China: Dainichiseika – plastics colorants & masterbatches

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2004
• Weight: 41 KB
• Volume: 2004
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0969-6210
• DOI: 10.1016/s0969-6210(04)00310-8

✦ Synopsis

Japan produced 34,817 tonnes of organic pigments in 2003, of which 57% was accounted for by azo pigments, 41% by phthalocyanine pigments and 2% by other types. The 2003 total represented a 3.3% increase on 2002. Exports of organic pigments from Japan amounted to 10,793 tonnes in 2003, compared against 11,225 tonnes in 2002. The printing ink sector remains by far the largest end-user of organic pigments, but 20% of total consumption is now accounted for by the paint industry. Japan's synthetic dyes production fell by 2.9% to 40,805 tonnes. Shipments by domestic manufacturers fell by 3.6% to 41,569 tonnes. In value terms, the decline in shipments was only 0.4% to Yen 43.68 bn. Shipments comprised 27,690 tonnes to Japanese consumers and 13,879 tonnes to export customers. Imports increased by 10.9% to 29,200 tonnes -of which nearly 11,000 tonnes from European sources and 2200 tonnes from the US.

According to the Japan Dyestuff & Industrial Chemicals Association, China is now by far the largest synthetic dyes producing country in the world, with output in excess of 300,000 tonnes, of which disperse dyes accounts for about 60%.