Specialty Chemicals – A Global Market Overview
01 Sep 2011 • by Natalie Aster
The global chemical industry is facing the prospect of a positive future, given the solid economic growth being witnessed in the emerging economies of the world. Recovery in the worldwide chemical industry in 2010 is all set to go into higher gear in 2011 and beyond, with comprehensive increase in volume gains all over. An ongoing economic recovery, coupled with tighter supply/demand balances in major products is expected to bolster profitability even further in coming years that has to potential to lead to a "supercycle" in certain product and geographic areas.
The next couple of years are forecast to witness fast growth in the emerging nations in Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, Emerging Europe and Latin America. Though China, India and Brazil are to be the major growth areas, countries such as Korea, Singapore and Taiwan would also offer noteworthy growth prospects.
The report “Specialty Chemicals – A Global Market Overview” by Industry Experts reviews, analyses and projects the Specialty Chemicals market for global and the regional markets including North America, Europe, Japan, China, Asia-Pacific and Rest of World. The regional markets further analyzed for 4 independent countries across Europe – Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and Rest of Europe.
Report Details:
Specialty Chemicals – A Global Market Overview
Published: August 2011
Pages: 333
Price: USD 3,960.00
Report Sample Abstract
KEY MARKET TRENDS
Flooring Steam Cleaners: The Latest Innovation
Cleaning floors by using the traditional method of mops and buckets has now become outdated with the introduction of flooring steam cleaners, the latest innovation in cleaning technology. Flooring steam cleaners offer the benefit of being environment friendly compared to mops, pails and brooms, and are ideal for use on a variety of floors, including wood, ceramic tiles, and linoleum. Another advantage is that they are free of chemical compounds found in conventional cleaners and even do away with the need of soap. Despite this, steam cleaners are highly effective in removing dirt, scuffmarks, and stains from surfaces.
Providing ease of use, steam cleaners are usually equipped with a washer-friendly cotton cleaning cloth. Since they do not contain any chemicals, steam cleaners are beneficial for young children who come into contact with floors. The steam in these cleaners reaches high temperatures that help in disinfecting the floors and is able to kill germs as well as bacteria.
Other major benefits include:
- Rapid drying;
- Ideal for a range of exhausting surfaces;
- Equipped with sturdy fabric pads;
- Provides sanitization.
These are some of the reasons that more and more people are going in for these flooring steam cleaners.
A Shift towards Eco Friendly Cleaning
Today’s cleaning agents are full of harmful chemicals that are required for removing difficult stains and blemishes. Many stains are such that they cannot be cleaned with regular cleaning tools and methods, thereby requiring strong and even corrosive chemicals. However, these chemicals are a major cause of danger to nature because of the non-environment friendliness. A new trend called eco friendly cleaning has emerged that aims to eradicate or largely decrease the dangers offered by these harmful cleaning chemicals.
Eco Friendly Cleaning: The Concept
Eco friendly cleaning employs methods that prevent harm to nature, and usually includes avoiding products that are toxic to the environment. Instead, emphasis is on the use of products and methods that do not cause pollution or leave behind noxious wastes. Eco friendly cleaning may use products that may not directly affect the environment but the base products, packages and methods could be non- environment friendly.
KEY GLOBAL PLAYERS
THE UNITED STATES: 3M COMPANY
3M Company is a major conglomerate specializing in a variety of fields by offering scores of products that are used in day-to-day activities, ranging from markets as diverse as healthcare and highway safety to office products, abrasives and adhesives. These products and services are primarily utilized in the consumer, commercial, professional, and industrial markets. 3M’s presence spans over 60 countries globally, and the company is the largest supplier of tapes, offering over 900 varieties. The company is also a leading provider of coated abrasives, surface conditioning products, specialty chemicals, roofing granules, repositionable notes, home cleaning sponges and scouring pads, overhead projectors, electrical and electronic products, reflective materials for highway safety, respirators for worker safety, closures for disposable diapers, medical and surgical supplies, and drugdelivery systems and dental products, among others. In the field of specialty additives and chemicals, 3M provides 3M™ Glass Bubbles are hollow glass microspheres offering weight reduction and resin extension, and are chiefly used in aerospace, automotive, construction, explosive, marine and sporting goods applications. These microspheres are fine particles, with a high-strength and thickwalled ceramic composition that provide high-filler loadings, improved flow and resistance to abrasion. These are mainly used in the coating, abrasive and film industries. 3M also offers 3M™ Hollow Ceramic Microspheres that are low density ceramic microspheres that provide weight reduction to molded plastics and sealants. Additional offerings include 3MTM Novec™ Fluorosurfactants, 3M™ Easy Clean Coatings, 3M™ Cosmetic Fluids, and 3M™ Cosmetic Microspheres.
Primary areas of application comprise construction, cosmetics, paints and coatings, oil and gas, transportation and general industry.
KEY BUSINESS TRENDS
June 2011: GEO Specialty Chemicals to acquire U.K. Based Bisomer Monomer Business from BASF
GEO Specialty Chemicals, Inc. has inked an agreement with BASF to acquire the Bisomer monomer business and conventional contact lens business of Cognis UK. The transaction involves a production plant in Hythe, England which manufactures multifunctional methacrylates (MFM), hydroxyl methacrylates, polyalkylene glycols (PAG) and lubricants based on PAG. The deal is expected to be completed in the Q3 of 2011.The deal adds significant business to the paints & coatings business of GEO apart from Global production, and research & development facilities. Hydroxy monomers are mainly used in high-gloss product lacquers, high performance automotive paints and, and industrial finish applications.
PPG acquires South Africa Coatings Company
PPG Industries Inc., manufacturer of coatings and chemicals has acquired the South African distribution firm, Ducol Coatings South Africa Ltd. Ducol is based near Johannesburg in South Africa and has distributed PPG automotive refinishing products right from 2003.The Company will leverage on the excellent distribution networks of Ducol and continue with its track record in performance with sights on future market expansion to tap the potential of this lucrative sector.
May 2011: Akzo Nobel to Establish New Plant in India
Akzo Nobel, a prominent company in the coating and paints segment intends to launch a new manufacturing facility in India with a Rs 250 crore investment, in order to add capacity and achieve its target of generating a turnover of one billion Euros entity by 2015.
The company is searching for locations in Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. Akzo Nobel India Ltd. is its Indian subsidiary and manufactures automotive coatings and surface chemistry products and decorative paints, and offers specialty chemicals and performance coatings through its parent company. The company posted a post-tax profit of Rs 176.6 crore with total revenues touching Rs 1,096.8 crore. In terms of decorative and auto paints it has a current capacity of 80 million litres per annum at different locations like Mohali, Thane and Hyderabad and is working towards increasing the capacity of its Hyderabad plant by four times.
More information can be found in the report “Specialty Chemicals – A Global Market Overview” by Industry Experts.
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