Global Top 50 Rubber Manufacturers - Europe

London - Despite some challenging market dynamics, Europe maintained its clear dominance as a base for global rubber-product manufacturing groups, with three players in the top five and 17 in the top 50.

Weinheim, Germany-based Freudenberg Group emerged as the world’s largest manufacturer of non-tire rubber products with sales of $7.1 billion in 2022 – representing an estimated 60% of overall group revenues.

Supplier of sealing, vibration-control and medical systems & products Freudenberg maintained a clear lead over ContiTech in second place.

The Hanover, Germany-based company delivered estimated global non-tire rubber product sales – largely automotive components and industrial belts – of around $6.2 billion.

French group Hutchinson SA retained third position with global sales of about $4.6 billion.

Further down the table and making its debut in the global rankings this year, Holcim Group came in at No. 12. spot with estimated global rubber products sales of about $2.2 billion.

According to Swiss-based Holcim, its Building Envelope division is on track to achieve $4 billion in global sales by 2025, under the group’s ambitious expansion plans.

This follows the Zug, Switzerland construction materials and products company’s April 2021, $3.4-billion acquisition of Firestone Building Products from Bridgestone.

Sales among European-based rubber product manufacturers actually grew 6.6% year-on-year in 2022 to reach a total of around $35,100 million.

Their combined performance was just slightly off the pace of their North American counterparts, who registered year-on-year growth of 6.9% to $23,860 million.

Read the full Global Top 50 Rubber Manufacturers Report 2023 in the July/August edition of European Rubber Journal magazine.