2014 was challenging year for everyone, and packaging companies in so many regions felt the pinch. Manufacturing reached new lows in Australia. Economic growth was restrained, to say the least, in major regions.
But production figures released by the international producers of aluminium aerosol cans have been heading in just one direction for years: upwards.
The industry even reported positive results for 2014. After a series of records in recent years production grew again last year, by 4% to 7.6 billion cans.
The companies that are members of AEROBAL, the International Organisation of Aluminium Aerosol Container Manufacturers, account for about 70% of total production worldwide.
Gregor Spengler, secretary general of AEROBAL in Dusseldorf, stated, “Disproportionately high growth compared with almost all important global economic indicators demonstrates the excellent performance of aluminium aerosol cans in the packaging market worldwide. At the same time, this success is impressive proof of the unique benefits of aluminium as a material. It is not without good reason that about half of all aerosol containers produced worldwide today are made from aluminium. And the opportunities for the aluminium can are far from being exhausted.”
Future potential? The most notable growth was in the Asia-Pacific region – to a market share of more than 14%. Growing economies, increasing prosperity and a rise in the number of consumers are expected to continue to provide important growth stimuli in this region.
Traditional markets remained strong. 47% of all cans were supplied to the European market and about 33% to the markets of North and South America. Other geographic regions account for the remaining 5%.
Almost 80% of all aluminium cans produced go the cosmetics market. Every second aluminium aerosol can produced and used worldwide contains a deodorant or an antiperspirant. Hairsprays, hair mousses, shaving foams and other cosmetic and care products are a good way behind, with each accounting for less than 10% of the total market.
5% of aluminium cans are supplied to the pharmaceutical sector. The household products sector uses about 10%. Only about 2% of all cans are used today in the food sector.
“This must not necessarily stay that way for ever,” Spengler commented. “There will be new potential for growth particularly in the fields of pharmacy and medicine due to higher hygiene standards and improved primary health care across the board. And I definitely see opportunities for growth in the food and household products sectors as well as a result of innovative products and ideas.”
Aluminium's advantages? Its light weight and sustainability have come to the fore. The global trend towards lightweight solutions for an increasingly mobile society gives aluminum cans an edge. And aluminium offers infinite recyclability so it is a resource-conserving, permanent material for future generations.
AEROBAL president, Giorgio Aliprandi, is cautiously optimistic about the future, “It is difficult to make a reliable forecast, of course, because of the numerous political trouble spots around the world. The global markets remain fragile and exchange rate fluctuations on the currency markets harbour additional risks.
“Our member companies are facing considerable challenges as a result of ever-smaller batch sizes, ever-shorter delivery times and the trend to zero stock-keeping on the part of the clients. So far we have been able to master this, though, by means of innovations and flexibility, optimised logistics and increased productivity. I’m sure that we will be able to achieve this in future, too. And new demands also bring ever more novel solutions and opportunities for innovative and flexible manufacturing technologies. In future, a sustained trend towards smaller order quantities and more pronounced individualisation of products and end users will favour the use of digital printing and other flexible printing and refining processes.”
