Thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) has become the fastest growing field of polyurethane elastomer and even the polyurethane industry due to its proximity to the end consumer market and its wide range of applications. However, in the recent TPU industry, new production capacity has been released too quickly, and the growth rate of downstream demand has slowed down. At the 2023 Annual Meeting of the Elastomer Professional Committee of the China Polyurethane Industry Association and the Polyurethane Elastomer Technology Seminar held in Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province recently, participating experts suggested that the TPU industry should focus on both raw materials and products to develop high-end, Differentiated products to better meet market demand.
"On the whole, China's polyurethane industry has shifted from a period of rapid growth to a period of steady development. In the future, the market will gradually shift from price competition and production capacity competition to service competition, and will also develop in the direction of globalization and industrial chaining. This requires TPU and other fields to accelerate the independent innovation of key technologies, key additives, key equipment, and key products to further meet downstream needs and improve the overall competitiveness of the industry." said Han Baole, deputy secretary-general of the Polyurethane Association.
Liu Jing, senior engineer of the Elastomer Special Committee of the Polyurethane Association, said that in recent years, my country's TPU industry has developed rapidly, and Wanhua Chemical, Meirui New Materials, Yinuowei, Huafeng and other 10,000-ton production enterprises have been born, and A large number of small and medium-sized enterprises. However, compared with the international advanced level, China's TPU industry still has a certain gap compared with foreign countries in terms of product quality, production technology and advanced equipment. A certain proportion; software technology is lacking, process technology is relatively backward, and product quality is not stable enough; product quality is single and cannot fully meet market demand, especially the needs of application scenarios such as high heat resistance, high polar solvent resistance, and high dynamic performance requirements; technology The innovation ability is not strong, and there is a lack of systematic research.
In recent years, TPU production capacity has surged, but the growth rate of the downstream market has slowed down. According to Ma Yue, a market analyst at Tiantian Chemical Network, from 2018 to 2023, the average annual compound growth rate of China's TPU production capacity will be 13%, and the average annual compound growth rate of total demand will exceed 8%. In 2023, the total production capacity of TPU will be 1.3 million tons, and the total output will be 660,000 tons. In 2023, China's TPU market will generally show a downturn, with prices slowly falling. Except for the demand for TPU in the wire and cable industry to maintain a certain growth, the demand for TPU in major downstream areas such as shoe materials and pipe materials has weakened to varying degrees.
Ma Yue said that the TPU products of Chinese companies are mainly concentrated in the low-end market, with scattered customers and fierce competition. In the field of high-end products, only foreign advanced manufacturers and a small number of local production enterprises participate. "At present, the application prospects of TPU pipes are mainly in the replacement of existing materials. TPU film products are gradually replacing existing polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyvinyl chloride films. But fire hoses are made of TPU materials. The localization rate of TPU is relatively low, and the localization rate of the 'invisible car cover' made of TPU also needs to be improved." Ma Yue said.
Zhou Jian, chairman of Suzhou Xiangyuan New Materials Co., Ltd., believes that my country should increase the development of high-performance polyurethane thermoplastic elastomers (GTPU), and strengthen research on raw materials, additive formulations and downstream applications, especially research and development A new type of non-toxic, non-polluting, high-performance, low-cost, and multi-functional chain extender for TPU to meet high-performance, differentiated, and special industrial needs. It is used in resource exploration, military industry, medical care, electronic appliances, and high-end sports equipment. And other high-end, high value-added application fields.
It is understood that the GTPU material currently developed by domestic enterprises has the characteristics of extremely high tensile strength, high wear resistance, low compression set rate, and good high-temperature dimensional stability. It can be used for hydraulic seals, hoses, Timing belts, cables, national defense and other fields, as well as polishing pads for chemical mechanical polishing, are very valuable for marketing.
Ma Yue predicts that with the increase of new demand for TPU, China's TPU demand is expected to maintain a compound growth rate of 9% in the next five years; production capacity investment will still maintain a relatively fast pace, and the compound growth rate will reach 8%. By 2027, the production capacity of TPU will reach 1.94 million tons, and the total output will reach 1.07 million tons. The development and application of TPU high-end products is the key development direction of the industry in the future. The rapid rise of the new energy automobile industry stimulates the demand for the construction of supporting charging piles, which will drive the growth of TPU demand; geophysical cables usher in new demand in the offshore oil gas and wind power fields. In addition, under the strategic goal of "double carbon", TPU materials are also transforming towards bio-based.
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