Global styrenic polymers market for medical to expand at a CAGR of 6.5% till end of decade

24-Feb-15

The global styrenic polymers market for medical styrenics is likely to expand at a CAGR of 6.5% from 2014 to 2020, as per Research and Markets. Styrenic polymers offer several desirable product characteristics to cater to the diverse requirements of the medical industry. Styrenic materials can be processed to be rigid as well as flexible, as per end-user requirements. Owing to its flexibility, styrenic polymers offer unique advantages in design and development of medical devices and parts. Properties such as chemical inertness, unique bonding polarity, and physical and aesthetic properties boost the styrenic polymers market in medical applications. However, styrenic polymers are higher priced compared to other medical polymers such as polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and polyethylene (PE). This hampers the market from achieving higher growth, especially in price sensitive markets, to some extent. North America accounted for the largest market share (39.9%) of styrenic polymers for medical applications in 2013. The styrenic polymers market for medical applications in North America was followed by Asia Pacific and Europe in 2013. Asia Pacific is likely to record the fastest growth in the global market for medical styrenics during the forecast period. Rapid increase in the geriatric population across the world coupled with constant improvement and innovation in the medical industry is projected to provide ample opportunity for the growth of styrenic polymers market for medical applications. The global styrenic polymers market for medical applications is moderately concentrated in nature. Major companies operating in the market include Styrolution Group GmbH, Saudi Basic Industries Corporation, Chi Mei Corporation, LG Chem Ltd. and Kraton Polymers.