In Germany coreboard has become dearer in second quarter deliveries. However, some buyers report price hikes being rolled back due to ample supply in the market.
German coreboard prices for deliveries in the second quarter are pointing up. However, comments of producers and buyers as regards the development of the latest price round differed a great deal. While several respondents in the cores industry said they had to pay 2-3% more as of April, some others stated the hike was postponed to 1 May or that price hikes implemented in April have been revoked due to good availability of coreboard in the market.
Coreboard manufacturers unanimously denied the claim of price hikes being rolled back. Some board manufacturers even claimed to have succeeded in increasing second quarter prices by up to 5% compared to the first quarter 2013. It was pretty difficult to increase prices at the end of April or the beginning of May, but this was rather due to many market players being on holidays than to excess supply, several suppliers said.
At the end of the second quarter, operating rates in the cores and coreboard segment present a uniform picture. They were more stable in May than previously expected and have been moving laterally on a normal level in June, it is learnt. Bank holiday weekends were hardly used for downtime by cores manufacturers unlike initially planned. Orders were unexpectedly high and could hardly be served on time due to fewer working hours. Board manufacturers also experienced good demand and contrary to expectations in May received many orders at short notice as a result of good demand in the cores industry.
