Engineered stone is forecast to be the fastest growing countertop surface material, reaching 152 million square feet in 2022 on yearly advances of 4.5%. Demand for engineered stone countertops grew 28% per annum during the 2012-2017 period, almost entirely due to significant sales advances in the residential market because of greater availability and the search for alternatives to granite.

Demand for cement additives in the US is forecast to expand 7.2% yearly to $2.0 billion in 2022, the fastest rate of increase of any major type of construction chemical. Healthy growth will be driven in part by the uptake of higher value and better performing additives such as water reducers and specialty additives.

Demand for clothes washers is forecast to increase less than 1% per year through 2022 to 10.1 million units. Strong sales in recent years will limit potential unit replacement going forward, as many consumers upgraded their appliances between 2013 and 2017.

The market for lawn and garden packaged fertilizer will total $3.2 billion in 2022, representing annual growth of 2.7%. Demand will benefit from a rebound in the number of households participating in gardening and lawn care activities and growth in the new residential construction market.

Global demand for rubber mechanical goods is forecast to advance 6.3% per year to $76.7 billion in 2021. Although this rate of growth is a major improvement over the weak 2011-2016 pace, it is in line with the anticipated gains for the market as a whole.

Automotive lubricant demand in India is forecast to increase 5.5% annually through 2021 to 1.7 million metric tons. In addition to growth in the country’s light vehicle usage, India’s rapidly expanding motor vehicle production will support demand.

Demand for silicone elastomers is projected to expand at an above average 4.4% per year to $1.8 billion in 2022. Growth will be driven by opportunities for specialized elastomers – such as LSR – in markets with more demanding performance requirements, including motor vehicle and other transportation outlets, as well as the medical market.

Lubricant sales in the Canadian off-highway equipment market are anticipated to rise 1.1% per year from 102,000 metric tons in 2016 to 108,000 metric tons in 2021. Canada is an intensive user of off-highway equipment due to the massive size of the country’s construction, agricultural, and mining sectors.

The North American truck aftermarket for electrical and electronic products will expand 4.3% per annum through 2021 to US$8.6 billion. Sales are nearly evenly split between the two major product segments: electrical and electronic.

Plastics processing machinery demand in China is projected to advance 5.1% per year to $10.8 billion in 2021. Growth is being driven by the country’s rising middle class and its demand for more premium plastic goods, which is forcing plastics processors to purchase higher-end machines.