The taillights of cars are becoming increasingly spectacular; the former radiator front can also be redesigned with electrification. The new vehicle design is often made possible by PMMA, better known under brand names such as Plexiglas or Acrylite. "Although engineering plastics are more expensive than standard plastics, they are characterized by special physical and chemical properties," explains Oliver Kutsch, managing director of the market research institute Ceresana: "These high-performance and lightweight materials can be used continuously at temperatures up to about 150°C." Ceresana has analyzed the global market for engineering plastics for the fourth time: Last year, 22.4 million tonnes of ABS, PC, PA, PMMA, POM, PBT, SAN and fluoropolymers were consumed.

Automotive Industry: A Growing Application Area

The two most important sales markets for engineering plastics are currently the electrical and electronics industry and consumer products. However, the market researchers at Ceresana forecast that the third largest area of application to achieve the highest growth in the next few years will be the automotive industry. In contrast, applications in the construction industry will develop at a somewhat slower pace, with expected growth rates of 2.2% per year. There are major differences between the various types of engineering plastics in this respect.

ABS Dominates the Market for Engineering Plastics

Ceresana's latest study provides demand, revenue, production and trade figures for the overall engineering plastics market, as well as demand for each of the different types of plastics and their applications. The best-selling engineering plastic is currently acrylonitrile butadiene styrene: ABS accounts for around 41% of global demand. ABS is used primarily in the automotive sector, for electrics and electronics, and in smaller quantities in the construction industry and in the household and consumer goods sector. Typical products made of ABS are door panels for cars, housings for electrical appliances, films, pipes and covers, but also shower heads, as well as numerous toys, sports and leisure products.

Manufacturers of Construction Plastics

Chapter 1 provides a depiction and analysis of the global market for engineering plastics - including forecasts up to 2030: for each region of the world, demand and production and revenues are explained. In addition, global and regional demand per type of plastic, per application area and the demand for individual products per application are analyzed. These types of plastics are considered in detail: Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polycarbonate (PC), Polyamides (PA), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), Polyoxymethylene (POM), Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), Styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), Fluoropolymers. The areas of application examined are: Transportation, Electrical and Electronics (E&E), Consumer Goods, Construction and others. Chapter 2 considers 25 countries individually. Country-specific demand, revenues, production and trade; demand per product; and demand per application for major countries are presented. Chapter 3 provides useful company profiles of the most important manufacturers of engineering plastics, clearly arranged according to contact details, revenues, profit, product range, production sites, capacities and profile summary. Extensive profiles of 117 manufacturers of engineering plastics are provided.


About Ceresana
As one of the world's leading market research institutes, Ceresana specializes in the chemicals, plastics, packaging and industrial goods sectors, with a focus on automotive / mobility. Since 2002, companies have benefited from high-quality industry analyses and forecasts. Over 200 market studies provide more than 10,000 clients around the world with the knowledge base for sustainable success.