Global plastic market "warm"

Stimulated by strong demand growth in emerging economies such as China, India, Latin America and Central Europe, market participants expect the global polymer market to increase at an average annual rate of over 5% over the next five years. Plastic resin suppliers and plastic machinery around the world Manufacturers and plastic processors are also encouraged by this.


The trend of plastic substitution of metals is increasing According to CMAI, the global polymer consumption reached 176 million tons in 2009, of which polyethylene accounted for about 38% of total consumption, which is close to 67 million tons, and is expected to increase in the next five years. With a growth rate of more than 5%, the demand will exceed 87 million tons by 2014. In 2009, the demand for high-density polyethylene (HDPE) accounts for about 17% of the total global polymer, and about 30 million tons. In addition, the demand for linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE) accounted for approximately 11% and 10%, respectively. Market participants said that LLDPE and HDPE demand growth has been extremely strong due to the increased use of packaging and non-durable goods.

The director of the board of directors of BASF's plastics business, Bo Lele, said that in the foreseeable future (up to 2015, or even further), the Asian region will become the fastest growing demand for plastics in the world. Since 2007, the region has consumed more than Europe. The sum of North America. According to the president of PolyOne Corporation, Stephen Newlin, the polyolefin market grew strongly in the first half of 2010, with double-digit growth rates. Looking into the future, the situation is also optimistic. Because the current market is moving toward the development of environmentally friendly and sustainable materials, the replacement of plastics with plastic is a general trend.

The automotive industry is revitalizing The Western auto industry was one of the industries hit hardest by the economic downturn, but the developing countries, especially China’s auto industry, continued to grow during this crisis. In 2009, China replaced Japan as the world's largest automaker. In 2010, it replaced the United States as the world's largest auto market.

Newlin said that current car demand is recovering and the outlook is more optimistic in the long run. In 2010, sales of cars in North America are expected to be 11.5 million units, while the United States scraps about 12 million cars each year, so mature markets still have potential. The plastics industry will continue to benefit from this market due to the impact of the development of cars on the direction of light weight, high efficiency and energy saving. Analysts said that currently more than 14% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions from cars, and light composite materials can reduce vehicle weight by 30%, thereby significantly reducing fuel consumption, to reduce the effect of greenhouse gas emissions.

Bo Lele said that currently plastic parts in cars produced in Western Europe account for about 15% of the vehicle's vehicle weight. This figure was only 6% in 1970, and by 2020 this figure will exceed 25%. At present, the plastic content of cars made in China is only half of that in Western Europe, and the use of high-grade engineering plastics is even smaller. This gives plastics manufacturers a huge business opportunity.

Kaled Al-Mana, executive vice president of SABIC's charge of polymer business, has stepped up efforts to rationalize capacity adjustments. Global demand for polymers in 2010 was generally very strong, especially in China and the Middle East. In 2009, SABIC's polymer business sales increased by 8% to 8.7 million tons. In the past year, SABIC added a lot of polymer production capacity, including the Sharq and Yansab joint ventures in Saudi Arabia and the joint ventures between China and Sinopec in China. These new production capacities have been successively opened at the end of 2009 and 2010.

Leander Basel AG's 320,000-ton/year HDPE unit at Minshmin-Münster, Germany, SABIC's 400,000-ton/year HDPE unit at Wilton, UK, and Borealis at Staunson, Sweden A 350,000-ton/year LDPE unit in Germany has been opened this year; in Canada, Novartis Chemical will invest approximately US$78 million in the modification and expansion of a 335,000-ton/year LDPE unit in Malton, Ontario It is expected to be completed by the end of 2011.

At the same time, some low-powered devices were forced to close, such as the 185,000 t/y LDPE unit of LyondellBasell in Carrington, UK, and the two LDPE units of Total Petrochemicals in France in 2009. The year was forced to close; Borealis will close a set of 150,000 tonne/year LDPE units in Stenungsund, Sweden; Saab recently closed a 120,000 tonne/year LDPE unit in Geleen, the Netherlands.