Melting, repeatedly deforming, and recycling: Thermoplastic elastomers (TPE) can be processed just like conventional standard plastics when reheated. At room temperature however, TPE plastics have the same mechanical properties as vulcanized elastomers: They are elastic, pliable, and flexible like rubber. In its current study, Ceresana analyzes the market for these innovative materials already for the second time: In 2017, about 4.7 million tonnes of thermoplastic elastomers were used worldwide.
Market Data on Thermoplastic Elastomers
Demand for TPE is strongly focused on the largest economic powers: Currently, processors in China, the USA, Japan, and Germany combined account for about two thirds of global demand. Production of TPE is dominated by manufacturers in Asia: More than 56% of global production takes place in this region. Second largest producer is North America, followed by Western Europe.
TPE Uses
Given their versatility and easy processing, TPE are predominantly used in the automotive industry: About 36% of all TPE products are used in the manufacturing of vehicles. The applications cover segments such as fabric coating, sealing components, and bumpers. Therefore, the development of the automotive and transport industries as well as their suppliers are an important indicator for forecasts of future TPE demand. TPE are also increasingly utilized in the construction and other industries, e.g. mechanical engineering, medical engineering, electric engineering, and electronic engineering. By now, TPE can be found in numerous everyday products such as cables, shoes, sports goods, toys, and household appliances.
Distinct Types of TPE
The market shares of individual types of TPE in part vary widely among individual countries, which is mainly due to the different sizes of respective application areas. The by far most commonly used type of TPE on the global market is the group of styrene block copolymers (SBC). Their applications reach from admixtures in adhesives to asphalt modification in road construction. The second largest TPE market is comprised by thermoplastic polyolefins (TPO), which are mainly used in the automotive industry. Another important type of TPE are thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) that can, for example, be used for dashboards and housing shells.
The Study in Brief:
Chapter 1 provides a description and analysis of the global TPE market, including forecasts up to 2025: The development of revenues, demand, and production is analyzed for each region of the world.
Chapter 2 offers a detailed analysis of 16 countries: Demand, export, import, output, and turnover in regard to TPE. In addition, these countries are also analyzed regarding application areas. Market data on demand are split by types for each country.
Chapter 3 analyzes the different types of application areas of thermoplastic elastomers in detail: Data and influential factors on the use in automobiles, the construction industry, other industries, shoes, sports goods, and consumer goods.
Chapter 4 examines the demand for TPE – split by types: styrene block copolymers (SBC), thermoplastic polyolefins (TPO), thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU), thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV), other thermoplastic elastomers.
Chapter 5 offers a useful directory of the most important producers of TPE, clearly arranged according to contact details, revenues, profit, product range, production sites, and profile summary. Extensive profiles of 61 manufacturers are provided.
Further information: www.ceresana.com/en/market-studies/plastics/thermoplastic-elastomers/
About Ceresana
Ceresana is a leading international market research institute for the segments chemicals, plastics, industrial goods, and packaging. The company has been providing more than 10,000 customers from trade and industry in 60 countries with up-to-date analyses for over 15 years. The services of Ceresana for manufacturers, processors, and associations include customized single-client studies and more than 160 multi-client market studies.
Learn more about Ceresana at www.ceresana.com/en
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