AMI Market Intelligence has released a new report on polyethylene (PE) markets in the Middle East & Africa (MEA). This report offers industry stakeholders and investors a comprehensive analysis of the market dynamics and competitive factors that are influencing the future of PE use in the region.
The report investigates historic, current and future PE usage over the ten year period 2019-2029, through a bottom-up approach of interviews with hundreds of plastics processors and suppliers across the region, covering the whole range of processes which use PE, including film extrusion, blow moulding, injection moulding, pipe extrusion, cable/wire extrusion, roto-moulding and others.
The demand for PE in blow moulding in the MEA region is buoyant, thanks to burgeoning consumption of packaged consumer products such as beverages, liquid food products, household cleaning and personal care. The fastest future growth is anticipated in Africa, where many countries have very low per capita consumption today, and with societies striving for a higher standard of living. Within blow moulding, small containers of <5L are exhibiting robust demand, thanks to the lower price point making them accessible to more of the population.
Across MEA a construction boom has resulted in strong demand for PE cables. As well as investment in infrastructure across the Middle East, significant rebuilding is underway in countries such as Syria and Iraq. AMI’s report segments the market by power cables, telecom cables and other cables/wires, with key findings indicating that power cables dominate in volume terms, although telecom and niche cable applications are also growing strongly. PVC use in cables remains important but volumes are being eroded by other polymers, including PE. The report highlights local and regional companies as well as international players operating in the sector, with trends separated in both Africa and the Middle East sub-regions, where drivers of change are different.
Film extrusion accounts for some 47% of PE usage in the region. Within film extrusion, healthy growth in PE demand is seen across multiple end-use applications. Collation shrink film is set to continue steady growth, thanks to a rise in consumption of packaged beverages and food, spurred by developing modern retail and improving logistics in Africa, and increased on-the-go occasions in the Middle East.
Barrier films are another end-use application where good volume growth is forecast. This stems from the desire in the MEA for a wider variety of food products and the need for sophisticated films to safely deliver these under challenging logistical and climatic conditions to a growing tranche of society.
Heavy duty sacks show the highest rate of growth within the PE film extrusion process, driven by a trend to smaller and more flexible ordering patterns of raw materials and building products in the region. Future opportunity also exists in liquid food packaging, including pouches and bag-in-box, with growth in demand of just under 5% forecast across the region.
The report is based on a bottom-up approach, with the AMI team conducting hundreds of interviews with plastics processors and suppliers operating in the region, to form a robust and accurate understanding of PE use across all processes.