MOSCOW (MRC) - Russia's imports of polycarbonate (PC) decreased to 21,000 tonnes in January-November 2015, down 38% in the same time year on year, according to MRC DataScope report.
There were several factors, contributed to such a decrease in PC imports. One of the main - reducing the total purchasing capacity in the country and the devaluation of the national currency. A seasonal drop in demand after the end of the construction season also weighed in on.
At the same time, producers of PC sheets complained in the autumn about the reduction in demand in the market of finished products, which, according to different sources, decreased from 12 to 30%. This led to a reduction in the total consumption of the extrusion PC market.
Demand dropped both for the imported and the Russian polymer. Thus, imports of PC for sheet extrusion was about 15,000 tonnes in Jan-Nov, down 41% compared to the same time a year earlier. In addition to other factors the main importer - Sabic Innovative Plastics decreased supplies because of the restructuring and separation of business. New prices from Sabic and its new policy of operation in the Russian market will be announced early next year.
As for the injection moulding segment, because of the reduction in car production in Russia and lower buying interest in this sector, the demand for imported polycarbonate decreased 6% to about 3,200 tonnes. The relative stability of injection moulding PC imports resulted from the absence in the market of material with specific properties required by converters.
Segment bottle grade PC is far from last year' level of consumption. Russia's import of bottle grade PC slightly exceeded 1,000 tonnes in Jan-Nov 2015.
Before the spring season in late March - early April, the players of the Russian market will try to optimise stock inventories, reducing expensive imported materials in their warehouses and buying Russian PC granules before its rise in price in the spring.
MRC