To be published: December 2021
Overview:
The new edition of this report by AMI Consulting quantifies the market, its structure, the status of the technology and the changes which are underway. It builds on the prior editions of the report published in 2018.
After recovering from the Great Recession of 2008, most European countries continued growing, transitioning from the recovering stage to economic expansion. However, the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the global economy and with it, the European pipes industry. Nevertheless, the construction sector was not as negatively affected as other areas in the economy. Also, the plastic pipe industry has in general exhibited a lot of resilience and capacity to adapt to the new economic circumstances.
Confidence levels were high at the beginning of 2021 and companies picked up previously approved projects. Therefore, 2021 is expected to be a rebound year for the sector. However, the question is if this rebound will be enough to bring the construction sector to pre COVID-19 levels. On top of this, due to high uncertainty and the weaker financial position of many firms, investment levels on new longer-term projects could decline, negatively impacting additional construction activity and thus, the plastic pipes industry.
However, there are still growth opportunities for this sector. A large proportion of the demand for gravity pipes comes from the infrastructure sector. Europe (and especially Western Europe) already has a well-developed infrastructure, including sewerage, roads and railway networks, as well as power and telecommunication cables. Nevertheless, major parts of that infrastructure need maintenance or modernisation. Further to this, thermoplastic pipes are gaining market share at the expense of non-thermoplastics for drainage and sewerage pipes, soil and waste pipes, roof drainage pipes and road and railway drainage. This will continue to drive demand for plastic pipes. The arrival of new standards and regulations, the development of new solutions and inter material competition trends will shape the future of the industry.
Today, the European plastic pipes industry faces a mixture of challenges and opportunities and the companies that achieve a more accurate understanding of the trends and align their efforts, resources and product mix accordingly are more likely to be successful in this market.
The updated edition of the Gravity Pipes Europe report analyses the market trends in-depth and presents them in an easily digestible format. The report thus constitutes an invaluable tool, aimed at helping companies make informed decisions.