Transportation and E&E fuel the growth of extrusion, forecasts Ceresana

Extrusion is one of the most important processes of the plastics industry; for example films, cups, pipes, hoses, electric cables, complete window profiles or doors can be produced with this method. Both flexible as well as rigid products that can be compact or cellular are extruded.

In 2015, more than 114 million tons of plastics worldwide were melted, pressed through a die, and processed to numerous different products, according to Ceresana's latest research.

About 51% of the plastics used for extrusion were used in the Asia Pacific region; North America and Western Europe followed with market shares of 15.5% and 13.2%.

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is mainly used for extrusion. Over the past eight years, global demand for products made of PVC rose by an average of 2.3% per year. The second most important plastic type for extrusion is linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE), with a market share of approximately 18%, the report said.

The most important sales market for extrusion products is packaging, especially films, bags and sacks, and shrink and stretch films. The heading packaging films includes the majority of films used for foodstuffs, but also films for cosmetics, hygiene products, textiles, stationary, and similar products.

This market profits from an ongoing trend towards flexible packaging solutions that reduce weight and the use of resources and also increase consumer convenience.

The tendency towards shrinking packaging sizes in the segments hygiene and pharma also leads to an expected growth. The most important type of plastics in the segment packaging is LLDPE, followed by polypropylene (PP) and low density PE (LDPE).

The second largest sales market are products for the construction industry. By far the most important plastic in the construction industry is PVC: In 2015, about 22.5 million tons of PVC were used. Above all, pipes and windows but also floors, facade elements, coatings, sheets, sealants, doors, small parts, and fastenings are made from it.

Demand for plastic pipes is mainly growing in the emerging countries where urbanization and new constructions play a major role. However, in the developed industrial states, renovation and replacement of the existing networks are important.

The most dynamic development of demand for plastics for extrusion will however not take place in the construction sector but in the segments Transportation and Electrical & Electronics (E&E). From 2015 to 2023, Ceresana expects global demand in these application areas to increase by 3.1% and 2.9% per year.