By David Reed, UT EditorEverberg, Belgium-Huntsman Polyurethanes plans to raise the price of its thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) resins by up to 10 percent, depending on the products. The move will take place on a worldwide basis, with effect from 15 April, or as contracts allow, a 22 March statement from the firm said. Huntsman claims to be one of the leading producers of TPUs which it sells under a variety of tradenames including Irogran, Irostic, Irocoat, Irodur and Krystalgran. The move was prompted by two factors, the statement said: • The need to achieve reinvestment economics in a tightening market, especially in the speciality TPU market; and • The doubling of crude oil prices in the last two years. "We have no option but to increase prices," said Philippe Rose, Huntsman's global director TPU, "dramatic markets conditions require us to take this drastic step to sustain our TPU business."Without re-investment, end-market growth will be limited by currently available high-performance TPU capacity, the statement warned.The structural shift in the oil market, together with a tightening market for the major TPU raw materials, has caused an unprecedented increase in our variable cost, explained Rose.The move is not an isolated one, Huntsman says: "the plastics industry as a whole has seen significant price increases in the recent past. TPU is just another plastic product that is being severely impacted by the global oil market dynamics," the statement concluded."
