The 2021 March/April eMag issue of Brushware magazine is now available to all readers and is jam-packed with articles on the world of brushes, brooms, mops and paint products. Bob Lawrence profiles artisan broom maker Brian Newton in The Saga of Broomcorn Johnny as we extend our editorial coverage to explore the full range of the brush and broom culture.
The European Brushware Federation officially announced the pushback of the 62nd FEIBP Congress to September 21-24, 2022. In the announcement, the FEIBP says, “… the industry might be in a relatively stable situation as it concerns the customer markets, but it is facing unprecedented turmoil on the raw materials markets and transport disruption. The emphasis has changed although the impact of COVID-19 continues our businesses and daily life. No one knows when things are getting back to normal, with lockdown measures tightened in many European countries. Vaccination processes make slow progress and the virus is still not under control.”
Home market sales for Q1 2021 compared to Q1 2020
The FEIBP recently launched its first quarterly market research report covering current brushware industry trends. The report is based on survey results from 36 completed responses out of 292 European companies invited to participate.
The ABMA 2021 Convention main session was held virtually yesterday afternoon and we’ll provide full coverage from the event in the next issue, but here are the early highlights:
The 2021 March/April eMag issue of Brushware magazine is now available to all readers. In this issue, Bob Lawrence provides a full preview of the 2021 ABMA Virtual Convention with feedback and insights from key industry contacts. This issue also sees the launch of our Global Brush Maker Locator — an in-depth listing of all brush manufacturers by country. We’ve also expanded our approach to the US Import/Exports to get a historical look at the final numbers for 2020. And there’s plenty more including a report on the FEIBP Paintbrush Working Group meeting and a look at ERP as a launchpad.
COVID-19 UpdateDuring the evening of January 19, 2021, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced the new regulations on the pandemic. Restrictions are on-going, with the lockdown in Germany being extended until February 14, 2021. Experts from science, medicine and research had met in an advisory committee and finally, a result was communicated from the federal government. Chancellor Angela Merkel appeals to companies to let their employees back to the home office more. “It’s tough,” Merkel says, “What we have to expect people to do once again. But we have to take the situation into account. To protect people and also to protect the economy.”
Andrew McIlroy
Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy New Year and all the best for a prosperous 2021. I trust you all enjoyed a good Christmas break, under whatever restricted conditions there were in your respective countries.
2020 was a challenging year for all of us. Some areas of our industry were particularly hard-hit by national restrictions and a large drop-off in demand back in spring 2020. Since the summer, our industry did manage to recover somewhat, and the remainder of the year was certainly better for the majority of our members. We, therefore, go into 2021 with hopefully a more optimistic outlook for our businesses, even though the next few months will see restrictions continue for all of us, especially regarding travel and contact with others.
The 2021 January/February eMag (digital edition) of Brushware magazine is now available. In this issue, Philip M. Perry provides his economic forecast for 2021 and highlights the opportunities ahead. Mark Battersby runs through M&A strategy during the pandemic and the third quarter US Import/Export results are published in their entirety.
MAY/JUNE 2021