VdL presents economic figures for the paint industry for 2023

Sales of coatings, paints and printing inks are expected to fall by a further 2% to 1.44 million tons in 2024, reported President Peter Jansen at the annual press conference of the German Paint and Printing Ink Industry Association (VdL). Sales of coatings, paints and printing inks sold in Germany rose by just under 2% year-on-year to EUR 6.1 billion in 2023 due to inflation. The VdL also expects a further slight increase of 1% to EUR 6.2 billion in the current year. In addition to the weak domestic market, the significant decline in exports, which fell by 11.3% to just 774,000 tons, also came as a surprise. Business will remain difficult for the paint industry in 2024. In addition to the still weak architectural coatings market, the environment for industrial coatings will also deteriorate; at best, the economic situation in the industry could brighten slightly in the second half of the year.

Jansen announced his retirement from the office of VdL President after six years. He does not want to run for a third term in May, but instead wants to focus on his company, which was severely affected by the flood disaster in the Ahr valley in 2021. Companies have reached their limits when it comes to the burden of regulations, reporting obligations and bureaucratic rules from Brussels and Berlin. These have now reached such an extent that the effort and costs are hindering economic progress and innovation. In particular, the number of tasks has grown to such an extent that small and medium-sized companies in particular can no longer cope with the volume. "Efforts to reduce bureaucracy and improve legislation are essential - this applies to politics in Germany and in Europe," says VdL Managing Director Dr. Martin Kanert. He calls for efficient and effective legislation in order to minimize bureaucracy. "This reduces costs and increases competitiveness."