Engineering Plastics

As Quoted In Hydrocarbon Processing

Replacement of metal parts with engineering plastics will continue to drive growth, as will new technological advancements that allow engineering plastics to penetrate new applications.

US demand to rise 2.6% annually through 2019

Demand for engineering plastics in the US is expected to rise 2.6 percent per year to 5.1 billion pounds in 2019. Replacement of metal parts with engineering plastics will continue to drive growth, as will new technological advancements that allow engineering plastics to penetrate new applications. However, increased demand for engineering plastics will be tempered by weak growth in mature markets as well as increasing competition from lower cost commodity resins.

Construction, medical markets to grow fastest

The largest markets for engineering plastics will continue to be the motor vehicle and electrical and electronic markets. The motor vehicle market will increasingly rely on engineering plastics to reduce vehicle weight in order to improve fuel efficiency. However, the construction and the medical and consumer markets will provide the fastest growth. A significant rebound in construction activity is projected going forward and will provide opportunities for engineering plastics, especially in applications such as lighting, window glazing, and skylights for nonresidential buildings. Medical applications will continue to drive growth going forward because of engineering plastic resins’ mechanical strength, ability to withstand sterilizing processes, and compatibility with the human body.

Nylon to lead gains among largest volume resins

Nylon, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), and polycarbonate will continue to be the three largest engineering plastics by volume, accounting for three-quarters of total demand in 2019. Nylon will post the most rapid increases of the three and will remain the largest engineering plastic. This growth will be driven mainly by nylon supplanting metals in underhood motor vehicle applications. Gains for ABS will be the slowest of all engineering plastics, restrained by competition from lower-cost resins and maturity in major applications. Polycarbonate will benefit from strong growth in the construction and the medical and consumer markets, but overall will track the industry average due to the continued decline in CD and DVD sales.

Smaller-volume engineering plastics such as polyphenylene sulfide, sulfone polymers, fluoropolymers, and poly-ketones will exhibit the fastest growth. Specialized use in mature markets, as well as utilization in new products such as advanced batteries, photovoltaic modules, and medical implants, will drive overall demand. These resins will see greater use in electrical and electronic and motor vehicle markets, where they are typically used to fill specific high-temperature needs and their greater cost can be economically justified.

Study coverage

Details on these and other findings are contained in the Freedonia industry study, Engineering Plastics. The study presents historical demand data for 2004, 2009 and 2014, and forecasts for 2019 and 2024 by resin (e.g., Nylon, ABS, polycarbonate, thermoplastic polyesters, polyacetal, fluoropolymers, polyphenylene oxide, sulfone polymers, polyphenylene sulfide, polyimides) and market (e.g., motor vehicles, electrical and electronic, medical and consumer, construction, industrial). The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market share, and profiles 30 industry players, including Saudi Basic Industries, DuPont, and Solvay.

