Worth Reading (updated July 12, 2016)
Revolutionary Trend that redefines the future of Textile Industry; Latest Insights 2016 – 2024
The manufacturers of waterproof textiles are currently aiming at the creation of a light and thin waterproof material, which offers insulation, wind and waterproofing. While traditional waterproof textiles were composed of two layers, and a third layer as a liner to improve resilience, the new approach is to create single-layered waterproof textile. This is because the inclusion of three layers makes the fabric heavy. Manufacturers are devising different techniques to make waterproof textiles light weight by making them single layered. This trend is expected to impact the future of the global waterproof textiles market
Another trend that will capture the global waterproof textiles market in the future is the use of recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in the manufacturing of these textiles. Conceived as an initiative to fight environmental pollution owing to the high use of plastics, recycled PET bottles are used to produce polyester fibre, which is then used to manufacture waterproof textiles. The eco-friendly nature of these textiles will appeal to an expanding segment of the urban society that possess an increased awareness about environmental conservation. This will propel the global waterproof textiles market
These are the first findings of a new commercially available report by Transparency Market Research. Download or get Competitive outlook Analysis and Customized Research Report PDF here
www.transparencymarketresearch.com
INDA Annual Report benchmarks North American nonwoven capacity, production and trade
INDA, the Association of the Nonwovens Fabrics Industry, publishes the third edition of the annual North American Nonwovens Supply Report for its members
The commercially available report provides a view of North American supply, including the key metrics of capacity, production and operating rates, in addition to regional trade. The 51-page report offers 12 tables and 25 figures.
“This report is the benchmark for North American capacity, production, and supply information. It brings the clearest view available of the all-important supply/demand balance in the major nonwoven process categories. This is the only report we are aware of that publishes an industry operating rate; an essential element for our members’ strategic planning and business decisions,” said Dave Rousse, INDA President.
The report — and the INDA Quarterly Market Pulse and monthly Price Trends Summary — are provided to the 360-plus INDA member companies and associates as part of their membership.
New findings
From 1990 to 2015, North American nonwovens capacity has increased an average of 5.4 % per year, outpacing U.S. real GDP, which grew at 2.4 % per year over the same period. During this time the industry has more than quadrupled in size, adding over two million tonnes.
In 2015, North America’s nonwoven capacity increased to 2.98 million tonnes, (2.7 % annual growth compared to the previous year’s growth of 1.2 %). Suppressed investments due to the Great Recession, (2007 through 2009), subdued capacity growth through the end of 2014, producing a minimal additional 110000 tonnes in North America, at an annual increase of 1.3 %. “It appears accelerated growth in North American nonwoven capacity investments will continue through the next few years,” said Brad Kalil, Director of Market Research and Statistics, INDA.
Imports and exports are an important consideration in supply. North America receives imports (294000 tonnes) comparable to ten percent of the region’s capacity; while exporting 163000 tonnes. Contrary to industry assumptions, imports from overseas into North America are not substantial, accounting for — on a net/net basis — just 4 % of the regions nonwoven capacity.
“It is INDA’s objective to continue to provide and improve the quality of data and industry information. I continue to be pleased with the increasing participation of nonwoven producers completing the survey and our ability to identify new or previously unreported nonwovens capacity,” said Kalil.
INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, serves hundreds of member companies in the nonwovens/engineered fabrics industry in global commerce. Since 1968, INDA events have helped members connect, learn, innovate, and develop their businesses. INDA educational courses, market data, test methods, consultancy, and issue advocacy help members succeed by providing them the information they need to better plan and execute their business strategies. For more information, visit www.inda.org , or download the INDA mobile app for immediate updates.
Global Textile Composites Consumption Industry Future Trend & Analysis
The Global Textile Composites Consumption 2016 Market Research Report by US Research N is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Textile Composites market
First, the report provides a basic overview of the Textile Composites industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. And development policies and plans are discussed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures.
Secondly, the report states the global Textile Composites market size (volume and value), and the segment markets by regions, types, applications and companies are also discussed. Third, the Textile Composites market analysis is provided for major regions including USA, Europe, China and Japan, and other regions can be added. For each region, market size and end users are analyzed as well as segment markets by types, applications and companies.
