Aluminium foil deliveries in the period April to June 2017 showed little difference to the same period in 2016 according to figures just released by the European Aluminium Foil Association (EAFA). Total domestic deliveries of all gauges increased by only 0.2 % compared with last year, while exports dropped by just 1 %, an encouraging sign this area of trade could be improving again.

Focusing on the half year to date, there are clear signs that the gains made at the end of 2016 are consolidating. Total production is ahead 1.2 %, 454,400 t (vs. 449,100 t), with thinner gauges, used mainly for flexible packaging and household foils, up 1.6 % and thicker gauges, used typically for semi-rigid containers and technical applications, also remaining positive at +0.3 %, compared with the first six months of 2016.

Overall domestic deliveries, up 1.9 %, continue to show steady improvement year on year. Export activity continues to be more challenging and declined 4.2 % in the first half of 2017. But this is a marked improvement on the –13 % shown in the same period of the previous year and could be a good springboard for the better figures shown at the end of last year to be repeated.