The sector for concrete fibers and concrete additives gained 3.2% in volume last year in Europe’s largest markets (Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Poland, and the Benelux region). Sales in the markets analyzed rose roughly EUR 68 million to reach EUR 1.26 billion. According to a study by Interconnection Consulting, annual growth in the sector is expected to hold at 3.1% through 2020.

All of the markets are benefiting from corporate and government bodies’ growing fondness to invest. The number one growth market is Poland. In 2017, sales volume grew 6.2%. Last year’s increase of 3.9% in the Benelux region was also above average, whereby it was the non-residential sector that registered strong gains in both the Netherlands and Belgium. The concrete fiber and additives market was also able to show significant gains (+3.2%) in France as well. In Germany (+3.1%), Great Britain (+2.9%), and Italy (+2.6%), sales remained just below the overall average.

Concrete Plasticizers Dominate

Plasticizers, with a share of sales of 48.6%, are the strongest product group among concrete additives, followed by superplasticizers (19.3%) and release agents (10.4%). Whereas release agents across the European markets lost heavily in shares in recent years, sales of superplasticizers grew at an above-average pace during the same period compared to the other product groups. However, with a growth of 5.1%, accelerators are expected to exhibit the greatest gains between 2016 and 2020.

Steel Fibers Steal the Show

Concrete fibers come in the form of steel fibers, plastic fibers, and glass fibers. By far the strongest product group is steel fibers, with a market share of 75.2%. In Germany, the supremacy of steel fibers (81.3%) is even more astonishing – and is only expected to grow. Plastic fibers capture 17.1% of European sales shares, while glass fibers are left with only 7.7% of the market, a figure that will continue to decline.

Poland Shows Tightest Market Concentration

Last year the top ten companies in the individual markets held the following shares of the market: Poland (71,9%), the Benelux region (66,5%), Great Britain (66,5%), Italy (64,8%), Germany (64,6%), and France (64,0%).

17/10/2018

Copyright: Interconnection, Publication free of charge for coverage regarding the study and InterConnection Consulting.