Then, the report focuses on global major leading industry players with information such as company profiles, product picture and specifications, sales, market share and contact information. What?s more, the Textile Composites industry development trends and marketing channels are analyzed.
Finally, the feasibility of new investment projects is assessed, and overall research conclusions are offered.
OECD Quarterly International Trade Statistics, Volume 2016 Issue 1
This reliable and up-to-date source of statistics on exports and imports of OECD countries provides a detailed insight into the most recent trends in trading patterns for OECD countries with the rest of the world. Data are broken down by economic groupings, by country and by region.
The series shown cover data for the last eight quarters and two years available. This quarterly publication is divided into three parts: I. International trade and the current account, II. International merchandise trade by partner country and III. International trade by enterprise characteristics.
The commercially available publication can be ordered or read as pdf or country parts of the report here
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WTO World Trade Organisation launches new World Trade Outlook Indicator
The WTO has launched a new World Trade Outlook Indicator (WTOI) designed to provide “real time” information on trends in global trade. The WTOI was unveiled in Shanghai, China on 8 July, 2016, ahead of a meeting of G20 trade ministers
Combining a variety of trade-related indices, the WTOI is designed to give an early signal of the current direction of world trade and where it is likely to go in the near future. In this way the WTOI should signal turning points in world merchandise trade volume. It complements existing tools such as the WTO’s longer-term trade forecasts, and other statistical releases.
The WTOI gives a headline figure to show performance against trend. A reading of 100 would indicate trade growth in line with recent trends, a reading greater than 100 would suggest above trend growth, while a reading below 100 indicates below trend growth. The WTOI will be updated on a quarterly basis.
Latest data suggest trade growth to remain sluggish into the third quarter.
For the current period, the WTOI came in slightly below trend, with a reading of 99.0, and with a downward tendency in the most recent data, signalling that trade growth will continue to be sluggish in July and August.
WTO Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said:
“In serving as a quarterly signal of current and short-term trade conditions, the World Trade Outlook Indicator responds to strong interest from policymakers and the business community for more immediate, real time information on trade and trading conditions. The WTOI should provide an early signal if trade is likely to slow or accelerate in the near future. At present it suggests that trade growth will remain weak into the third quarter of 2016.”
The reading was slightly more positive than that for merchandise trade, which declined in the first quarter 2016, as noted in the WTO’s recent quarterly trade statistics. The WTOI therefore suggests that world merchandise trade may rebound in the second quarter, but that the underlying weakness will persist into the third quarter.
Components of the WTOI give a mixed picture. Export orders in leading traders have rebounded above trend and continue to pick up. Meanwhile, international air freight data from IATA and container throughput data from major seaports remain weak but show signs of stabilizing. Automobile sales and production have fallen back to trend after rising sharply earlier in the year. Electronic components trade has dipped sharply and is losing momentum, while trade in agricultural raw materials trade has picked up.
The full World Trade Outlook Indicator is available here.
The WTO’s approach in calculating the WTOI is similar to that used in other composite leading indicators (CLIs) and purchasing managers’ indices (PMIs), except that it focuses on six key trade-related indices:
- Export orders reported by central banks and national statistics agencies in leading manufacturing economies;
- International freight tonne kilometres reported by the International Air Transport Association (IATA);
- Total container throughput from a dozen major shipping ports, in twenty-foot equivalent (TEU) units;
- Automotive vehicle sales and/or production figures in major markets;
- Customs data on electronic components trade, in physical units; and
- Customs data on trade flows for agricultural raw materials.
The WTOI uses a technique that separates high frequency fluctuations from the general tendency of a data series to produce a smoothed trend. All data in the WTOI are of monthly frequency and are seasonally adjusted and rebased to 100.
