Market Trends of Talc Industry
Plastic and Rubber Industry to Dominate the Market
- Talc imparts a variety of benefits to polypropylene, such as higher stiffness and improved dimensional stability.
- It is mainly used as a filler in plastics and acts as an absorbent and anti-caking agent during production. The plate shape of talc particles increases the hardness of products such as polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, vinyl, and polyester. It also increases heat resistance and reduces shrinkage.
- Talc is the most commonly used additive, modifier, or filler in a variety of industries, including chemicals, plastics, and rubber. It can significantly improve the tensile strength of plastic products, impact properties, heat resistance, creep resistance, tear resistance, etc.
- According to Plastics Europe, about two-thirds of Europe’s plastics demand is concentrated in five countries, including 25.4% in Germany, 14.3% in Italy, 9.7% in France, 7.6% in the United Kingdom, and 7.5% in Spain, according to Plastics Europe.
- The major companies operating in the European plastic market are more inclined towards strategic business development to expand their geographical presence. For instance, in June 2022, Linde Engineering was selected by Slovnaft – a member company of MOL Group, to conduct a revamp of a polypropylene plant in Slovakia. This revamped the plant capacity of polypropylene per year by 18% to around 300 kilotons, and the storage facility expanded from 45 to 61 silos.
- In December 2022, Exxon Mobil Corporation started a new manufacturing facility for polypropylene in Baton Rouge, the capital of Louisiana. This plant can produce 450,000 MT/year of polypropylene. Further, Formosa Plastics Corporation, in the United States, is constructing a new manufacturing facility for polypropylene in Point Comfort, Texas in the United States. Upon completion in 2024, this plant will produce 100,000 tonnes of Alpha olefins to manufacture high-density polyethylene (HDPE). 63,000 tonnes of Alpha olefins would be used by the company while the remaining 37,000 tonnes would be sold internationally.
- The usage of plastic in Indonesia is increasing since the e-commerce industry requires packaging. FMCG companies, including Wilmar Group, Mayora, and Indofood, have established integrated packaging production units in Indonesia. Exxon Mobil is also investing in the Indonesian plastic industry. It signed a memorandum of understanding with PT Indomobil Prima Energi (IPE), in November 2022, regarding the application of advanced plastic recycling technology on a large scale in Indonesia.
- Hence, such expansion projects carried out by various companies in the industry are likely to drive the market growth during the forecast period.
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Asia-Pacific Region to Dominate the Market
- The Asia-Pacific region dominated the global market share with the growing demand from the countries such as China, India, and Japan.
- China is one of the major consumers of talc in the Asia-Pacific region. The country uses talc in a wide range of industries, such as ceramics, food and beverage, pulp and paper, and others. According to the data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the country witnessed increase in its beverage production by 6 percent year-on-year, reaching 44.35 million tons during Q1 2023.
- Also, China is the leading producer and consumer of ceramics worldwide. It is one of the largest producers of ceramic tiles in the world and has produced around 8.47 billion square meters of ceramic tiles. The fierce competition in the domestic and export markets forces ceramic producers to improve their production process and product quality in the region.
- India is one of the few countries with white talc reserves. The deposits of talc are found throughout the country. Most of the white talc produced is consumed in the country itself.
- In India, most of the commercial production of talc comes from Rajasthan. The two leading talc producers in the country (Golcha Group and Golcha Associated) are based in Jaipur, Rajasthan, catering cosmetics and polymer industry with talc of superior grades.
- The Indian plastic industry market is one of the country's most important economic sectors. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation, the total value of plastics exported between April and September 2022 was USD 6.38 billion.
- Furthermore, China has a huge plastics market that requires a high supply of talc to function. In China, talc is found in 15 provinces, with Liaoning, Shandong, Guangxi, Jiangxi, and Qinghai as the prominent areas that account for more than 90% of the total reserves.
- All these factors, in turn, are expected to drive the demand for talc in the region during the forecast period.
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