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  1. Engineering Plastics

    $5,300.00

    1. 1 INTRODUCTION

      $115.00

    2. 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

      $128.00

      1. Table | ENGINEERING PLASTICS DEMAND

    3. 3 MARKET ENVIRONMENT

      $2,111.00

      1. 3.1 General

        $82.00

      2. 3.2 Macroeconomic Outlook

        $207.00

        1. Table | MACROECONOMIC INDICATORS

      3. 3.3 Consumer Spending Patterns

        $121.00

        1. Table | PERSONAL CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURES

      4. 3.4 Manufacturing Outlook

        $205.00

        1. Table | MANUFACTURERS' SHIPMENTS

      5. 3.5 Electrical & Electronics Outlook

        $324.00

        1. Table | ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT SHIPMENTS

        2. 3.5.1 Electronic & Computer Equipment

          $187.00

          1. Table | ELECTRONIC & COMPUTER PRODUCT SHIPMENTS

        3. 3.5.2 Appliances

          $82.00

          1. Table | APPLIANCE SHIPMENTS

      6. 3.6 Building Construction Trends

        $95.00

        1. Table | BUILDING CONSTRUCTION EXPENDITURES

      7. 3.7 Motor Vehicle Trends

        $151.00

        1. Table | MOTOR VEHICLE INDICATORS

      8. 3.8 Plastic Resin Outlook

        $102.00

        1. Table | PLASTIC RESIN SUPPLY & DEMAND

      9. 3.9 Competitive Materials

        $164.00

      10. 3.10 Historical Market Trends

        $82.00

        1. Table | ENGINEERING PLASTICS MARKET, 2004-2014

        2. CHART II-1 ENGINEERING PLASTICS MARKET, 2004-2014

      11. 3.11 Pricing Trends

        $96.00

        1. Table | ENGINEERING PLASTICS PRICING

      12. 3.12 Regulatory & Environmental Issues

        $153.00

      13. 3.13 Recycling Activity

        $148.00

      14. 3.14 Foreign Trade

        $109.00

        1. Table | FOREIGN TRADE IN ENGINEERING PLASTICS

      15. 3.15 International Activity

        $129.00

    4. 4 RESINS

      $5,027.00

      1. 4.1 General

        $148.00

        1. Table | ENGINEERING PLASTICS DEMAND BY RESIN

        2. CHART III-1 ENGINEERING PLASTICS DEMAND BY RESIN, 2014

      2. 4.2 Nylon

        $602.00

        1. Table | NYLON SUPPLY & DEMAND

        2. 4.2.1 Markets

          $368.00

          1. Table | NYLON DEMAND BY MARKET

          2. CHART III-2 NYLON DEMAND BY MARKET, 2014

          3. Table | NYLON DEMAND IN MOTOR VEHICLE MARKETS

          4. Table | NYLON DEMAND IN ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS MARKETS

          5. Table | NYLON DEMAND IN MEDICAL & CONSUMER MARKETS

        3. 4.2.2 Producers & Capacity

          $127.00

          1. Table | NYLON CAPACITY, 2014

      3. 4.3 Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene

        $701.00

        1. Table | ACRYLONITRILE-BUTADIENE-STYRENE SUPPLY & DEMAND

        2. 4.3.1 Markets

          $428.00

          1. Table | ACRYLONITRILE-BUTADIENE-STYRENE DEMAND BY MARKET

          2. CHART III-3 ACRYLONITRILE-BUTADIENE-STYRENE DEMAND BY MARKET, 2014

          3. Table | ABS DEMAND IN ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC MARKETS

          4. Table | ABS DEMAND IN MOTOR VEHICLE MARKETS

          5. Table | ABS DEMAND IN CONSTRUCTION MARKETS

          6. Table | ABS DEMAND IN MEDICAL & CONSUMER MARKETS

        3. 4.3.2 Producers & Capacity

          $117.00

          1. Table | ACRYLONITRILE-BUTADIENE-STYRENE CAPACITY, 2014

      4. 4.4 Polycarbonate

        $625.00

        1. Table | POLYCARBONATE SUPPLY & DEMAND

        2. 4.4.1 Markets

          $464.00

          1. Table | POLYCARBONATE DEMAND BY MARKET

          2. CHART III-4 POLYCARBONATE DEMAND BY MARKET, 2014

          3. Table | POLYCARBONATE DEMAND IN ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS MARKETS

          4. Table | POLYCARBONATE DEMAND IN MEDICAL & CONSUMER MARKETS

          5. Table | POLYCARBONATE DEMAND IN MOTOR VEHICLE MARKETS

          6. Table | POLYCARBONATE DEMAND IN CONSTRUCTION MARKETS

        3. 4.4.2 Producers & Capacity

          $82.00

          1. Table | POLYCARBONATE CAPACITY, 2014

      5. 4.5 Thermoplastic Polyesters

        $557.00

        1. Table | THERMOPLASTIC POLYESTER DEMAND BY RESIN

        2. 4.5.1 Polybutylene Terephthalate

          $82.00

          1. Table | POLYBUTYLENE TEREPHTHALATE CAPACITY, 2014

        3. 4.5.2 Polyethylene Terephthalate

