The supply of thermoplastic elastomer raw materials is sufficient and the industry has great room for development.

Thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) refers to a new type of polymer material that has the characteristics of both thermoplastic plastic and elastic rubber, and is between rubber and resin.

There are various types of thermoplastic elastomers. They can be divided into elastomer alloys, thermoplastic elastomer copolymers, thermoplastic elastomer blends, etc. according to their chemical composition. They can be divided into dienes, ethylenes, olefins, and styrenes according to their structural forms. categories, engineering plastics, etc.

The upstream of the thermoplastic elastomer industry chain is the supply of raw materials such as EPDM, styrene, butadiene, diisocyanate, and isoprene; the midstream is the production of products; the downstream is widely used in automobiles, toys, medical, consumer electronics, and optical fiber cables. , ground paving materials and other fields.

From the perspective of the upstream market, as my country’s scientific and technological development level continues to improve, the production technology of the chemical industry continues to advance, the industrial chain system becomes increasingly perfect, and the output of chemical raw materials such as styrene and butadiene continues to grow, providing sufficient raw material supply for the development of the thermoplastic elastic industry . In 2022, my country’s styrene output will exceed 13 million tons, a year-on-year increase of approximately 11%; butadiene output will exceed 4.2 million tons, a year-on-year increase of approximately 40%.

According to the “2023-2028 Thermoplastic Elastomer Industry Market In-depth Research and Investment Prospects Forecast Analysis Report” released by the Industrial Research Center, With the continuous development of my country’s economy, the continuous improvement of national living standards, the continuous growth of demand for automobiles, consumer electronics, etc., coupled with the continuous expansion of my country’s industrial production scale and the acceleration of green transformation and upgrading, thermoplastic elastomers, as energy-saving green polymer materials, have a huge market size The overall growth trend is maintained. China’s thermoplastic elastomer market size will be approximately 51.6 billion yuan in 2022, a year-on-year growth of approximately 6%.

Affected by the continuous advancement of environmental protection policies and the rapid development of downstream industries such as automobiles and medical care, thermoplastic elastomers, as a new low-carbon and environmentally friendly material, have seen rapid growth in market demand. At present, domestic thermoplastic elastomer production capacity is insufficient, and there is still a certain gap between supply and demand in the market. In 2022, China’s thermoplastic elastomer output will be approximately 2.6 million tons, and the demand will be approximately 2.88 million tons.

In recent years, driven by national policy support and market dividends, the number of thermoplastic elastomer manufacturers has continued to increase and production capacity has continued to expand. Domestic thermoplastic elastomer manufacturers include Baoruilon Polymer Materials (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Jinling Aopte Polymer Materials Co., Ltd., Shengjialun Rubber and Plastic (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., Nantong Prema Elastomer Technology Co., Ltd., Shandong Dawn Polymer Materials Co., Ltd., etc.

Industry analysts said that with the continuous advancement of science and technology and the continuous development of high-tech industries, the production process of thermoplastic elastomers will continue to be updated. Product quality and performance will be greatly improved, and the scope of application will continue to expand, leaving the industry with greater room for development. Thermoplastic elastomer manufacturers need to increase capital investment, expand production scale, and continuously develop new technologies and products to meet the diversified needs of the market and enhance their core competitiveness.