Polyalkylene Glycol Market Size By Product (Polyethylene Glycol [PEG], Polypropylene Glycol [PPG]), By Application (Polyurethane Foam, Functional Fluids, Lubricants, Personal Care, Pharmaceuticals, Surface Active Agents), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2017 – 2024

Polyalkylene Glycol Market Size

Polyalkylene Glycol Market size was more than USD 8 billion in 2016 and will witness 11% growth over the projected timespan.      
 

Robust demand for polyurethane (PU) foam has been a major factor influencing the polyalkylene glycol (PAG) demand for the past few years. This is primarily due to widespread PU foam applications across various end-user industries including furniture, automobiles, sculpture, decoration, building & construction, electronic, adhesives, and footwear. For instance, construction industry is rapidly growing primarily in the emerging economies and is anticipated to reach over USD 15 trillion by 2024. This in turn will boost demand for PU foams and will subsequently have positive impact on polyalkylene glycol market size over the projected timespan.
 

Escalating lubricants demand in automobile industry has been stimulating the polyalkylene glycol market size in the recent years. Increasing complexities in the automobile engines is likely to have a significant influence on the polyalkylene glycol market size during the forecast period. Moreover, adoption of promotional campaigns for synthetic automotive crankcase and gear oils by lubricant manufacturers has been a major driving force for the strong growth of lubricants in the automotive sector. This in turn will propel the overall polyalkylene glycol market size by 2024.
 

Volatility in crude oil prices is likely to impede the overall polyalkylene glycol market size during the forecast period. This is due to the fact that the product is derived from petroleum feedstock such as ethylene oxide and propylene oxide and is dependent on the supply and prices of crude oil. In addition, factors such as civil unrest in the Middle East and embargo in Iran led to the disruption of crude oil supply. This, in turn, has affected the petrochemical prices which is likely to hinder polyalkylene glycol market size in the coming years. However, increasing product application scope in personal care and pharmaceuticals industry is likely to generate plentiful opportunities for polyalkylene glycol market size by 2024.
 

Polyalkylene Glycol Market Analysis

Polypropylene glycol (PPG) attained the highest polyalkylene glycol market share in 2016. PU foam is one of the key consumers of PPG as it is used in manufacturing variety of foams such as rigid, spray and flexible. In addition, it is widely used in automotive and aviation industry as a lubricant and in deicing agent formulations. Henceforth, strong PU foam and lubricant demand across the globe will positively impact on the business growth by 2024.
 

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is likely to grow at a healthy CAGR over the projected timespan. This is due to its versatile characteristics making it desirable for widespread application across industries including automotive, chemical, pharmaceutical, personal care, and plastics. In addition, PEG is also used in lubricant formulations and functional fluids in automotive, aerospace, machinery, and refrigeration industries.
 

Polyurethane (PU) foam segment attained the highest market size and was valued over USD 3 billion in 2016. This is due to the extensive PU foam application across construction, refrigeration, automotive, and aerospace industry. Rapidly growing aforementioned industries are likely to make significant contribution towards polyalkylene glycol market size by 2024. For instance, automobile industry is propelling and is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 4% over the forecast timespan.
 

Lubricant is another prominent application segment which is projected to grow at over 10.5% CAGR by 2024. This is attributed to superior performance imparted by PAG based lubricants which helps in attaining high performance in ace car engines, aircraft, marine applications, and automotive applications in extreme conditions. In addition, they are preferred over prevailing counterparts owing to their eco-friendly nature.
 

Asia Pacific led the overall polyalkylene glycol market size and was valued close to USD 3 billion in 2016. This is attributed to high PU foam demand across various end-user industries including construction, automotive and aerospace. Growing population along with rapid industrialization and urbanization has led to strong growth in the construction industry which will boost demand for PU foam and will consequently drive the industry growth by 2024. Moreover, increased consumer spending power in the region has resulted in improved lifestyle dynamics. This will in turn boost demand for personal care products, personal luxurious vehicles, etc.
 

North America is also making prominent contribution towards polyalkylene glycol market size and is expected to grow with more than 11% CAGR in the coming years. This is attributed to prevalence of substantial PU foam and lubricants demand in the U.S. In addition, well established pharmaceuticals industry primarily in the U.S. will also make significant contribution in stimulating the regional industry growth by 2024.
 

Polyalkylene Glycol Market Share

Key polyalkylene glycol market share contributors are:

• BASF SE
• The Dow Chemical Company
• Ineos Group AG
• Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC)
• LyondellBasell Industries
• DuPont
• Royal Dutch Shell
• Bayer AG
• Repsol Group
• Clariant International.

In addition, these major companies accounted for more than half of the polyalkylene glycol market share in 2016.
 

Major product manufacturers are investing heavily in the expansion and development to attain competitive advantage in the business. For instance, in 2014, BASF SE announced inauguration of a new manufacturing facility of PAG based lubricants at its Ludwigshafen Verbund site in Germany. The new facility will have complete access to key raw materials including ethylene oxide and propylene oxide through backward integration with the company’s raw material manufacturing facilities located at Ludwigshafen, Germany.
 

Industry Background

PAG has application across various end-user industries including construction, automotive, personal care, refrigeration and aerospace. Rapidly growing construction, personal care and pharmaceutical industry primarily in the Asia Pacific is making significant contribution towards polyalkylene glycol market size in the recent years.
 

In addition, technological advancement owing to increasing R&D investment has led to development of complex engine designs which will drive lubricants demand in North America and Europe in the coming years. In addition, PAG based lubricants are be preferred over conventional lubricants owing to its eco-friendly nature which in turn will stimulate boost the industry over the projected timeframe.