The UAE's plastic product manufacturing industry is clamouring for German hardware, according to the latest data from the German plastics and rubber machinery association the VDMA.
GCC
Exports to the six nations within the GCC (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE) were down overall and the association recorded an 89 per cent slump in sales to Bahrain, a 43 per cent drop in demand from Qatar and a 1.8 per cent decline in exports to Saudi Arabia.
Markets on the up, however, included Kuwait, where demand rose by 11.6 per cent to €2 million, while exports to the UAE climbed to €20.4 million in 2015, compared to the €17.6 million recorded in 2014.
Overall, exports to the GCC area reached €109 million - a 12.5 per cent fall year-on-year.
The highest share in machinery shipments from Germany has been maintained by Saudi Arabia, which commands 73 per cent of the GCC's German machinery export market. The UAE trails in second place with a 19 per cent slice, while Qatar's three per cent is second runner up.
Germany's plastics processing machinery manufacturers are hoping to continue to drive demand for the Made In Germany stamp of approval at ArabPlast 2017 at the German Pavillion, which features 44 exhibitors across an area of 676 m sq.