Growth will be driven by continuing robust gains in the Asia/Pacific region (especially China), and
recovery in demand in the US, Western Europe and Japan following their recent declines.
World demand to rise 4.7%
annually through 2015
Global demand for rubber processing
chemicals is forecast to increase 4.7
percent per year through 2015 to 1.4
million metric tons. Growth will be driven
by continuing robust gains in the Asia/
Pacific region (especially China), and
recovery in demand in the US, Western
Europe and Japan following declines in
all three areas between 2005 and 2010.
Rubber chemical demand in China is
projected to grow 8.1 percent per year
through 2015 to more than 575,000
metric tons. Gains will benefit from
healthy growth in both tire and non-tire
rubber demand, with the latter rising
especially strongly. The US, Japan and
Western Europe are all expected to see
a reversal from the declines experienced
between 2005 and 2010. However,
growth in all three is projected to be less
than one percent per year through 2015,
reflecting market maturity in rubber
consuming sectors.
Antidegradants demand
to grow 4.6% annually
Demand for antidegradants (which
improve rubber’s resistance to the
effects of oxidation, ozone, heat, sunlight
and mechanical stress) is projected to
grow 4.6 percent per year through 2015
to nearly 825,000 metric tons. Antidegradant
demand will be fueled by both
expansion in its major applications (tires
and industrial rubber products) and
continuing efforts to improve performance
and lengthen service lives of
rubber goods. One factor that will
counter increasing antidegradant usage
is the faster growth in demand for natural
rubber versus synthetic rubber. Natural
rubber has inherent antioxidative properties
and requires lower antioxidant
loadings than synthetic rubber to achieve
similar properties.
Accelerator demand will exceed 415,000
metric tons in 2015. These chemicals,
which control the vulcanization process,
are required in all vulcanized rubber
products. As such, demand tends to
track overall rubber consumption.
However, accelerator demand growth
will outpace rubber consumption gains
due to the above-average gains forecast
for secondary or ultra-accelerators,
which offer rapid cure rates, are used
with ethylene propylene diene monomer
(EPDM) and latex compounds, and are
believed to be less toxic than primary
accelerators.
Demand for other processing chemicals
-- including processing aids, adhesion
promoters and blowing agents, among
numerous others -- will reach almost
130,000 metric tons in 2015. Processing
aids, used to improve plasticity and
molding properties of rubber, are expected
to see above average gains due to
faster growth in usage of natural rubber.
Natural rubber is difficult to process due
to low plasticity, and therefore requires
greater loadings of processing aids.
Study Scope
This study analyzes the 1.1 million metric ton world rubber processing chemical industry. It presents historical demand data for the years 2001, 2006 and 2011, and forecasts for 2015 and 2020 by type of rubber (synthetic, natural), chemical (e.g., antidegradants, accelerators, processing aids), market (tires, non-tire rubber products), world region and for 27 countries.
The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market shares and profiles 19 industry players, including LANXESS, Solutia and Chemtura.
