World Industrial Rubber Products

World demand to rise 5.8% annually through 2016
The global market for industrial rubber products is projected to increase 5.8 percent per year to $139.8 billion in 2016, accelerating from the growth rate during the 2006-2011 period. Demand gains will be fueled by growth in key original equipment manufacturing (OEM) markets, particularly motor vehicles. In addition, the worldwide motor vehicle park will grow at a faster pace as income levels rise, supporting aftermarket demand for industrial rubber products.

Industrial equipment to remain largest segment
The motor vehicle market is forecast to post the strongest gains through 2016, reflecting a turnaround in light vehicle production, bolstering OEM sales of industrial rubber products. However, the industrial equipment market, which includes industrial machinery and equipment as well as off-road vehicles, is expected to remain the largest segment of the industrial rubber product market through 2016. Growth in this segment will be supported by increasing industrial manufacturing activity, as well as by rising demand for heavy industrial equipment such as construction and mining machinery.

Mechanical rubber goods -- which include such products as body seals, vibration control devices and wiper blades -- are expected to remain by far the largest product segment through 2016. Because these products are employed heavily in motor vehicles, segment growth will be largely attributable to an acceleration in global automotive output. However, rubber belts and hoses will see the fastest gains of any product segment during that span, bolstered by a better outlook for pricing relative to mechanical goods.

Asia/Pacific to solidify its status as dominant region
The Asia/Pacific region, which represented 44 percent of the global market for industrial rubber products in 2011, is forecast to post the fastest gains of any region through 2016. Gains in regional demand will be fueled by ongoing industrialization efforts and rising personal income levels, which will support manufacturing output in a range of industries, from construction machinery to household appliances.

India is expected to register the strongest growth of any country worldwide through 2016, outpacing even China. However, China will have the most growth in absolute terms, accounting for 42 percent of all additional sales generated through 2016. Several lower-volume markets, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, are forecast to register healthy gains as a result of increased manufacturing activity. Advances in Central and South America and the Africa/Mideast region are expected to outpace the global average, though those regions will continue to represent a modest share of the global market.

The US industrial rubber product market, second largest in the world behind China, will experience a rebound in demand due to an improved manufacturing climate. Western Europe and Japan will see modest increases, in large part because those markets have already reached a mature level. Nevertheless, because of the advanced industrial and technological nature of their economies, intensity of product use in those areas will remain among the highest in the world.

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