January 2016 Vol. 71 No. 1
Newsline
Study Reports Current, Future Gravity Pipe Use
According to a market study conducted by Applied Market Information Ltd (AMI Consulting), the current European market for gravity pipe use has been estimated at approximately $6.6 billion. The study, entitled Gravity Pipes – European Market 2015, includes a 300-page report with 157 data tables and 73 charts.
The early figures estimated about 4.4 billion pounds of plastic material – including PVC, polyethylene, polypropylene and ABS – would be used in the manufacturing of gravity pipes. The study also quantified the demand for Glass-Reinforced Polymer (GRP) pipes, ductile iron pipes, vitrified clay and concrete pipes to enable an assessment of inter-material competition trends.
“The European demand for gravity pipes is still below that of the 2007 peak,” explained Noru Tsalic, the author of the study.
“However, 2014 and 2015 have marked a reversal of trend. The European demand has increased, though growth is still modest and very uneven across the various European regions,” Tsalic said.
Tsalic predicts the demand for plastic pipes will increase in the next five years, reaching approximately 5.1 billion pounds by 2020, benefitting plastic pipe suppliers not only from a recovery in construction activity, but also from continued substitution of non-plastic materials.
The smaller diameter pipes market is already dominated by plastic pipes, but the industry still faces a challenge of increasing plastics’ market penetration at larger diameters, in which more traditional materials still have the stronghold.
Tsalic’s study covers 31 European countries and classifies demand by applications – Sewer and Drainage; Soil and Waste; Roof Drainage Products; Road and Railway Drainage pipes; Land Drainage; and underground Cable Protection pipes. Current demand analysis and trends, as well as forecast up to 2020, are all included within the report. www.amniplastics.com.
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