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Polycarbonate Pricing Overview

Market Overview

Asia

During the third quarter, the Polycarbonate market received firm support from

all major industries except automobile and transportation which remained

shrouded with uncertainty amid looming demand recovery due to the

pandemic. Polycarbonate exports to Asia were heard registering volume

growth, driven by surging demand for resins used in protective gears post

reopening of several manufacturing sectors. As effects of COVID-19 eased,

suppliers noticed a sharp uptick in the material sourcing compared to previous

quarter. However, supply was largely disrupted due to maintenance

turnarounds, creating potential tightness for the demanded grades, such as

extrusion and optical. The Chinese PC reported healthy gains with automotive

sector gradually picking up post a double-digit fall in Q2. High feedstock prices

further led to unhealthy spreads between BPA and PC for producers. Tracing

the inclining trend, the general-purpose PC resin prices matched USD 1900

per MT levels across the Indian markets during Q3.

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data/polycarbonate-47

North America

Sustained demand for electronics and engineering plastics triggered a sharp

rise in the American PC demand which started facing supply side issues

towards the end of Q3. In September, a major PC producer, Covestro declared

force majeure at its 260 KTPA plant located Texas. The situation was

exacerbated after Hurricane Laura led to further disruptions in the functioning

of production lines. Regional traders found the quarter quite responsive in

terms of demand while the US economy was still struggling to bounce back as

a large population stayed-at-home, keeping most businesses affected.

Commenting upon the pricing delta, margins remained intact with the fall in

automotive offtakes largely offset by the buoyant medical plastics demand.

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Polycarbonate Pricing Overview

Europe

Picking itself up from economic disruptions caused by the COVID-led

slowdown, the PC demand in Europe grew higher in the third quarter, driven by

improved fundamentals in the construction and medical plastics sector.

Russia's overall consumption of PC granules (excluding import-export data

from Belarus) rose in January-October 2020 by 21% year on year. Additionally,

some players reported that export opportunities in Asia were competitively

attractive for European producers while several consuming industries turned

back to operations with the exception of automotive sector, which remained

pressured under the global slowdown. The quarter ended with news of SABIC

and electric utility company Iberdrola entering into a deal to set up the world’s

first large scale Polycarbonate facility in Spain, which would run entirely (100

percent) on renewable energy.

How we can help

ChemAnalyst addresses the key problematic areas and risks associated with

chemical and petrochemical business globally and enables the decision-maker

to make smart choices. It identifies and analyses factors such as geopolitical

risks, environmental risks, raw material availability, supply chain functionality,

disruption in technology and so on. It targets market volatility and ensures

clients navigate through challenges and pitfalls in an efficient and agile

manner. Timeliness and accuracy of data has been the core competency of

ChemAnalyst, benefitting domestic as well as global industry in tuning in to the

real-time data points to execute multi-billion-dollar projects globally.

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Polycarbonate Pricing Overview

Services

Market Analysis

Company-wise installed capacity, production volume and plant operating

efficiency is captured directly from manufacturers. Import and Export volume is

captured from government sources and demand for Acrylonitrile is calculated

considering the production, import, export and inventory-levels on the country

and regional level markets.

Pricing Analysis

Polycarbonate price is correlated with the price trend of crude oil, demand-

supply gap, feedstock Bisphenol-A, with movement across the downstream

industries etc.

Company Profile

Basic details and information on financial performance of leading global

players in the Polycarbonate market is presented in a visually captivating

manner. Expansion plans and the company’s strategy is also captured to

understand the vision and mission of the company to help understand the

areas where companies need to focus more.

News & Deals

Daily updates on industry-specific and product-specific news, exclusive

primary-based news capturing plant shutdowns/outages/closures, capacity

expansions, operating rates, insights on demand-supply situation, awarding of

technology licenses, new product launch and deals specifying mergers and

acquisitions, strategic investments and disinvestments, to help players

capitalize on market opportunity.

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Polycarbonate Pricing Overview

Methodology

ChemAnalyst gathers information through primary research surveys conducted

with various Polycarbonate manufacturers, spread across the domestic and

international market, suppliers and dealers/distributors to gain insights

into value-chains and demand-supply scenario to assess the market

situation. Thorough study of company’s annual reports and secondary sources

such as exhaustive search on credible paid databases, including our internal

database is done to verify the information. All the collected information is

analyzed, evaluated and presented in chronological order to depict a

meaningful and clear picture of the concerned market.

Our dedicated team of industry experts comprehensively monitors and

analyzes various aspects of the Polycarbonate market. The team analyzes

various industrial segments, strategic viewpoints and provides an analysis

of the industry’s performance in the long run. This would enable our clients in

efficiently plan their future investments, mitigate risk, understand the cost

dynamics and strike out a balance amidst market volatility.

Critical examination of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the global

supply chains and shift in demand patterns with change in buying behavior of

consumers across the globe.

Several ongoing development projects across industries are tracked,

followed by the details of major projects in the development stage, which can

positively or negatively influence Global Polycarbonate market.

Pricing is captured through exhaustive primary interviews with domestic and

international manufacturers, traders and importers and customers on weekly,

monthly and yearly basis.

Finally, region-specific markets for Polycarbonate are analyzed and region-

wise demand pattern is tracked.

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Polycarbonate Pricing Overview

About

Polycarbonate, also known as PC resin, is an engineering thermoplastic whose

chemical structure contains carbonate groups. PC resins are lightweight with

glass-like transparency, available in a variety of transparent and opaque colors

and capable of retaining shape even at high or low temperature conditions.

Polycarbonate resins are used in applications where excellent strength, heat

resistance and toughness are required. Generally, these are formulated into

finished parts using injection molding or thermoforming. Polycarbonate (PC)

resins have end-markets in the electrical and electronic, construction, aviation

as well as the automotive industry. Other consumer applications for PC resins

include safety helmets, shields, housing components, water cooler bottles,

sporting goods, aircraft and missile components as well as optical media

storage. Due to its versatile properties, Polycarbonate is also blended with

other engineering plastics to fabricate materials for medical purposes such as

ventilators, tube connectors, thermometers, and anesthesia machines.

Polycarbonate resins are commercially produced either by interfacial and

transesterification or melt processes. In the former, Bisphenol A (BPA) is

phosgenated in an aqueous media of Sodium Bisphenolate using Methylene

Chloride as an organic solvent. In the melt procedure, BPA reacts with diphenyl

carbonate (DPC) in the molten state in the absence of any solvent.