Global market for coating & ink additives

Transcription

1 Seite/Page: 1 Global market for coating & ink additives Coating and ink additives are used in small quantities, however their impact on coating performance and application can be dramatic. Their judicious use often spells the difference between meeting ultimate performance requirements or failure. There are over two dozen additive types employed in coatings and inks with global sales in 2009 of just over USD 5 billion. Mike Growney This article profiles five leading types: dispersants, foam control agents, rheology modifiers, slip & rub materials, and wetting agents. Global consumption of these five additives in 2009 was 781,000 tons (as supplied) worth USD 3.47 billion. Additive volume was off by -10 % compared to 2008 with European and North American usage down the most. Volume in the Asia-Pacific region was off modestly as growth in China and India offset much of the decline in other countries. Overall, a 5.5 % annual rate of growth is forecast for additives through Figure 1 summarizes additive consumption by region. Europe is currently the largest consumer in value with 36 % of the 2009 dollars. However, the Asia-Pacific region recently surpassed Europe in volume and is projected to overtake it in dollar value in about three years. Additive Types Rheology modifiers were the largest of the five additive types with 309,000 tons consumed in 2009 (Figure 2) with a sales value of USD 1.35 billion. The leading rheology modifier types were cellulosics, WB synthetics, fumed silicas, organoclays, SB synthetics, and other inorganic types. Cellulosics and WB synthetics combined were 60 % of the volume and 52 % of the dollars. They represent over 90% of the rheology modifier volume for WB formulations with the bulk used in architectural paints. WB synthetic thickeners are low solids products which are classified as anionic or nonionic products. Cellulosic rheology modifiers are generally hydroxyethylcellulose or ethylhydroxy-ethylcellulose and their hydrophobe modified versions. Fumed silicas and organoclays are largely consumed in SB coatings and inks, but they are finding growing application in WB formulations. Most of the SB synthetic rheology modifiers are low solids polyamide or polyethylene products, but several specialized types are also used. Dispersant consumption in 2009 was 153,000 tons worth over USD 580 MM. Most of the dollar value is comprised a variety of polymeric products which include acrylics, polyurethanes, polyesters, polyamides, etc. However, most of the volume is low solids WB polyacrylic acid and polycarboxylate types which are primarily used in WB architectural coatings. Other dispersant types include polyphosphates, phosphate esters, lecithin, etc. Foam control additive volume was 138,000 ton in 2009 worth USD 590 MM and is classified as silicone or nonsilicone. About 80 % of the volume was non-silicone but dollar value was split about equally. Non-silicone products were historically comprised of mineral oil, modified silica, and other ingredients. Newer more environmentally favored formulations rely on surfactants, polymer materials and other components. Water-based architectural coatings consumed over two-thirds of the foam control additive volume. Slip and rub additives are waxes or silicone products. Consumption in 2009 was 98,000 tons worth USD 520 MM with 88 % of the volume and 70 % of the dollars wax type. Waxes are used in three forms: micronized powder, WB emulsion or dispersion, and as SB dispersion or compound. Micronized powders are the largest wax in dollar value followed by WB emulsions & dispersions, and next SB dispersions and compounds. Inks are the largest user of SB dispersions and compounds. In some cases both silicones and wax additives are used together to get a balance of properties. Polyethylene is the leading wax type. Wetting agent consumption was 83,000 tons in 2009 valued at USD 429 MM. Alkoxylated surfactants were 55 % of the volume and are widely used in WB architectural paints. They are generally added during pigment grinding to aid in dispersing. Formulators are moving away from alkyl phenol ethoxylate products to more environmentally acceptable types. Acetylenic glycol derivatives and silicones are smaller volume but higher priced wetting agents (each about % of the dollars). Acrylic wetting agents were also about % of the dollars and find use in powder coatings and SB liquid coatings. Fluorosurfactants are high priced specialized wetting agents. Coating and ink markets Worldwide consumption of coating and inks was 30 MM tons in 2009 with coatings 89 % of the total and inks 11 %. Coatings were a global market of 26.7 MM tons valued at USD 88 billion in The five additive types comprised 2.7 % of the coating volume and 3.4 % of the sales value. Ink demand was just over 3 MM tons in 2009 worth USD 14 billion. Additives covered here were 2.3% of the ink volume and 3.1 % of the sales value. The largest coating outlet for additives is architectural paints, particularly water-based types. Water-based paints were 77 % of the architectural volume; solvent-based technology 23 %. Water-based technology is growing more than twice the rate of solvent-based owing to increased regulation and consumer concerns. Just over 60 % of the coating additive volume and 47 % of the value was consumed in WB architectural paints. Figure 3 shows consumption of additives in WB architectural paints in A 6 % annual rate of growth is forecast for WB architectural paint additives as the global market recovers, the market

2 Seite/Page: 2 expands in developing regions, and WB technology gains share from SB paints. Ink consumption in mature regions of the world has been declining owing to such factors as declining newspaper and magazine sales, reduced advertising in traditional media owing to the rise of the internet, electronic publishing, less music CDs owing to downloading, etc. Inks can be segmented by process, technology, and end use. Offset inks were about one half of the global market in volume and are the largest consumer of additives. Gravure inks were nearly one-quarter of the volume and flexographic inks 21 %. Screen and ink jet are the other major processes. Slip and rub materials are the leading additive for inks with % of the volume and % of the dollars. Rheology modifiers are second with less than on-fifth of the volume and one-quarter of the dollars. Dispersants are the third largest ink additive. Additive supplier structure Additive suppliers participate in the market in a variety of ways. They can compete in a particular additive type or chemistry, or participate across the board with a toolbox of products. Many suppliers also offer other raw materials, such as resins, pigments, and other additive types. There are over 100 suppliers of the five additives covered in this article. The top ten suppliers captured about 60 % of the sales value; the top twenty suppliers 77 %. The top ten additive suppliers capture between % of each of the five additive types. Acquisitions continue to concentrate the supplier base. Some recent acquisitions in the last two years include BASF s of Ciba; Dow Chemical s of Rohm and Haas; Arkema s of the UCAR Emulsion business of Dow Chemical; Ashland s acquisition of Hercules (Aqualon); BYK s purchase of the Dick Peters wax business of Clariant; Elementis takeover of Deuchem, Taiwan; and Munzing s purchase of the defoamer business of Hexion and its acquisition of L.P. Bader. Future Developments Additives is a specialty chemical business which requires continued product improvements and technological advances to aid in the development of new coating and ink products. Products offering improved performance and application properties, reduced cost, and lower environmental impact are in demand. Additive suppliers with an in depth understanding of the latest formulation trends are best positioned to capture market share. The business is increasingly global, but service on a local level is a necessity for success. The above information is based upon Global Coating & Ink Additives, a study recently completed by Steven Nerlfi, Minesh Kusumgar, and Michael Growney. Interested parties are invited to contact them at or by at [email protected]. Additional information is available at í

3 Seite/Page: 3 Figure 1: Global coating & ink additives by region in 2009, USD MM

4 Seite/Page: 4 Figure 2: Global coating & ink additives by type (thousand tons)

5 Seite/Page: 5 Figure 3: WB Architectural paints & additives in 2009, 1,000 MT, Total WB Paint: million MT