A slowdown in the construction sector has been identified as the reason behind Russia's drop in polymer product production in 2015.
Construction
ICIS reports that production of finished plastic goods in Russia fell by five per cent year-on-year over the 12-month period, referring to data published by Rosstat, the Russian Federal State Statistics Service.
There was an end-of-year upturn, however, with December production of polymer products rising by five per cent over November despite the seasonal factor.
Producers of polymer films accounted for the majority of growth, yet overall output of products from polymers decreased in 2015 with the construction sector having a negative impact on products such as plastic pipes and window profiles.
December production of plastic pipes, hoses and fittings virtually remained at the November level of 42,600 tonnes. Last year’s overall output of these products from polymers totalled 488,000 tonnes, down by 13 per cent year-on-year.
Last month’s production of plastic windows and window sills dropped 16.2 per cent on November's data to 1.7 million m sq as seasonal factors added pressure. The overall output of these products was 22.2 million m sq in 2015, down by 12.2 per cent compared to 2014.
December production of plastic doors rose to 98,200 m sq, in spite of seasonal factors, from 86,500 m sq in the previous month. Overall output of these products decreased from January to December 2015 by 10 per cent year-on-year and totalled about 1 million m sq.
Production of non-combined and non-reinforced films also grew in December 2015, rising to 75,900 tonnes from 70,800 tonnes in November, with output of these products for the 12-month period rising to 996,000 tonnes, up by 4.6 per cent year-on-year.
Finally, December's plate and non-porous sheet production reached 23,500 tonnes versus 21,700 tonnes a month earlier and output of plastic plates and non-porous sheets totalled 259,000 tonnes from January to December 2015, which is equal to same period a year before.
