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This report assesses the current state of the high-performance thermoplastics (HPTP) industry and characterizes its evolution over the past decade. The report profiles eight leading producers of HPTPs, including BASF, Solvay Advanced Polymers, SABIC Innovative Plastics, Mitsui Chemicals, Sumitomo Chemical, Ticona, Toray, and Victrex plc. The HPTPs covered in the report include
- Aromatic polyketones
- High performance polyamides (nylon 46, nylon 9T, polyphthalamide, Zytel HT and MXD-6)
- Liquid crystal polymers (LCP)
- Polyarylates (PAR)
- Polycyclohexylenedimethylene terephthalate (PCT)
Polyphenylene sulfides (PPS)
- Sulfone polymers (PSO, PES, PPSO and PTES)
- Thermoplastic polyimides (Aurum®, PAI and PEI)
High performance thermoplastics are high-priced, low-volume polymers that are sold for use in specialized applications that require a combination of extraordinary properties. These polymers represent a very small subset of the entire thermoplastics industry, which consists primarily of high-volume commodity thermoplastics (e.g., polyolefins, vinyls and styrenics) as well as medium-volume engineering thermoplastics (e.g., nylon, polyacetal, polyesters, polyphenylene ether alloys and polycarbonate). In the United States, for example, HPTPs represented only 0.1% of the total volume, and about 1% of the total value, of all thermoplastics sold in 2007.
Most of the players still in this market are large multinational companies having extensive experience in polymer manufacturing and processing. However, smaller companies with relatively narrow product portfolios also play a significant role in the industry. For example, Victrex plc, the leading producer of aromatic polyketones, is a small, highly focused organization, which was spun off from ICI. In Japan, the roster of HPTP producers includes both small, domestically focused producers and large corporations with substantial international interests.
Intermaterial competition is intensifying as end users become increasingly sophisticated in the use of HPTPs. One effect of this competition is an increased emphasis on price, with higher-priced HPTPs competing with lower-priced HPTPs and engineering plastics in applications that require some, but not all, of the expensive HPTPs’ physical properties.
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