US engineering plastic demand will rise 3.1 percent annually through 2012, driven by the ongoing replacement of metal parts with high-performance plastic. ABS, polycarbonate and nylon will stay the largest volume types, with polycarbonate leading gains based on opportunities in motor vehicles, medical products and construction.

This study analyzes the 4.7 billion pound US engineering plastic industry. It presents historical demand data for the years 1997, 2002 and 2007, and forecasts for 2012 and 2017 by resin (e.g., acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, polycarbonate, nylon, thermoplastic polyesters, polyacetal, fluoropolymers, polyphenylene oxide, polysulfones) and market (e.g., electrical and electronic, motor vehicles, consumer and institutional).

The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles 36 industry players, including SABIC, DuPont and Bayer.

TABLE OF CONTENTS


SECTION                                                                        PAGE

                INTRODUCTION                                                     xi

          I.    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY                                                 1
                
         II.    MARKET ENVIRONMENT                                                4
                General                                                           4
                Macroeconomic Outlook                                             4
                Consumer Spending Patterns                                        9
                Manufacturing Outlook                                            11
                Electrical & Electronics Outlook                                 14
                    Electronic & Computer Equipment                              17
                    Appliances                                                   18
                Building Construction Trends                                     20
                Motor Vehicle Trends                                             23
                Plastic Resin Outlook                                            25
                Engineering Plastic Nanocomposites                               27
                Competitive Materials                                            30
                Historical Market Trends                                         31
                Pricing Trends                                                   34
                Regulatory & Environmental Issues                                36
                Recycling Activity                                               38
                Foreign Trade                                                    40
                International Activity                                           42
                
        III.    RESINS                                                           45
                General                                                          45
                Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene                                  49
                    Markets                                                      51
                      Electrical & Electronic                                    53
                      Motor Vehicles                                             55
                      Construction                                               57
                      Consumer & Institutional                                   58
                      Industrial & Other                                         60
                    Producers & Capacity                                         61
                Polycarbonate                                                    64
                    Markets                                                      66
                      Electrical & Electronic                                    68
                      Construction                                               71
                      Consumer & Institutional                                   72
                      Motor Vehicles                                             74
                      Industrial & Other                                         76
                    Producers & Capacity                                         77
                Nylon                                                            80
                    Markets                                                      82
                      Motor Vehicles                                             84
                      Electrical & Electronic                                    86
                      Consumer & Institutional                                   88
                      Packaging                                                  89
                      Industrial                                                 90
                      Construction & Other                                       90
                    Producers & Capacity                                         91
                Thermoplastic Polyesters                                         94
                    Polybutylene Terephthalate                                   96
                    Polyethylene Terephthalate                                   98
                    Liquid Crystal Polymers & Other                              99
                    Markets                                                     102
                      Motor Vehicles                                            103
                      Electrical & Electronic                                   104
                      Consumer & Institutional                                  105
                      Other                                                     106
                Polyacetal                                                      106
                    Markets                                                     108
                      Motor Vehicles                                            110
                      Industrial                                                110
                      Electrical & Electronic                                   111
                      Other                                                     111
                    Producers & Capacity                                        112
                Fluoropolymers                                                  113
                    Polytetrafluoroethylene                                     116
                    Polyvinylidene Fluoride                                     117
                    Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene                              118
                    Other                                                       119
                    Markets                                                     120
                      Electrical & Electronic                                   122
                      Industrial                                                123
                      Consumer & Institutional                                  124
                      Other                                                     125
                    Producers                                                   126
                Polyphenylene Oxide                                             127
                    Markets                                                     128
                      Electrical & Electronic                                   130
                      Motor Vehicles                                            131
                      Other                                                     132
                    Producers                                                   132
                Polysulfones                                                    132
                    Markets                                                     134
                      Electrical & Electronic                                   135
                      Consumer & Institutional                                  136
                      Industrial                                                136
                      Other                                                     137
                    Producers                                                   137
                Polyphenylene Sulfide                                           138
                    Markets                                                     140
                      Motor Vehicles                                            140
                      Electrical & Electronic                                   141
                      Other                                                     142
                    Producers & Capacity                                        143
                Polyimides                                                      144
                    Markets                                                     146
                      Motor Vehicles                                            147
                      Electrical & Electronic                                   148
                      Other                                                     148
                    Producers                                                   149
                Other Resins                                                    149
                    Polyetherketones                                            150
                    All Other Resins                                            152
                    
