Tubes: sector in great health

European tube industry enjoys tail wind as it enters anniversary year: tubes production stable at high level in 2015.

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. Gregor Spengler, etma’s secretary general commented explicitly: «I think that with this result the European tube industry has once again demonstrated its capabilities in an impressive manner, as well as making the positive characteristics of this type of packaging evermore explicit: 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. 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».

Types and markets. 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% of the market. Laminate tubes were a little stronger in 2015 and are now just over 30% while plastic tubes declined slightly and fell below the 30% 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% of the total. The pharmaceutical sector and toothpaste are similarly ranked, accounting respectively for almost 22% and about 20% of all tubes. The food sector accounts for some 9% while almost 5% of tube production goes into industrial applications and the household sector. 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, who provides a reminder of the oncoming key international rendezvous for the sector: the world congress scheduled June 2 2016 in Berlin, a precious chance for networking and occasion for celebrating the 175th anniversay of the invention of the tube.