Availability in the market for standard plastics eased noticeably in October, but not across all materials.
PVC remains in short supply, and there are also isolated shortages of PE and PP grades. EUWID respondents generally described demand as high, even though individual converters were acting increasingly cautiously. Producers reported sold-out quotas, but customers are beginning to negotiate more aggressively. "The market is slowly turning back into a buyer's market. But this isn't the case in all areas yet," said one distributor.
This is illustrated, among other things, by the fact that the cost increases for ethylene and propylene could often not be passed on. The postponement of orders from the automotive industry amid bottlenecks for semiconductors was also improving the negotiating position of other buyers.
⇒ This is an excerpt from EUWID's monthly report on the German commodity plastics market. The EUWID Price Watch for September together with the complete report will be published in EUWID Packaging Markets 22/2021.