         IV.    MARKETS                                                         154
                General                                                         154
                Electrical & Electronic                                         156
                    Appliances                                                  158
                    Business Machines                                           159
                    Optical Media                                               161
                    Wire & Cable                                                162
                    Switches, Connectors & Other                                163
                    Resins                                                      164
                Motor Vehicles                                                  167
                    Engine & Mechanical                                         169
                    Interior                                                    170
                    Structural & Exterior                                       171
                    Resins                                                      172
                Consumer & Institutional                                        175
                    Medical                                                     177
                    Recreational Products                                       179
                    Other Uses                                                  179
                    Resins                                                      180
                Construction                                                    183
                    Glazing & Skylights                                         185
                    Pipe & Fittings                                             185
                    Lighting & Other Uses                                       186
                    Resins                                                      187
                Industrial                                                      189
                    Applications                                                189
                    Resins                                                      191
                Other Markets                                                   193
                    Packaging                                                   194
                    Other Transportation                                        196
                    Furniture & Fixtures                                        197
                    All Other                                                   197
                    Resins                                                      198
                    
          V.    INDUSTRY STRUCTURE                                              200
                General                                                         200
                Industry Composition                                            201
                Market Share                                                    203
                    SABIC                                                       204
                    DuPont                                                      204
                    Bayer                                                       205
                    BASF                                                        205
                    Solvay                                                      205
                    Dow Chemical                                                206
                    Ticona                                                      206
                    Honeywell                                                   207
                    Solutia                                                     207
                    INEOS                                                       207
                Mergers & Acquisitions                                          208
                Marketing Strategies                                            210
                Channels of Distribution                                        211
                Research & Development                                          212
                Competitive Strategies                                          214
                Cooperative Agreements                                          215
                Company Profiles                                                219
                    Arkema SA                                                   221
                    Asahi Glass Company Limited                                 223
                    Asahi Kasei Corporation                                     225
                    BASF SE                                                     227
                    Bayer AG                                                    231
                    Celanese Corporation                                        233
                    Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC                       238
                    Custom Resins Incorporated, see Polymeric Resources            
                    Daikin Industries Limited                                   239
                    DH Compounding Company, see PolyOne Corporation                
                    Diamond & Network Polymers Incorporated                     241
                    Dow Chemical Company                                        242
                    DuPont (EI) de Nemours                                      245
                    Dyneon LLC, see 3M Company                                     
                    Eastman Chemical Company                                    249
                    EMS-Chemie Holding AG                                       251
                    Evonik Industries AG                                        253
                    Exatec LLC, see Saudi Basic Industries Corporation             
                    Fortron Industries LLC, see Celanese and Kureha                
                    GE Plastics, see Saudi Basic Industries Corporation            
                    General Electric Company                                    256
                    Hitech Polymers Incorporated, see 3M Company                   
                    Honeywell International Incorporated                        257
                    INEOS ABS Limited, see INEOS Group and LANXESS                 
                    INEOS Group Limited                                         258
                    Inspec Foams Incorporated, see Evonik Industries AG            
                    Korea Engineering Plastics Company, see Celanese               
                    Kureha Corporation                                          260
                    LANXESS AG                                                  261
                    Network Polymers, see Diamond & Network Polymers               
                    Nylon Corporation of America                                263
                    Polymeric Resources Corporation                             264
                    PolyOne Corporation                                         265
                    Polyplastics Company Limited, see Celanese Corporation         
                    PTM Engineering Plastics Nantong Company, see Celanese         
                    PTT Poly Canada LP, see Royal Dutch Shell plc                  
                    Rhodia SA                                                   268
                    Royal DSM NV                                                270
                    Royal Dutch Shell plc                                       273
                    RTP Company                                                 274
                    Saudi Basic Industries Corporation                          275
                    Schulman (A.) Incorporated                                  280
                    Solutia Incorporated                                        282
                    Solvay SA                                                   284
                    Spartech Corporation                                        289
                    Teijin Limited                                              290
                    3M Company                                                  291
                    Ticona, see Celanese Corporation                               
                    Topas Advanced Polymers GmbH, see Celanese
                    Toray Industries Incorporated                               294
                    Victrex plc                                                 297
                    Wellman Incorporated                                        298
                    WinTech Polymer Limited, see Celanese Corporation              

                                 LIST OF TABLES
                                        
TABLE NUMBER                                                                   PAGE


                SECTION I -- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
                Summary Table                                                     3

                SECTION II -- MARKET ENVIRONMENT
           1    Macroeconomic Indicators                                          9
           2    Personal Consumption Expenditures                                11
           3    Manufacturers' Shipments                                         14
           4    Electrical & Electronic Product Shipments                        16
           5    Electronic & Computer Product Shipments                          18
           6    Appliance Shipments                                              20
           7    Building Construction Expenditures                               22
           8    Motor Vehicle Indicators                                         25
           9    Plastic Resin Supply & Demand                                    27
          10    Nanocomposites in Engineering Plastics                           29
          11    Engineering Plastics Market, 1997-2007                           33
          12    Engineering Plastics Pricing                                     35
          13    Foreign Trade in Engineering Plastics                            42

