The chemical industry is on the move – logistics may be the key to success

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 04. 09. 10:28

The chemical industry is not currently in its prime in the European Union. The industry’s production is slowly but surely declining, and although its revenues have nevertheless increased slightly over the past five years, the Union, which was once a chemical exporter, has now become an importer. The sector has followed a very similar curve in Hungary, with domestic production falling by around 7 percent between 2018 and 2024. It is not a new assumption that logistics tailored to chemical services can change unfavourable trends – a new study in Germany commissioned by DACHSER examined exactly what principles can be used to achieve this. Innovation, adaptation, modern technology and the starting point for everything, people are needed, the results say.

The Hungarian chemical industry generally contributes 3-5 percent to GDP, and the more than 1,500 companies working in this field represent about a fifth of the manufacturing industry – the size and importance of the sector are indisputable. In recent years, the domestic chemical industry – as well as the EU – has suffered serious shocks in the form of skyrocketing energy prices, a sharper increase in wages than in production volumes, or even markets lost due to the war. Despite all this, the sector’s indicators have not deteriorated significantly, and the proportion of loss-making companies has barely increased, which indicates the sector’s adaptability.

DACHSER Chem Logistics experts have been emphasizing for some time that industry-specific logistics solutions can improve the competitiveness of the chemical industry, and their opinion was recently supported by a German study that analyzed the sector in detail. The study, prepared with the involvement of industry experts, lists the biggest challenges facing the chemical industry and their possible solutions. Its findings may also be valid for the Hungarian chemical industry, which is closely linked to the EU and German markets, and we therefore present the most important ones below.