Centrifugally cast, wound, or extruded: glass fiber-reinforced plastic pipes are particularly robust, heat-resistant, and durable. Both glass fibers and synthetic resins can be processed directly on site and cured with hot water or UV light, in the event of pipe damage, for example. The latest, seventh edition of the Ceresana report on the European market for plastic pipes includes GRP pipes as a separate product category for the first time. Pipes made of fiber-reinforced composites, usually mixtures of glass fibers and thermosetting polyester or epoxy resins, are currently the market segment with the most dynamic growth. However, their costs and requirements are higher than those of pipes made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyethylene, polypropylene, or other thermoplastic materials: To date, GRP pipes only make up a relatively small proportion of the approximately 5 million tonnes of plastic pipes sold in Europe each year.
Plastic pipes for every water level
The fastest-growing area of application for plastic pipes in Europe today is agriculture and horticulture. Extreme weather phenomena such as heavy rainfall or long dry spells are becoming more frequent in more and more regions. Market researchers at Ceresana therefore expect demand for maintenance-friendly plastic pipes for agricultural areas to increase by around 2.3% per year in the coming years. Many cities also need to adapt their water infrastructure to climate change. The energy transition also requires the expansion of pipelines: new wind farms and heat pumps are being connected and networks for district heating and cooling are being built. Expensive broadband cables must be shielded against harmful environmental influences. In terms of plastic pipe consumption, however, the cable protection application area has now fallen to third place behind agriculture and industrial pipes. The new market study also breaks down the key sales figures by application area for the first time.
Construction industry facing difficult years
In the construction industry, plastics have overtaken the more traditional pipe materials of steel and concrete. The European construction industry is not expected to recover until 2026, apart from various Eastern European regions with better growth prospects. Numerous construction companies are complaining about high interest rates, rising costs for building materials, and ever more bureaucracy. In many countries, new construction projects are being delayed or abandoned despite the high demand for housing. Ceresana forecasts that the renovation segment will grow faster than new construction in the coming years. Commercial and infrastructure construction, such as logistics halls or data centers, usually perform better than residential construction. The market report on plastic pipes examines demand in the various segments of the construction industry separately for the first time.
Current edition of the market study “Plastic pipes – Europe”:
Chapter 1 analyzes the entire European market for plastic pipes – and provides forecasts up to the year 2033. Key figures such as revenues (in US dollars and euros) as well as production and demand (in tonnes) are given for each world region. Sales are also broken down into application areas. Demand is broken down in detail for the various application areas, construction segments, and plastic types (glass fiber reinforced plastics are covered separately). The production volume is broken down by type of plastic (GRP not shown separately here).
Chapter 2 provides specific market data on plastic pipes for 24 European countries: Revenues, imports and exports, production and demand volumes, broken down as described for chapter 1. The following individual application areas are analyzed: Sewage disposal, Potable water supply, Cable protection, Gas pipes, Agriculture, Industry, Other applications. These types of plastics are considered: Polyethylene (PE), Polypropylene (PP), Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Glass fiber reinforced plastics (GRP), other types of plastics. The different construction segments are examined separately: New construction, Renovation, Residential construction, Commercial construction and infrastructure.
Chapter 3 provides company profiles of the largest manufacturers of plastic pipes in Europe – clearly arranged according to contact details, revenues, profit, product range, production sites, and profile summary. In-depth profiles of the 53 most important producers are given, for example of Aalberts Industries N.V., Aliaxis S.A., Fränkische Rohrwerke Gebr. Kirchner GmbH & Co. KG, Geberit AG, Georg Fischer AG, Pipelife International GmbH, Polyplastic Group, REHAU AG + Co, Tessenderlo Group, and Wavin N.V.
Further information about the 7th edition of the market study “Plastic pipes – Europe”: https://ceresana.com/en/produkt/plastic-pipes-market-report-europe
About Ceresana
As one of the world’s leading market research institutes, Ceresana specializes in the chemicals, plastics, packaging, and industrial goods sectors. Special focus areas are bio-economy and automotive / mobility. Since 2002, companies have benefited from high-quality industry analyses and forecasts. Over 200 market studies provide more than 10,000 clients around the world with the knowledge base for sustainable success.
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