London - Total polyurethane products production in Asia-Pacific was 9.83 million tonnes in 2012 compared with 6.94 million tonnes in 2009, according to a new report from IAL Consultants.
By 2017 IAL estimates this figure will be 15.08 million tonnes, equivalent to an average growth of 8.9% year on year for the next five years.
China will remain the largest market by far, but growth is likely to be strongest in India which will trend around 13% year on year. over the forecast period.
At 3.1m tonne/year (about 31% of the market) in 2012, IAL said, elastomers account for the largest share of polyurethane production in Asia-Pacific, followed by coatings at 22% and flexible foam at 21%. Polyurethane binder and sealant production remains negligible in the region compared to the other segments.
Total production of flexible polyurethane foam in was estimated at 2.1 million tonnes, and is forecast to rise to 2.9 million tonnes by 2017. Polyether slabstock remains the largest category in this segment.
| |||||||||||||||||||||
Rigid polyurethane foam production in the region has increased from 1.04 million tonnes in 2009 to an estimated 1.82 million tonnes in 2012, of which the bulk is used in the refrigeration industry. IAL predicts that rigid foam production will increase to 2.36 million tonnes by 2017.
Looking at CASE applications. In the polyurethane coatings segment, total Asia-Pacific production was over 2.1 million tonnes in 2012. The largest end-use application is wood and furniture coatings with over 42% share.
PU adhesives production was 568,240 tonnes in 2012, with footwear adhesives the largest category. Production is set to rise to over 939,000 tonnes by 2017, IAL predicts, with the fastest growth expected in flexible packaging and automotive adhesives.
PU sealant production is relatively small in Asia-Pacific at 94,420 tonnes in 2012. Construction sealants are the most important category with 70% share of production, and this category is also forecast to post the fastest rates of growth over the medium term.
Polyurethane elastomers are widely used in the footwear, garment and wider textiles industries in Asia, and the largest end-use applications for PU elastomers are in synthetic leather, footwear and fibres/spandex. IAL forecasts that elastomer production will reach 5.66 million tonnes by 2017, with the fastest growth in synthetic leather.
The full report is available from IAL Consultants.
