The tube was invented by the American John G Rand who applied for a patent 175 years ago. And despite celebrating such an impressive anniversary this year, the success story of the tube as a packaging material is far from over. This is demonstrated by the production figures for last year presented by etma, the European tube manufacturers association. Total production by etma members in 2015 was 10.5 billion tubes, exactly the same as the previous year’s mark, and thus remained stable at a high level.
“I think that with this result the European tube industry has once again demonstrated its capabilities in an impressive manner,” was the satisfactory conclusion drawn by etma’s secretary general Gregor Spengler.
The overall market shares of the individual tube types have shown little change for a number of years. Aluminium tubes account for the largest share with about 40 per cent of the market. Laminate tubes were a little stronger in 2015 and are now just over 30 per cent while plastic tubes declined slightly and fell below the 30 per cent mark for the first time.
As in previous years, most of the tubes produced were used in the cosmetics market, whose share was almost 44 per cent of the total. The pharmaceutical sector and toothpaste are similarly ranked, accounting respectively for almost 22 per cent and about 20 per cent of all tubes. The food sector accounts for some 9 per cent while almost 5 per cent of tube production goes into industrial applications and the household sector.
Because of its numerous positive attributes, no one in the European tube industry seriously doubts that the tube will continue to perform successfully. According to etma secretary general Gregor Spengler, the reasons for this are primarily the tube’s excellent product protection, high standards of hygiene and outstanding consumer convenience. In addition, the tube offers an almost unbeatable price/performance ratio compared with many other alternative forms of packaging and exemplary resource efficiency.
Furthermore, Gregor Spengler says key social trends and developments are having a positive influence on the market opportunities for the tube as a packaging, especially in Europe: “Just think of our ageing society. With its easy handling, precise dosing and application, the tube offers many comforts, especially for the growing number of senior citizens.
“The number of single-person households is increasing so smaller portions will be needed. The range of sizes available and the resealability of the tube mean it offers clear benefits here. And the tube is ideal for today’s mobile society. It is unbreakable, weighs very little and offers the best product protection. It is precisely these arguments that also speak out in favour of the tube where the rapidly expanding online-retailing sector is concerned. Here the tube is simple to ship and ensures that there are noticeably less customer complaints.”
All in all, the European tube industry can look forward to the tube’s anniversary year with a fair degree of optimism. “Despite the difficult economic environment in Europe, I believe our member companies are well positioned thanks to their flexibility and their great innovative capability,” says Dr Monika Kopra-Schäfer, the current etma president. “That is why we are looking to the future with confidence.” With the global tube industry’s forthcoming gathering in mind, she continues: “At our anniversary congress on 2 June 2016 in Berlin we will also be taking a look into the future from extremely different perspectives and thus generating further important stimuli for the tube industry and the participating supply chain. Besides having an outstanding opportunity for worldwide networking, we simply want to celebrate the tube and its 175-year success story in a fitting manner, a story that etma has co-written in part.”
Düsseldorf, 02.03.2016
