IAL Consultants published its new report, Overviewof the European Sealants Market. Taking into account the 15 countries of Western Europe and eight countries of Eastern Europe, the total demand for sealants is estimated at approximately 533,860 tons in 2012. The market is relatively stable, showing a slight growth rate of 1.5 percent p.a. over the forecast period to 2017. More than half of the market is shared by silicones and polyurethanes. Silicones occupy almost 40 percent of the market, followed by polyurethanes with almost 17 percent share. The third largest product group is acrylics with 10 percent of the total demand.

The market demand for sealants is related directly to the situation in the
construction industry. Construction of new buildings and the amount of
renovation works are forecast to grow at similar slow rates from 0.3 to 0.6 percent
p.a. over the next few years in the regions of both Western and Eastern
Europe. The new residential construction is increasing faster than residential
renovation, and the situation is reversed for non-residential construction.

High growth in construction activity has been identified for the Austrian,
German, Dutch, Romanian, Russian and Turkish markets. Among the
declining markets are the Irish, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, UK, Czech,
Hungarian, Slovakian and Slovenian markets. Other country markets are
stable or show little growth.

The situation in the demand for glazing sealants depends largely on the
status of the construction industries. One of the main drivers of the market
for glazing sealants is new European regulations on creating energy efficiency
in buildings (EU Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD)). The
regulations have had a particular impact on renovation and refurbishment
projects.

Commonly window manufacturers use butyls as primary sealants, and
polysulphides, polyurethanes and silicones as secondary sealants.
Percentage-wise, consumption of these technologies varies from region to
region. All of these technologies are predicted to grow over the forecast
period. The highest growing product in this segment is hot-melt butyl
sealants.

The market segment of sealants for general transport applications is forecast
to remain stable. 2012 was denoted by falling car production in both Western
and Eastern Europe. The second important reason underpinning the relative
flatness of the market is that the major car manufacturers are trying to
reduce costs, which implies improving efficiency in the application of
sealants.

DIY applications remain a growth market, although overall growth in this
application is forecast to slow to about 1.7 percent p.a. Growth has slowed in the
UK, Spain, Switzerland and other countries, and the DIY market is still
relatively small in other country markets.

Consumption of sealants in Western and Eastern Europe is affected by
European regulations including norms on the usage of products containing
isocyanates and their labelling, and standards for sealed unit manufacture.
The general trend towards reduction of vehicle weight allowing for reduction
in fuel consumption is also related to environmental legislation. Nowadays,
customers tend to look for products which are environmentally-friendlier and
“greener”.

MS Polymers and hybrid production is becoming more and more optimised,
so that manufacturers can achieve performance specifications closer to the
replaceable PU sealants. MS Polymers’ share is growing due to a number of
benefits that they possess. Over time, they have taken some of the market
share from PU sealants. However, they will not replace PU sealants to a high
extent. The highest growth in demand for these sealants is forecast for
transport applications.