Following years of continuous growth during which the production figures for the aerosol can industry raced from one record to the next, the market has now finally taken a pause for breath. Aerobal, the international organisation of aluminium aerosol container manufacturers, reported a small decline in production worldwide of one per cent yearonyear for the first half of 2015. Aerobal&rsquos secretary general gregor spengler does not find the figures particularly disturbing &ldquoafter years of unabated growth it is only natural that there is consolidation in the market that can then simply lead for once to a slight decline in demand and production. If one considers the extremely difficult economic situation worldwide and the general political situation and takes the record level from last year into account at the same time, this small halt in growth is not a disaster for goodness sake.&rdquo demand for aluminium aerosol cans stagnated in europe but this was not a major surprise after several years of sustained growth in a market that continues to show per capita consumption rates at record levels. Russia and the markets in asia and south america, and in particular the bric countries, were unable to meet their ambitious goals.
The us market also showed a weaker trend in the first half of the year however, there are already signs for an improvement in the second half of the year. The lion&rsquos share of all aluminium aerosol cans produced continues to go into the market for deodorants and perfumes and the market share here is stable at 80 per cent. Compared with the previous year&rsquos figures, there was a noticeable decline in the food sector, which was just over ten per cent. This sector did not live up to what was expected of it, particularly in europe. However, there was a clear increase in the production figures for the pharmaceutical sector where growth was only just short of being doubledigit.
The markets for household and technical products also bucked the trend. Overall, at aerobal, whose members account after all for over 70 per cent of global production of aluminium aerosol cans, one is nourishing quite justified hope for a quick return to the road to success. Global demand improved slightly at the beginning of the second half of the year so that it appears possible that there might even be slight growth for the whole of 2015. The eversmaller lot sizes being demanded increasingly from the client side are a challenge for the industry. This leads not only to increased retooling but at the same time increases the complexity of production over the whole process chain. &ldquoi am sure that with their expertise, their modern manufacturing facilities, their flexibility and their innovative capability our members will successfully face these challenges as they have done in previous years,&rdquo says aerobal&rsquos president giorgio aliprandi confidently. &ldquothis also applies to the increased customer interest in weight savings, the use of new alloys or the use of recycled materials.
Our world aluminium aerosol can award demonstrates what remarkable solutions aerobal companies have already developed here. Other examples of innovative cans can also be found on our website at www.aerobal.org or in our free online magazine cans, which can be ordered via cans@aerobal.org.&rdquo aerobal is also quite confident when it comes to the question of possible competition from plastic aerosol cans. Plastic cans have so far only been used in a few niche markets.
However, aluminium aerosol can manufacturers must be on their guard and counter this potential alternative with the obvious benefits of the aluminium can. As a recognised permanent material it is appealing with its excellent, unlimited recyclability without any loss in quality and the high material recycling rates achieved in practice. Aluminium cans do not suffer from material fatigue, exhibit better barrier properties and are compatible with all common propellants and contents. Since more than 50 years they have ensured the safe use of aerosols by end consumers worldwide. Moreover, consumers perceive aluminium as a highgrade material which differentiates it both visually and haptically from plastic and results in enhancement of the brand at the point of sale
