CEH Report

Table of Contents

Abstract

Copolyester-ether (COPE) elastomers outperform most other thermoplastic elastomers, especially in their resilience, and their properties approximate those of vulcanized elastomers. They combine such features as excellent tensile and tear strength, flex life and abrasion resistance. Electrical properties are good and resistance to fuels, oils and chemicals is high.

The market for copolyester-ether elastomers suffered during the recession of 2008–2009, especially in automotive end uses. Other applications declined less and medical applications were quite resilient during the crisis. In 2011, the world economy has slowed considerably compared with 2010. Growth is projected to slow further in 2011.

Copolyester-ether elastomer production and consumption are concentrated predominantly in the United States, Europe and Japan, with China accounting for a large share of consumption also. The fastest growing market is in Asia (excluding Japan), where demand is forecast to continue to grow at a rate of 7–9% per year through 2016. Europe is the largest net exporter of COPE.

The following pie chart shows world consumption of copolyester-ether elastomers:

COPE elastomers are used predominantly in automotive, hose and tubing, medical, and wire and cable applications. Consumption of COPE elastomers in the United States is fairly mature and is expected to grow at a rate of 2–3% per year during 2011–2016. In Europe, consumption is projected to grow at an average annual rate of 3–4%. Under-the-hood automotive applications, where there is an increasing need to meet higher temperature requirements, will drive this growth. In Japan, where growth in consumption is related to automotive applications, growth will average 2–3% per year from 2011 to 2016. Japanese domestic demand was down in 2011, since parts of the industry had to shut down following the earthquake and tsunami in 2011 and several weeks to months elapsed before they could be restarted.

In China, consumption is forecast to grow at an average annual rate of 9–10%, driven by increasing use in automotive, hose and tubing, and wire and cable applications. Overall, average annual growth in COPE elastomer consumption is forecast at 4–5% globally during 2011–2016.