German rubber industry posts across-the-board declines

Frankfurt, Germany – The German rubber industry has registered a marked decline for the first half in 2025, with overall production down 8.2% year-on-year at 560,000 tonnes.

Tire manufacturing stood at 220,000 tonnes, down 8.2% compared to the first half of 2024 while the manufacture of technical rubber products fell 8.1% to 340,000 tonnes, German rubber industry association (WDK) reported 11 Sept.

Capacity utilisation across the industry averaged 77.8%, marking a 1.1 percentage point drop from the year before: Tire makers stable at 80.0%, but technical elastomer product producers down 2.5 points to 75.6%.

Employment in the industry declined by 6.2% year-on-year to 60,200. Tire sector jobs dropped by 7.7% to 18,000, while employment in technical elastomer product manufacturing decreased by 5.6% to 42,200.

Continuing the negative trend, industry sales for the first half amounted to €5.42 billion, a decrease of 7.7% compared to the prior year: Domestic sales down 9.6% to €3.2 billion; foreign sales 4.7% lower at €2.22 billion.

Tire sales fell 8.2% year-on-year overall to €1.91 billion, comprising €1.4 billion from domestic business (down 8.2%) and €510 million from exports (down 8.1%).

Sales of technical rubber products reached €3.51 billion, down 7.4% year-on-year. Domestic sales of technical rubber goods declined 10.9% to €1.8 billion, while foreign sales decreased 3.4% to €1.71 billion.

Among technical products, sales to the automotive sector fell 8.8% to €1.65 billion, including a 12.4% fall in domestic sales to €810 million and a 5.1% decline in exports to €840 million.

For other applications, technical rubber product sales fell 6.1% overall to €1.86 billion, with domestic sales down 9.6% to €990 million and foreign sales slipping 1.7% to €870 million.

Commented WDK president Michael Klein: “We see deep red figures in all areas of the domestic market of the rubber industry – in terms of sales, sales, employment and production."

And, while welcoming a federal government announcement of an "autumn of reforms," Klein stressed that “this must urgently and quickly bring noticeable relief for industrial companies of all sizes.

 "Above all, it is necessary to resolutely tackle the promised reduction in bureaucracy. And here only results count and not promises."