 76.3 billion euros. In 2011 the chemical industry emphasized its commitment to Germany as research location. This year German chemical companies increased their spending on the development of new products and processes by some 6.5 % to 8.8 billion euros.
However, much slower growth is expected for 2012. This is the gist of the annual press conference of the German chemical industry association (VCI) in Frankfurt. The VCI expects chemical production in Germany to increase by 1.0 % in 2012. Producer prices, too, should rise by ca. 1.0 %. Sales are likely to improve by 2.0 %. VCI President Dr. Klaus Engel explains: “It is hard to make exact predictions for the next 12 months. Figuratively speaking, the fog is getting denser; it is more difficult to look ahead.” The unsolved debt crises in the EU and the USA are increasingly causing uncertainty among consumers and companies, with dampening effects on chemical business 2012. Engel emphasizes: “There is no crisis mood in our industry. Trends will continue to move upward in the chemical industry, but at a slower pace than in 2011.”
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