Driven by above-average growth in Asia-Pacific, global demand for plastic pipes will rise at an annual rate of 4.2% to 6 bn metres by 2005. This is the prediction of a study by US market research institute The Freedonia Group Inc. (Cleveland, Ohio; www.freedoniagroup.com).With consumption of 13.4m t/y, plastics will contribute 47% to the global pipe market, the study says.

Based on the increasing number of infrastructure projects in Asia – particularly with regard to water supply and sewage treatment – experts predict a 6.4% per year increase in consumption of plastic pipes in this region. For the Chinese market, the researchers even expect an annual plus of 9%. Over the next few years, the economically strong Asian countries will require not only supply pipes but also cable conduits for telecommunications and pipes for the distribution of natural gas.

According to Freedonia, North America, with an estimated plastics consumption of 2.2 bn metres of pipe by 2005, will continue to be the world´s largest pipe market, followed by western Europe with 1.4 bn metres. The annual growth rate for both economic regions is estimated at 3.1%.

A current study by Phillip Townsend Associates (PTAI, Houston / USA; www.ptai.com) suggests that growth rates of 2.4% in western Europe and 5.4% in central and eastern Europe will lead to an increase in European market volume for thermoplastic pipes from 3.5m t/y in 2000 to 4.1m t/y by 2005. The recent new edition of the guide to the pipe extrusion industry in Europe published by Applied Market Information (AMI, GB-Bristol; www.amiplastics.com) estimates consumption of plastics for thermoplastic pipes of 2.9m t in 2000 and approximately 3.4m t in 2005. In AMI´s definition, the European market is comprised of western Europe and the central European countries of Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) while Townsend´s report includes Bulgaria, Romania, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Russia, the Ukraine and Turkey.

All market researchers agree that over the next years PVC will continue to be the material most widely used for production of plastic pipes; however, their assessment of the effects of increasing competition from other thermoplastic materials differs. Freedonia expects rapid growth in the use of HDPE pipes by 2005 while, due to technological progress, Townsend predicts that PP will become the preferred material, with an annual growth rate of approximately 9%. AMI also sees PE as experiencing above-average growth in particular in small-diameter drainage pipes and – correspondingly – predicts receding rates for PVC. In any case, the prospects for gas pipes made from PEX, as well as for cable distributors and building supply pipes look promising.

Consolidation in the industry continues
According to AMI, the consolidation and restructuring of the European pipe industry will continue indefinitely. This is underlined by the fact that the guide to the industry contains a list of approximately 50 western European pipe extruders fewer than in the first edition, published in 1997. The report was expanded to include numerous central European producers and now includes more than 600 companies, 40% of which belong to the Top 50 global players in this sector. The first ten plastic pipe producers alone account for more than half of the total European output. Despite the fact that concentration in the market for plastic pipes – also compared with other plastics processing industries in Europe – is already very pronounced, the British market researchers still expect more market restructuring for 2002. The tough competition in this particular industry and the slack economic situation in Europe will most likely lead to several changes in the market´s corporate landscape, they believe. With total plastics consumption of approximately 30,000 t/y, Wavin (NL-8000 AD Zwolle; www.wavin.com) is still the undisputed market leader. The other pipe producers with consumption of around 20,000 t/y are Pipelife (NL-1600 AJ Enkhuizen; www.pipelife.com), Uponor (FIN-02110 Espoo; www.uponor.com) and Alphacan (F-78770 La Celle St. Cloud; www.alphacan.com), a company which belongs to TotalFinaElf.

Lead-free stabilisers with good test results
Over the past few years, the use of lead as an additional stabiliser for the production of U-PVC pipes has been drastically reduced. The test programme started by producers of stabilisers, PVC, raw material and pipes in 1996 to promote the use of alternative stabiliser systems such as calcium/zinc, tin or organic materials focused in particular on the long- term behaviour of the lead-free pipes. According to information supplied by the German association for pipe producers, the Kunststoffrohrverband e.V. (KRV, D-53113 Bonn; www.krv.de), more than 1,250 sample pipes were exposed to different temperatures and stress situations to test their stability over a period of up to 100 years. On the basis of these tests, producers were able to guarantee that all stabilisation systems are not hazardous to health. The results are to be confirmed in the series production of pipe producers and the introduction of new generation stabilisers for all standard U-PVC pipe systems to the market will be completed by the beginning of 2006, says KRV.

PE 100+ issues list to guarantee quality and safety
To assure a high-level of quality and safety for products used in the production of PE 100 pressure pipes and fittings, the association PE 100+ (NL-7300 AC Apeldoorn; www.pe100plus.net) has issued a so-called “positive list” showing all PE 100 starting materials which comply with all relevant European (EN) and/or international standards (ISO) and also meet the additional requirements of PE 100+. The list will be valid until 1 June 2002

Book Service: “AMI´s guide to the thermoplastics pipe extrusion industry in Europe” (in several languages), 2001, 2nd edition, 185 pages, DIN A 4, Paperback, EUR 275.00 + postage/VAT: PIE-No. B 45504.