          $82.00

        4. 4.5.3 Liquid Crystal Polymers & Other

          $118.00

        5. 4.5.4 Markets

          $229.00

          1. Table | THERMOPLASTIC POLYESTER DEMAND BY MARKET

          2. CHART III-5 THERMOPLASTIC POLYESTER DEMAND BY MARKET, 2014

          3. Table | THERMOPLASTIC POLYESTER DEMAND IN MOTOR VEHICLE MARKETS

          4. Table | THERMOPLASTIC POLYESTER DEMAND IN ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC MARKETS

          5. Table | THERMOPLASTIC POLYESTER DEMAND IN MEDICAL & CONSUMER MARKETS

      6. 4.6 Polyacetal

        $283.00

        1. Table | POLYACETAL SUPPLY & DEMAND

        2. 4.6.1 Markets

          $173.00

          1. Table | POLYACETAL DEMAND BY MARKET

          2. CHART III-6 POLYACETAL DEMAND BY MARKET, 2014

        3. 4.6.2 Producers & Capacity

          $82.00

          1. Table | POLYACETAL CAPACITY, 2014

      7. 4.7 Fluoropolymers

        $894.00

        1. Table | FLUOROPOLYMER SUPPLY & DEMAND

        2. 4.7.1 Polytetrafluoroethylene

          $90.00

        3. 4.7.2 Polyvinylidene Fluoride

          $82.00

        4. 4.7.3 Fluorinated Ethylene Propylene

          $82.00

        5. 4.7.4 Other Fluoropolymers

          $147.00

        6. 4.7.5 Markets

          $317.00

          1. Table | FLUOROPOLYMER DEMAND BY MARKET

          2. CHART III-7 FLUOROPOLYMER DEMAND BY MARKET, 2014

        7. 4.7.6 Producers

          $94.00

      8. 4.8 Polyphenylene Oxide

        $218.00

        1. Table | POLYPHENYLENE OXIDE DEMAND

        2. 4.8.1 Markets

          $131.00

          1. Table | POLYPHENYLENE OXIDE DEMAND BY MARKET

          2. CHART III-8 POLYPHENYLENE OXIDE DEMAND BY MARKET, 2014

        3. 4.8.2 Producers

          $82.00

      9. 4.9 Sulfone Polymers

        $269.00

        1. Table | SULFONE POLYMER DEMAND

        2. 4.9.1 Markets

          $158.00

          1. Table | SULFONE POLYMER DEMAND BY MARKET

        3. 4.9.2 Producers

          $82.00

      10. 4.10 Polyphenylene Sulfide

        $301.00

        1. Table | POLYPHENYLENE SULFIDE DEMAND

        2. 4.10.1 Markets

          $155.00

          1. Table | POLYPHENYLENE SULFIDE DEMAND BY MARKET

        3. 4.10.2 Producers & Capacity

          $82.00

          1. Table | POLYPHENYLENE SULFIDE CAPACITY, 2014

      11. 4.11 Polyimides

        $249.00

        1. Table | POLYMIDES DEMAND

        2. 4.11.1 Markets

          $115.00

          1. Table | POLYMIDES DEMAND BY MARKET

        3. 4.11.2 Producers

          $82.00

      12. 4.12 Other Resins

        $180.00

        1. Table | OTHER ENGINEERING PLASTICS DEMAND BY TYPE

        2. 4.12.1 Polyetherketones

          $82.00

        3. 4.12.2 All Other Resins

          $82.00

    5. 5 MARKETS

      $2,246.00

      1. 5.1 General

        $82.00

        1. Table | ENGINEERING PLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET

        2. CHART IV-1 ENGINEERING PLASTICS DEMAND BY MARKET, 2014

      2. 5.2 Motor Vehicles

        $465.00

        1. Table | MOTOR VEHICLE MARKET FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS BY APPLICATION

        2. CHART IV-2 MOTOR VEHICLE MARKET FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS BY APPLICATION, 2014

        3. 5.2.1 Engine & Mechanical

          $82.00

        4. 5.2.2 Interior

          $82.00

        5. 5.2.3 Structural & Exterior

          $95.00

        6. 5.2.4 Resins

          $110.00

          1. Table | MOTOR VEHICLE MARKET FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS BY RESIN

      3. 5.3 Electrical & Electronic

        $600.00

        1. Table | ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS MARKET FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS BY APPLICATION

        2. CHART IV-3 ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS MARKET FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS BY APPLICATION, 2014

        3. 5.3.1 Appliances

          $82.00

        4. 5.3.2 Electronic Products

          $82.00

        5. 5.3.3 Optical Media

          $82.00

        6. 5.3.4 Wire & Cable

          $82.00

        7. 5.3.5 Electronic Components & Other Applications

          $158.00

        8. 5.3.6 Resins

          $127.00

          1. Table | ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONICS MARKET FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS BY RESIN

