International. According to a new survey conducted by Ceresana Research, most companies in the chemical and plastic sector are optimistic for what is coming in the coming months in the industry, despite the crisis in Europe and the "cooling" of the economy in general.
Most of the companies interviewed by Ceresana increased their production volume in the last six months. However, many companies are expecting increased pressure on their profit margins due to rising costs of raw materials, transportation and energy. On the other hand, companies need to increase their participation in organic products.
Both industries remain optimistic, with 43% of respondents expecting their business situation to improve in the next six to twelve months. Across continents, more respondents expect their business situation to improve rather than get worse. Expectations are above average, especially in North America and Asia-Pacific.
In addition, many companies responded that they had no plans to change their number of employees at home and abroad. However, about 29% expect the number of employees to increase at home and 16% anticipate a decrease in the number of staff abroad. According to the report, this is a consequence of the increasing production volumes observed during the last months. Most companies are satisfied with their capacity utilization. More than one company of four has a utilization of 70 to 80% at home.
More than half of the companies surveyed assess the stability and level of prices of raw materials, transport and energy in their country as poor, while only one company in ten evaluates these aspects as good. Another result of the study was that more than 70% of respondents from Eastern Europe and North America rated the stability and price level of raw materials, transport and energy prices in their respective countries as positive.
For additional information about the study visit www.ceresana.com/en/cimfor additional information.