                SECTION III -- RESINS
           1    Engineering Plastics Demand by Resin                             47
           2    Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Supply & Demand                  51
           3    Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Demand by Market                 52
           4    ABS Demand in Electrical & Electronic Markets                    55
           5    ABS Demand in Motor Vehicle Markets                              57
           6    ABS Demand in Construction Markets                               58
           7    ABS Demand in Consumer & Institutional Markets                   59
           8    Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Capacity, 2007                   63
           9    Polycarbonate Supply & Demand                                    66
          10    Polycarbonate Demand by Market                                   67
          11    Polycarbonate Demand in Electrical & Electronic Markets          70
          12    Polycarbonate Demand in Construction Markets                     72
          13    Polycarbonate Demand in Consumer & Institutional Markets         73
          14    Polycarbonate Demand in Motor Vehicle Markets                    75
          15    Polycarbonate Capacity, 2007                                     79
          16    Nylon Supply & Demand                                            82
          17    Nylon Demand by Market                                           83
          18    Nylon Demand in Motor Vehicle Markets                            86
          19    Nylon Demand in Electrical & Electronic Markets                  87
          20    Nylon Demand in Consumer & Institutional Markets                 89
          21    Nylon Capacity, 2007                                             93
          22    Thermoplastic Polyester Demand by Resin                          96
          23    Polybutylene Terephthalate Capacity, 2007                        98
          24    Liquid Crystal Polymer Capacity, 2007                           101
          25    Thermoplastic Polyester Demand by Market                        102
          26    Polyester Demand in Motor Vehicle Markets                       104
          27    Polyester Demand in Electrical & Electronic Markets             105
          28    Polyacetal Supply & Demand                                      108
          29    Polyacetal Demand by Market                                     109
          30    Polyacetal Capacity, 2007                                       113
          31    Fluoropolymer Supply & Demand                                   115
          32    Fluoropolymer Demand by Market                                  121
          33    Polyphenylene Oxide Demand                                      128
          34    Polyphenylene Oxide Demand by Market                            129
          35    Polysulfones Demand                                             134
          36    Polysulfones Demand by Market                                   135
          37    Polyphenylene Sulfide Demand                                    139
          38    Polyphenylene Sulfide Demand by Market                          140
          39    Polyphenylene Sulfide Capacity, 2007                            144
          40    Polyimides Demand                                               146
          41    Polyimides Demand by Market                                     147
          42    Other Engineering Plastics Demand by Type                       150

                SECTION IV -- MARKETS
           1    Engineering Plastics Demand by Market                           155
           2    Electrical & Electronic Markets for Engineering Plastics 
                    by Application                                              157
           3    Electrical & Electronic Markets for Engineering Plastics 
                    by Resin                                                    166
           4    Motor Vehicle Markets for Engineering Plastics
                    by Application                                              168
           5    Motor Vehicle Markets for Engineering Plastics by Resin         175
           6    Consumer & Institutional Markets for Engineering Plastics 
                    by Application                                              176
           7    Consumer & Institutional Markets for Engineering Plastics 
                    by Resin                                                    182
           8    Construction Markets for Engineering Plastics 
                    by Application                                              184
           9    Construction Markets for Engineering Plastics by Resin          188
          10    Industrial Markets for Engineering Plastics                     190
          11    Industrial Markets for Engineering Plastics by Resin            193
          12    Other Markets for Engineering Plastics by Application           194
          13    Other Markets for Engineering Plastics by Resin                 199

                SECTION V -- INDUSTRY STRUCTURE
           1    US Engineering Plastics Sales by Company, 2007                  202
           2    Selected Acquisitions & Divestitures                            209
           3    Selected Cooperative Agreements                                 217


                                 LIST OF CHARTS
                                        
CHART NUMBER                                                                   PAGE


                SECTION II -- MARKET ENVIRONMENT
           1    Engineering Plastics Market, 1997-2007                           33

                SECTION III -- RESINS
           1    Engineering Plastics Demand by Resin, 2007:
                    Volume Versus Value                                          48
           2    Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Demand by Market, 2007           53
           3    Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Capacity, 2007                   64
           4    Polycarbonate Demand by Market, 2007                             67
           5    Polycarbonate Capacity, 2007                                     79
           6    Nylon Demand by Market, 2007                                     84
           7    Nylon Capacity, 2007                                             94
           8    Thermoplastic Polyester Demand by Market, 2007                  103
           9    Polyacetal Demand by Market, 2007                               109
          10    Fluoropolymer Demand by Market, 2007                            121
          11    Polyphenylene Oxide Demand by Market, 2007                      129

                SECTION IV -- MARKETS
           1    Engineering Plastics Demand by Market, 2007                     156
           2    Electrical & Electronic Markets for Engineering Plastics 
                    by Application, 2007                                        158
           3    Motor Vehicle Markets for Engineering Plastics 
                    by Application, 2007                                        168
           4    Consumer & Institutional Markets for Engineering Plastics 
                    by Application, 2007                                        177
           5    Construction Markets for Engineering Plastics 
                    by Application, 2007                                        184

                SECTION V -- INDUSTRY STRUCTURE
           1    Engineering Plastics Market Share by Company, 2007              203