Further details on the methodology are contained in this technical note
Chinese Calcium Carbonate Industry reshapes and continues to fuel global demand
Global demand for ground calcium carbonate (GCC) is growing, driven by the paper industry in China, where use of filler grade calcium carbonate is forecast to grow by an average of 1.9%py to 2020. The paper and plastics industries are the largest markets, accounting for around 39% and 27% respectively of estimated global consumption in 2015
In 2015, consumption in paper slowed to its lowest level for two decades as increases in Asian production were offset by declines elsewhere. Paper loadings also tend to be higher in China because of the use of the most modern production technologies. In China, paper loadings of 40-50% are common and in some mills can be 55% or higher. The China Paper-Making Industry Association has reported a clear trend towards greater use of calcium carbonate at the expense of kaolin or other filler minerals because of its availability and lower price.
The plastics industry mainly uses calcium carbonate in rigid PVC as a filler. PVC use depends on the level of construction activity, which until recently has been concentrated in China. Construction activity in North America continues to recover but European levels are generally static at best. In paint, calcium carbonate is the main extender mineral used to reduce consumption of higher cost pigments, such as titanium dioxide. The most important market is in architectural coatings, use of which is again closely related to activity in construction, particularly housing. GCC is more commonly used than precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC) because of its lower price and greater availability, with the exception of China. The two other major end uses comprise rubber and adhesives/sealants, which are concentrated in Asia.
GCC and PCC capacity is estimated to exceed 115million t, of which over 80 % is GCC. This also includes at least 5Mtpy of undifferentiated capacity located mostly in China. GCC capacity is highest in China, followed by the USA, Spain, and Norway. Around 60 % of PCC capacity is sited in China with another 12 % in the USA. A high proportion of PCC capacity is located at satellite plants supplying paper mills.
Twelve companies control around half of global capacity, with the three leading producers (Omya, Imerys and MTI) together controlling over 40% of GCC capacity and over 35% of PCC capacity. Omya of Switzerland operates over 100 plants with both GCC and PCC capacity. MTI of the USA, which developed PCC satellite plant technology, is the largest producer of PCC worldwide, also has substantial GCC capacity in the USA. Nearly all MTI’s PCC capacity is operated on a satellite basis through joint ventures with paper mills.
The Chinese calcium carbonate industry has traditionally comprised a very large number of small-scale producers. The industry is undergoing rationalisation and all plants with capacity of over 20000 t were to be closed during the 12th Five Year Plan of 2010 to 2015 to raise productivity and reduce pollution. Hundreds of producers remain in operation.
Overall calcium carbonate production in China rose to 27million t in 2015 when GCC accounted nearly 60 % of the total. GCC production did not really start in large volumes in China until the 1990s but its share of total calcium carbonate output is forecast to rise to over 70 % by 2020. The use of PCC was historically higher in China than elsewhere as GCC only became widely available over the last 20 years.
Calcium carbonate tends to be a low-value and high-bulk commodity, which tends to makes shipment over long distances uneconomic. The majority of GCC trade takes place within Europe and is chiefly paper grade slurry from Norway. The amount of PCC traded internationally is much smaller than that of GCC because over 40 % of capacity is located at satellite plants. Some higher value PCC grades are shipped worldwide as they can absorb higher freight rates. Marble and limestone chippings for GCC production are also shipped internationally, often between operations of the major multinational producers. A high proportion of this is also within Europe but material from Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam is shipped to China and Japan.
Quoted GCC prices are related to particle size, colour, chemical purity and surface treatment of the raw material. PCC prices tend to be higher than those for similar grades of GCC because of higher production costs. Higher grade products, such as nano or pharmaceutical grades, command a substantial price premium. Paper grade PCC prices tend to show little change as consumers have long-term supply contracts.
Going forward, China will continue to dominate growth in demand for GCC, while its domestic industry reshapes in terms of consolidation and supply. PCC will continue to play an important role in the paper and plastics industries, linked in many cases by adjacent satellite mills and utilised for specific characteristics.
Roskill released its new Ground & Precipitated Calcium Carbonate report with forecasts to 2020 in June 2016. It is essential reading for anyone looking for a comprehensive overview of the industry.
Ground & Precipitated Calcium Carbonate: Global Industry, Markets & Outlook, 2nd Edition, 2016 is now commercially available by clicking on the link below.