Market Overview
Quarterly update on global Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN)
For the Quarter Ending December 2020
Asia
In Q4 2020, Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN) producers faced severe shortage of feedstock Acrylonitrile as there were adverse trade disruption from US Gulf following Hurricane Laura. Moreover, availability of feedstock Styrene also remained limited due to several plant maintenance in Northeast Asia and China. Indefinite maintenance outages across globe led to considerate shortage of Styrene during Q4 2020, however, the supply is expected to rebound soon by early 2021 as China is preparing to onstream some of its scheduled Styrene projects in the near term. The demand for SAN firmed in November in the local Asian markets, backed by the gradual revival in demand from automotive sector following the high festive sales in India. Consequently, SAN prices rallied upwards in India from USD 1447 USD to USD 1538 from October to December.
North America
In USA, the demand for feedstock Styrene and Acrylonitrile from Asian countries remained high during the final quarter due to the strong recovery of industrial activities in Asia and limited regional availability. Production of feedstock in USA was severely affected due to Hurricane Zeta in October, as the power outage occurred in the Gulf of US which further led to force majeure on several plants, some of which continued till mid- December. Furthermore, supply of SAN is likely to remain limited in early 2021 weighed by scheduled outages in the region due to the year -end holidays and peak winter season. Thus, its prices are expected to remain under upward pressure in the near term.
Europe
Europe faced shortage of feedstock materials Styrene and Acrylonitrile during Q4 2020. There were two reasons behind this global shortage, one was less imports from USA due to Hurricane Zeta in October and other was consistent rise import demand from Asian countries. However, the second wave of COVID 19 again tumbled the automobile sector of Europe and hence the demand for SAN from this sector remained low throughout the quarter.
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Services
Market Analysis
Company-wise installed capacity, production volume and plant operating efficiency is captured directly from manufacturers. Import and Export volume is captured from government sources and demand for Acrylonitrile is calculated considering the production, import, export and inventory-levels on the country and regional level markets.
Pricing Analysis
Acrylonitrile price is correlated with the price trend of crude oil, demand-supply gap, Propylene and with movement across the downstream derivatives such as acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), styrene-acrylonitrile (SAN) etc.
Company Profile
Basic details and information on financial performance of leading global players in the Acrylonitrile market is presented in a visually captivating manner. Expansion plans and the company’s strategy is also captured to understand the vision and mission of the company to help understand the areas where companies need to focus more.
News & Deals
Daily updates on industry-specific and product-specific news, exclusive primary-based news capturing plant shutdowns/outages/closures, capacity expansions, operating rates, insights on demand-supply situation, awarding of technology licenses, new product launch and deals specifying mergers and acquisitions, strategic investments and disinvestments, to help players capitalize on market opportunity.
Methodology
ChemAnalyst gathers information through primary research surveys conducted with various Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN) manufacturers, spread across the domestic and international market, suppliers and dealers/distributors to gain insights into value-chains and demand-supply scenario to assess the market situation. Thorough study of company’s annual reports and secondary sources such as exhaustive search on credible paid databases, including our internal database is done to verify the information. All the collected information is analyzed, evaluated and presented in chronological order to depict a meaningful and clear picture of the concerned market.
Our dedicated team of industry experts comprehensively monitors and analyzes various aspects of the Global Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN) market. The team analyzes various industrial segments, strategic viewpoints and provides an analysis of the industry’s performance in the long run. This would enable our clients in efficiently plan their future investments, mitigate risk, understand the cost dynamics and strike out a balance amidst market volatility.
Critical examination of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the global supply chains and shift in demand patterns with change in buying behavior of consumers across the globe.
Several ongoing development projects across industries are tracked, followed by the details of major projects in the development stage, which can positively or negatively influence Global Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN) market.
Pricing is captured through exhaustive primary interviews with domestic and international manufacturers, traders and importers and customers on weekly, monthly and yearly basis.
Finally, region-specific markets for Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN) are analyzed and region-wise demand pattern is tracked.
About
Styrene Acrylonitrile (SAN) is a copolymer which is a combination of Styrene and Acrylonitrile. It is a highly demanded thermoplastic owing to its great thermal resistance. Commercially, SAN could be produced by three methods, emulsion polymerisation, suspension polymerisation, and continuous bulk polymerisation. Continuous bulk polymerisation is the most common method used by manufacturers because of its lower operational cost and capability to produce high purity product. This copolymer usually contains 75% Styrene and 25% Acrylonitrile and is often preferred over Polystyrene because of its stiffness. Moreover, SAN is often used where both plasticity and thermal resistance are required, like in refrigerator doors, brush bristles, disposable lighter, medical syringes, battery cases and others.
