markets feature | South America
trend is now emerging in the engineer- ing polymers. Masterbatch has also benefited from trends in shorter production runs to meet changing consumer and
fashion trends in colour and surface effects.
Engineering polymer
compounds are mainly used in the automotive sector followed by
electronics. The trends for these materials have been similar to those for technical
Brazil’s investment in construction and infrastruc- ture is growing fast and helping to drive PVC demand
polyolefin compounds with demand driven by invest- ments in automotive and electrical goods manufactur- ing. Engineering polymer compounds production has shown good growth over the last decade to reach almost 120,000 tonnes in 2010. However, the economic downturn and increased raw
material prices resulted in a deceleration in demand for engineering polymer compounds in 2009. Future growth in the South American engineering polymer compounds market will be supported by a continued expansion in the region’s vehicle manufacturing sector. Brazil’s automotive industry, for example, is expected to grow rapidly over the next five years, largely thanks to domestic demand. In addition, car makers are expected to invest US$11.2 billion in Brazil over the next two years. PVC compounds production tends to be quite distinct
from the other markets, and companies involved in compounding PVC do not generally compound other polymers. Whilst all PVC material has to be compound- ed, a lot is done in-house by processors, particularly in the pipe, flooring and cable sectors where the manufac- turers tend to be using large volumes of resin. The “free” PVC compound market therefore tends to be primarily involved in manufacturing specialised
compounds for the profile, cable and injection moulding segments. The PVC compound market is roughly divided 60% rigid/40% flexible. With a significant proportion of output destined for applications in the building sector, market demand for PVC compounds was particularly affected by the economic downturn. However, the long- term commitments by governments in South America to infrastructure spending should ensure that the PVC compounding sector will continue to grow. The Brazilian construction industry, for example, is forecast to grow by 6.2% in 2011. While this is a slower rate than the 10.8% growth in 2010, the sector is expected to grow at a faster pace from 2012 onwards.
More information This article is extracted from the introduction to AMI’s guide to theThermoplastics Compounding Industry in South America, which was published this year. The full version has additional and more specific data. The guide also contains details on 136 compounding sites in the region, including full contact details, types of compounds produced and processes employed. It is available as a book or as CD. Click here for full details and to order a copy on-line. In addition, AMI has produced
a guide to the Thermoplastics Pipe Extrusion Industry in South America. Published this year, it lists 215 production sites and is also available as a book or a CD. Click here for details. ❙
www.amiplastics.com
www.earth-glass.com Dispersion Issues Continuing?
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