Japanese TiO2 suppliers to stem the decline in sales to domestic customers?
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 2005
- Weight
- 35 KB
- Volume
- 2005
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0969-6210
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✦ Synopsis
According to the Japan Titanium Dioxide Association (JTDA), Japanese producers increased their exports in the year to end-March 2004. However, their sales to Japanese customers fell by nearly 2%, partly due to increased competition from overseas suppliers. Imports of TiO 2 into Japan increased by 1% to 64,807 tonnes. Domestic suppliers' shipments to the paper industry fell by 11.2%, but there were slight increases in the offtake by the paint and printing ink sectors.
Paint, ink and plastics still account for the bulk of commodity grades of TiO 2 , but Japanese suppliers have always been in the vanguard of developing high-performance TiO 2 products. There are now 48 member companies in the Japanese Association of Photocatalyst Products and the photocatalyst market in Japan is now worth Yen 50 bn. Japan's consumption of TiO 2 for photocatalysts was 324 tonnes in 2003/04 and this is expected to grow rapidly. Sakai Chemical is one of the world's leading suppliers of catalysts for the denitrification of power station exhaust gases. The global demand for this type of catalyst is currently estimated at 20,000 tonnes and there is considerable scope for growth as China, Korea and other Asian markets bring in tighter controls on air pollution. Ultra-fine TiO 2 grades are increasingly used in special types of automotive paints, in cosmetics, in ultraviolet-blocking and anti-reflective films and toner additives. The global market for high-purity ultrafine grades is assessed at 2600 tonnes and the market for ultrafine general-purpose grades is assessed at 2000 tonnes.
For fiscal year 2004/05, JTDA forecasts domestic shipments at 169,520 tonnes and exports at 89,210 tonnes. During the first half of the year, China accounted for 55% of Japanese exports, with other Asian markets accounting for more than 25%. Japanese suppliers have a combined market share in excess of 10% in the Chinese TiO 2 market and preparations for the Olympic Games in 2008 are expected to substantially boost Chinese TiO 2 consumption over the next few years.