From raw material directly to finished part: Injection molding is one of the most important processes in the plastics industry. "3D printing may be faster and does not require expensive molds," says Oliver Kutsch, Ceresana's managing director: "But injection molding is still unbeatable when it comes to cost-effectively producing plastic products of virtually any size or shape in huge quantities."

Polypropylene for Injection Molding

Melting a plastic granulate and injecting it into a hollow mold under high pressure is best done with thermoplastics and thermoplastic elastomers. However, more and more bioplastics are being used in this process. The most important type of plastic for injection molding is polypropylene (PP): Ceresana expects demand for products made from polypropylene to grow by an average of 1.5% per year over the next ten years. Polyethylene-HDPE follows in second place with a market share of around 17%. The current study also analyzes the market for polyethylene-LDPE and LLDPE, polyamide (PA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polystyrene (PS), polycarbonate (PC) and other types of plastic. There are major differences in the various areas of application: In the packaging sector, for example, polypropylene accounts for around 71% of demand, while it only accounts for 16% in the construction sector.

Mass Produced Products for All Areas of Life

Dashboards and children's toys, medical syringes and electric switches, toothbrushes and glass-fiber-reinforced aircraft parts: injection-molded plastic products are part of our everyday lives. The most important sales market, with a volume of around 4.5 million tonnes, is the packaging industry, which uses them primarily to protect food products: Containers, cans, trays, boxes and closures of all kinds. Inscriptions and labels can be integrated directly into ice cream cups or other plastic parts using in-mold labeling (IML). Printed films are inserted into the injection mold and then fuse seamlessly with the injected liquid plastic. Keyboards for cell phones and computers are also produced in this way. However, the second largest application area for plastic injection molding is products for the automotive industry. Ceresana expects Europe-wide demand in this sector to increase by 2.1% per year until 2031.

Current Market Analysis on Plastic Injection Molding

Chapter 1 provides a description of the European market for plastics in injection molding - including forecasts up to 2031. Demand and revenues are presented for the countries in Western and Eastern Europe. Demand for the individual types of plastics is also discussed: Polypropylene (PP), Polyethylene (LDPE/LLDPE/HDPE, Polyamide (PA), Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), Polystyrene (PS), Polycarbonate (PC) and other plastic types. The following areas of application for injection-molded plastics are examined: packaging, construction, transportation, electrical and electronics, industrial products and other applications. Chapter 2 provides country-specific market data for 22 European countries, i.e. demand and revenues. Demand is analyzed in detail for various application areas and individual product types. Chapter 3 provides a useful directory of the 80 most important European companies in the field of plastic injection molding. It is clearly structured according to contact details, revenues, profit, product range, production sites and brief profile. Further information about the new market study “Plastic Injection – Europe”: https://www.ceresana.com/en/market-studies/industry/plastic-injection-europe/


About Ceresana
As one of the world's leading market research institutes, Ceresana specializes in the chemicals, plastics, packaging and industrial goods sectors, with a focus on bioeconomy and automotive / mobility. Since 2002, companies have benefited from high-quality industry analyses and forecasts. Over 200 market studies provide more thanpackaging 10,000 clients around the world with the knowledge base for sustainable success.