K Fair ’16: Automobiles steal the show

William Lemos

21-Oct-2016

DUSSELDORF (ICIS)–The automotive sector was in the spotlight at K Fair in Dusseldorf on Friday, with several chemical producers displaying prototypes and actual vehicles featuring plastic as a key raw material.

Chemical makers expect the automotive sector to become an even larger market for its products in the years ahead as automakers strive to make lighter vehicles to meet stricter emissions standards.

This trend will not stop and the technology to increase the amount of plastics in automobiles is already in place, said Maurizio Butti, chief executive of Songwon, a South Korean specialty chemicals maker.

Songwon showcased its products at K Fair, including some thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) resins which it said was designed to improve performance in a range of products from cables and wires to automotive components.

Automobiles will be made mostly from plastic in the future, Butti said, adding that perhaps only components like the engine and transmission would continue to use metal.

The executive expects the polymers stabilisers the South Korean company manufactures to play a key role in increasing the amount of plastic that is used to make cars.

Automobiles, including a lorry, were displayed prominently in the stands of several chemical companies at K Fair, including LG Chem, Covestro and SABIC.

SABIC had a large Scania lorry fitted with parts made with its Xenoy CL100S resin parked at the front of its stand.

The resin, which was developed to obtain good low temperature impact strength, is particularly suited for unpainted exterior automotive body components, according to the company.

K Fair, the world’s largest plastic show, is held every three years in Dusseldorf. The event opened on Wednesday and runs through 26 October.

The automotive industry is a major global consumer of petrochemicals which contributes more than a third of the raw material costs of an average vehicle. ICIS tracks the movement of petrochemical raw material costs in auto production both globally and regionally with the weighted ICIS Basket of Automotive Petrochemicals (IBAP).

ICIS produces a monthly Global Automotive report covering the major automotive chemicals markets, the auto-industry, the IBAPs and macroeconomic trends. For more information on the report and details on how to subscribe, please click here

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