The demand for meltblown cloth continues to increase, and the polypropylene fiber market is in short supply

Polypropylene fiber is one of the lightest synthetic fibers, formed by polymerizing propylene. The domestic polypropylene fiber trade name is polypropylene, which can be divided into long fiber, short fiber, spunbond non-woven fabric, melt-blown non-woven fabric, etc. The development of polypropylene and new technologies for manufacturing polypropylene fibers, especially the invention of metallocene catalysts, have significantly improved the quality of polypropylene fibers, thus greatly improving the quality of polypropylene fiber products.

According to the “2022 China Polypropylene Fiber Project Business Plan” released by the Industrial Research Center, the global polypropylene fiber market in 2020 The scale has exceeded US$3.6 billion and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of more than 3.1% from 2022 to 2026. In the upstream of the industrial chain, crude oil is the main raw material for the production of polypropylene fiber, and its price has a greater impact on polypropylene fiber. The recent rise in crude oil prices has led to an increase in the production cost of polypropylene fiber. In the downstream of products, polypropylene fiber is the core raw material of melt-blown cloth, and melt-blown cloth, as the “heart” of masks, has become scarce amid the surge in demand for masks. The growth in downstream demand has led to the continuous expansion of the polypropylene fiber market.

The domestic polypropylene fiber market is in short supply and downstream consumer demand continues to rise. In particular, the rising demand for masks due to the epidemic has prompted the expansion of the domestic polypropylene fiber market and boosted the rapid growth of China’s polypropylene fiber supply. The rapid development of the polypropylene fiber market will lead to the gradual saturation of market supply. In the future, the domestic polypropylene fiber industry may face a series of challenging factors such as an excessive number of production companies, reduced average profit margins on production capacity, and escalating competition among homogeneous products. And Manufacturing enterprises with the advantages of large-scale production capacity, product diversification, and high value-added products will have more advantages in the polypropylene fiber industry where competition is constantly escalating.

Polypropylene fiber industry players are further expanding their market share through research and development of new products, mergers and acquisitions. For example, in November 2018, Sika acquired Propex Holding’s global concrete fiber business. In addition, some polypropylene fiber industry players are also stimulating their business growth by increasing production capacity. For example, in September 2018, Malaysia’s Lotte Chemical Titan Holdings launched a new polypropylene fiber production unit in Pasir Gudang with an annual production capacity of 200,000 tons. Major players in the global polypropylene fiber market include International Fibers Group, LCY Chemicals, BASF Europe, Zenith Fibers Ltd., Sika AG, Euclid Chemicals, Lotte Chemicals, and American Synthetic Fibers LLC. , ABC Polymer Industries LLC and FiberVisions Inc.

Industrial analysts said that my country is the world’s main producer of polypropylene fiber. In recent years, with the continuous optimization of production processes, polypropylene The pace of structural adjustment of the fiber industry is accelerating, and polypropylene fiber production capacity is gradually increasing, which may lead to a full market supply and intensified market competition in the future. In the polypropylene fiber industry where competition is constantly escalating, manufacturing companies with advantages such as large-scale production capacity, product diversification, and high value-added products will be more competitive in the market.