      4. 5.4 Medical & Consumer

        $358.00

        1. Table | MEDICAL & CONSUMER MARKET FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS BY APPLICATION

        2. CHART IV-4 MEDICAL & CONSUMER MARKET FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS BY APPLICATION, 2014

        3. 5.4.1 Medical

          $114.00

        4. 5.4.2 Recreational Products

          $82.00

        5. 5.4.3 Other Uses

          $82.00

        6. 5.4.4 Resins

          $93.00

          1. Table | MEDICAL & CONSUMER MARKET FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS BY RESIN

      5. 5.5 Construction

        $266.00

        1. Table | CONSTRUCTION MARKET FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS BY APPLICATION

        2. CHART IV-5 CONSTRUCTION MARKET FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS BY APPLICATION, 2014

        3. 5.5.1 Glazing & Skylights

          $82.00

        4. 5.5.2 Pipe & Fittings

          $82.00

        5. 5.5.3 Lighting & Other Uses

          $82.00

        6. 5.5.4 Resins

          $82.00

          1. Table | CONSTRUCTION MARKET FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS BY RESIN

      6. 5.6 Industrial

        $161.00

        1. 5.6.1 Applications

          $82.00

          1. Table | INDUSTRIAL MARKET FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS

        2. 5.6.2 Resins

          $82.00

          1. Table | INDUSTRIAL MARKET FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS BY RESIN

      7. 5.7 Other Markets

        $318.00

        1. Table | OTHER MARKETS FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS BY APPLICATION

        2. 5.7.1 Packaging

          $82.00

        3. 5.7.2 Other Transportation Equipment

          $82.00

        4. 5.7.3 Furniture & Fixtures

          $82.00

        5. 5.7.4 All Other

          $82.00

        6. 5.7.5 Resins

          $82.00

          1. Table | OTHER MARKETS FOR ENGINEERING PLASTICS BY RESIN

    6. 6 INDUSTRY STRUCTURE

      $5,230.00

      1. 6.1 General

        $82.00

      2. 6.2 Industry Composition

        $82.00

        1. Table | US ENGINEERING PLASTICS SALES BY COMPANY, 2014

      3. 6.3 Market Share

        $222.00

        1. CHART V-1 ENGINEERING PLASTICS MARKET SHARE, 2014

      4. 6.4 Mergers & Acquisitions

        $88.00

        1. Table | SELECTED ACQUISITIONS & DIVESTITURES

      5. 6.5 Marketing Strategies

        $82.00

      6. 6.6 Channels of Distribution

        $82.00

      7. 6.7 Research & Development

        $82.00

      8. 6.8 Competitive Strategies

        $113.00

      9. 6.9 Cooperative Agreements

        $91.00

        1. Table | SELECTED COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS

      10. 6.10 Company Profiles

        $4,414.00

        1. 6.10.1 Arkema SA

          $143.00

        2. 6.10.2 Asahi Kasei Corporation

          $125.00

        3. 6.10.3 Ascend Performance Materials LLC

          $82.00

        4. 6.10.4 BASF SE

          $200.00

        5. 6.10.5 Bayer AG

          $129.00

        6. 6.10.6 Celanese Corporation

          $358.00

        7. 6.10.7 Chevron Phillips Chemical Company LLC

          $82.00

        8. 6.10.8 Daikin Industries Limited

          $119.00

        9. 6.10.9 DuPont (EI) de Nemours

          $379.00

        10. 6.10.10 EMS-Chemie Holding AG

          $82.00

        11. 6.10.11 Evonik Industries AG

          $199.00

        12. 6.10.12 Honeywell International Incorporated

          $82.00

        13. 6.10.13 INEOS Group AG

          $130.00

        14. 6.10.14 Kureha Corporation

          $91.00

        15. 6.10.15 LANXESS AG

          $95.00

        16. 6.10.16 Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company Incorporated

          $82.00

        17. 6.10.17 Mitsui Chemicals Incorporated

          $82.00

        18. 6.10.18 Nylon Corporation of America

          $82.00

        19. 6.10.19 Polymeric Resources Corporation

          $82.00

        20. 6.10.20 PolyOne Corporation

          $237.00

        21. 6.10.21 Royal DSM NV

          $131.00

        22. 6.10.22 RTP Company

          $82.00

        23. 6.10.23 Saudi Basic Industries Corporation

          $340.00

        24. 6.10.24 Schulman (A.) Incorporated

          $203.00

        25. 6.10.25 Solvay SA

          $452.00

        26. 6.10.26 3M Company

          $131.00

        27. 6.10.27 Toray Industries Incorporated

          $135.00

        28. 6.10.28 Trinseo SA

          $107.00

        29. 6.10.29 Victrex plc

          $105.00

        30. 6.10.30 Wellman Plastics Recycling LLC

          $82.00

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