2022The global economy in 2023 exhibited a stagflationary trend characterized by high inflation and low growth. The supply and demand structure of the butanol, phthalic anhydride, and plasticizers markets continued to change, with plasticizer prices constantly breaking new lows within the year. Outlook2023 - 2025In [year], China's butanol industry began to see new production capacity gradually coming online, but the downstream plasticizer industry continues to face the problem of overcapacity, marking the start of a new round of challenges.
2023What changes will occur in supply in the year? Faced with high cost pressures, can plasticizer companies make process improvements to reduce energy consumption and thereby reduce cost pressure? Can the domestic and international economic environment improve, and can the industrial supply-demand gap narrow? As octanol products gradually expand capacity, it can provide for the future3 - 5What opportunities and challenges does the annual market bring?
With macro development direction and various questions about industrial supply and demand,5month17day-19On the day, the 10th Ding-xin alcohol conference, hosted by Longzhong Information-phenyl anhydride-The Plastics Additive Industry Conference was successfully held in Xiamen, Fujian. The conference brought together the most comprehensive enterprises in the industry chain related to butylene-butanol, o-xylene, phthalic anhydride, plastics additives, and plastic products from across China to exchange on the current development status and future prospects of the industry; industry experts from crude oil, plastic products, and other sectors were specially invited to interpret industry hot topics, comprehensively understand macro policies and current terminal demand situations, and pave the way for the development of the industry chain.
Frost & SullivanFrost & SullivanCai Yufan, consulting manager of Frost & Sullivan's Greater China region, was invited to attend the meeting and delivered a presentation on Development Trends of Disposable Gloves Market and Plasticizer Market Give a speech.
Consulting Manager, Greater China, Frost & Sullivan Cai Yufan
Cai Yufan made a brief analysis of the global market, export market, and raw material market for disposable gloves. She stated, After the emergence of COVID-19 variants, global cases surged significantly. The domestic epidemic situation is complex, and while accelerating inventory consumption, there has been a renewed demand for disposable gloves, driving the steady growth of the glove market. Entering the post-pandemic era, the disposable glove market has gradually returned to normal. The supply and demand relationship and market environment have changed, leading to reduced corporate revenues and profits. Some small and medium-sized manufacturers that entered the market during the pandemic will be gradually phased out. However, with the improvement of people's health awareness, it is expected that market demand will experience permanent growth, and the market will continue to maintain stable growth in the future.
Looking at the entire one-time glove export market in China, under the influence of tariff policies, it is evident that the export volume of disposable nitrile gloves to the United States has dropped sharply. Meanwhile, the European Union is still within the tariff exemption period. The demand for gloves in the huge medical markets of various countries continues to grow steadily, and related markets still need further observation.
The data shows,2020During the strict epidemic control phase of the year, overseas demand surged. At the same time, China took the lead in resuming work and production in an orderly manner, securing a large number of orders and significantly increasing exports;2021As the epidemic improved in the year, foreign epidemic prevention policies were relaxed, and the demand for gloves gradually decreased. The market is in a stage of digesting inventory, with fewer new orders and exports starting to decline;2022The industry began to return to pre-pandemic levels at the beginning of the year, returning to normal;2023As inventory was fully digested, the industry gradually warmed up, with orders steadily increasing slightly.
"Looking at the export sales of disposable gloves in China, the total export amount is in2021yearQ1 quarter"After peaking, affected by factors such as changes in supply and demand relationships, the average selling price of disposable gloves began to decline. Although the total export amount has been significantly adjusted, it has gradually stabilized, and the export market has shown a diversified trend." Cai Yufan said.
"The international situation is volatile, crude oil prices continue to fluctuate downward, and the cost pressure on nitrile gloves has been alleviated." Cai Yufan further explained that, among the costs of nitrile gloves, nitrile latex As the most critical raw material for the production of nitrile gloves, accounting for more than45%Expenditures, most glove manufacturers use external procurement channels, and their price trends directly affect the profits of downstream nitrile gloves; raw materials such as butadiene and acrylonitrile, which are used in the upstream, belong to bulk petrochemical products, and fluctuations in upstream crude oil prices will be transmitted to the glove industry.
fromPVCThe cost of gloves,PVCTotal paste resin and plasticizerPVCGlove costs are nearly50%.PVCThe output of paste resin is about27%Used in glove production, driven by the pandemicPVCDemand for paste resin glove material, drivingPVCThe price of paste resin has dropped back after a significant increase.2022Since [start year], the overall price focus has shifted downward, currently at approximately8,500yuan/tons. withDINP,DOTPThe trend of plasticizers, represented by this indicator, has been stable with a slight increase. Currently, prices have not returned to the levels from two years ago, and overall supply is relatively abundant.
Cai Yufan pointed out that plasticizers inPVCGlove making plays a crucial role,PVCThe essence of resin is hard and brittle, but the addition of plasticizers can change this.PVCThe physical properties of resin make it soft and elastic, facilitating its processing into glove materials.
atPVCIn glove manufacturing, the type, amount added, and usage method of plasticizers have a significant impact on the performance, appearance, and service life of gloves. If used improperly, they can lead to problems such as material deformation, aging, and cracking, affecting the service life and safety performance of the gloves. Therefore, manufacturers need to select appropriate plasticizer types and amounts based on different glove uses and requirements to ensure that the quality and safety performance of the gloves meet the standards.
since2003Since the beginning of the year, countries and regions such as the EU and the US have begun to restrict the use of phthalates, mainly in areas such as children's toys, medical supplies, food contact materials, and cosmetics. As the scope of phthalate plasticizers is expanded, the demand for environmentally friendly plasticizers will continue to grow. Cai Yufan believes that the environmental friendliness of plasticizer products will become an important development trend in the industry in the future.
