Important raw materials for tires: rubber additives are hard to find in the market
“Give me some goods, give me some goods, we will also take away 1 ton.”
“It used to be that the tire company was the boss, and the additive companies were ‘bullied’. It’s different now. As long as there is a quotation for additives, the tire company will directly reply ‘OK, as long as it’s in stock!’”
“Have you ever seen the top leaders of tire companies come to the additive factory to look for goods in person? In the past, it was difficult for us to meet the purchasing director of the tire factory. Now when the top leaders come, they have to queue up and wait for the goods. There is really no inventory…”
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On October 27, when reporters from China Chemical News communicated with people from rubber additive companies and tire companies, they could feel the tension in the current market atmosphere from their words.
“Innovation is the first driving force for the development of the industry; ensuring supply to the international and domestic markets is the current top priority for the industry, and we must attach great importance to it.” Xu Chunhua, honorary chairman of the Rubber Additives Professional Committee of the China Rubber Industry Association, held the meeting that day At the 17th National Rubber Industry New Materials Technology Forum and the 2017 Rubber Additives Professional Committee Member Conference, innovation and supply guarantee were the opening topics, which also shows the seriousness of the situation.
Downstream users are rushing around to grab goods
Many company leaders reported to reporters that at the beginning of this year, the short-term price of rubber additives rose slightly, and then the long-term contract price followed suit; from May to June, supply began to be tight, and product market prices continued to rise; from August to The supply became even tighter in September. The phenomenon of cash delivery, waiting in line for goods, and asking for goods without long-term contracts gradually spread. Tire companies, pipe and belt companies and other large downstream users have joined the ranks of rushing to stock up on rubber additives. During the RubberTech exhibition in September, the reporter had been wondering why many times he invited additive companies to arrange interviews but failed because the boss of the tire company came to visit. Now it finally became clear.
When the person in charge of the company was chatting with reporters, he did not leave the topic of “guaranteing supply” and “shortage of raw materials.” Due to safety and environmental protection issues, many basic chemical raw material companies have been forced to suspend or limit production. Affected by this, the price of aniline, the main raw material for rubber additives, has increased by 50% in the past two and a half months; from the first quarter to now, the price of dicyclohexylamine has doubled, and the price of carbon disulfide has also increased by 40%.
“Who wants to unload the goods at night, but now that the goods are available, we have to unload them quickly. It’s difficult to buy materials!”
“It’s been a little better in the past few days. In the past few months, raw materials were really tight.”
At lunch, everyone was still sighing.
A decline in output is rare in ten years
“The decline in output has not happened for more than ten years.” Wang Chuanhua, chairman of the Rubber Additives Special Committee of the China Rubber Association, said.
According to statistics from the Rubber Additives Committee of the China Rubber Association, the cumulative total output of member companies from January to August 2017 was 811,000 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 2.1%. Among them, the output of accelerators was approximately 279,000 tons, and the output of antioxidants was approximately 262,000 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 10.9% and 14.4% respectively. The sales revenue of member companies from January to August was 13.5 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 0.5%; the export volume was 230,000 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 3.8%. Public price data shows that the price of rubber accelerators has increased by more than 50% during the year, and the price of antioxidants has also increased by more than 30%.
“The supply is tight, prices have risen in response to the market, and sales revenue has turned from falling to rising year-on-year. Fortunately, there has been new growth in the output of other rubber additives, which has alleviated the tight supply situation to a certain extent, and overall completed’ The task of “stabilizing supply”. In the fourth quarter of this year, if there is no persistent severe haze weather, enterprises in Shandong, Tianjin and other North China regions can guarantee normal production. The total output of rubber additives in 2017 will be more than 1.2 million tons, with an output increase of 5%. The target is within reach. According to the tire industry’s expected output growth of 4%, it is still possible to maintain stable supply during the year.” Chairman Wang Chuanhua made this judgment.
“Downstream companies such as tires and pipes and belts that have long-term strategic cooperation are now in normal supply, but small downstream companies cannot guarantee that. The association has not yet heard complaints and requests for help from large companies, but some downstream companies have People are starting to hoard additives, and the market supply is becoming more tight.” Rubber Additives Special Committee of China Rubber AssociationGao Bo, secretary-general of the association, told reporters.
It is urgent to increase quantity and ensure supply
“China’s rubber additive production accounts for 75% of the world’s output. Now additive companies basically have zero inventory, and large domestic and foreign tire manufacturers are doing everything they can to get supplies. If the supply is cut off, it will definitely cause a chain reaction. At that time, not only It is not only a problem for enterprises, but also a problem for the entire industry. Under special circumstances, we must find ways to ensure a certain inventory and ensure the supply of the rubber additive industry chain!” Xu Chunhua said: “The most fundamental thing is to ensure or even increase production capacity. It is necessary to improve the process and pay close attention to cleaner production. The industry has been promoting cleaner production for more than ten years, so it has not been crushed under the pressure of environmental protection. The 19th National Congress proposed to build a beautiful China, chemical workers must be responsible, and green chemicals must be , Beautiful chemical industry is the eternal pursuit. Although rubber additives have already gone global, if they do not continue to innovate, it will be difficult for the company to operate for a long time. Additives, especially accelerators, must be found from the aspects of process, equipment, testing, especially online monitoring. If there is any gap, improve as soon as possible.”
“To survive, develop, and become stronger, we must innovate, innovate, and innovate again. The first major task of this year’s special committee is to vigorously guide the additive industry to develop towards a higher level of environmental protection. The original production capacity It is necessary to achieve emission standards of ‘three wastes’. Leading and backbone enterprises continue to strengthen environmental protection innovation, improve the ability of healthy and sustainable development of enterprises, seize opportunities, expand production capacity in a timely manner, strengthen and expand enterprises, and improve the industry’s overall ability to ‘stable supply’.”
