JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #118 - January/February 2018 - 21

The European GRP market in 2017

Tab. 1: GRP production volumes in Europe according to processes/components -
current year and the three previous years (kt = metric kilotons, 2017 = estimate)

2014
kt

2015
kt

2016
kt

2017
kt

SMC

190

191

198

202

BMC

74

74

76

78

SMC/BMC

264

265

274

280

Hand lay-up

138

139

140

140

Spray-up

94

96

97

98

Open mould

232

235

237

238

RTM

132

137

141

146

Sheets

84

86

89

93

Pultrusion

48

49

50

53

132

135

139

146

Filament winding

79

80

80

78

Centrifugal casting

66

68

68

67

Pipes and tanks

145

148

148

145

GMT/LFT

121

132

140

145

Others

17

17

17

18

Sum

1.043

1.069

1.096

1.118

∑

∑

∑

Continuous processing

∑

Trends in the development of processes/
components
SMC/BMC
SMC
(sheet
moulding
com-pound)
and
BMC
(bulk moulding compound)
components account for
around one quarter of total
production and are the
largest market segment of the
GRP industry. Semi-finished
products manufactured using
pressing (SMC) and injection
moulding (BMC) processes
are turned into components
that are used primarily in the
electro/electronic and transport sectors, especially in the
automotive industry.
This year, the SMC/BMC
sector is growing slightly more
slowly than last year, at a rate
of 2.2%. Total production volume this year will be 280,000
MT, of which over two-thirds
is SMC.

Open mould/
open processes
"Open processes" (hand layup and spray-up) continue to
be the second-largest segment
in the European GRP market,
with total production at
238,000 MT. The segment's
trend of comparatively weak
growth over recent years continues, at under one percent
in 2017. The larger of the two
segments - hand lay-up - is
stagnating.
Typical products include
wind
turbine
nacelles,
swimming pools, boat hulls
or attachments, add-on components for special vehicles,
prototypes, and moulds. Parts
using these materials are also
found in the construction/
infrastructure sectors, e.g. in
facades.
RTM
In the segment for compo-

nents manufactured using
the resin transfer moulding
(RTM) process, the trend of
stronger-than-average growth
has continued. Expanding at
a rate of 3.5%, the segment
now produces a total 146,000
metric tons. As in previous
years, this category includes
all components manufactured
using a closed mould. Today,
many versions of these production technologies have
already reached the market.
Applications include vehicle
construction, wind turbine
nacelles, boat-/shipbuilding,
and the sports and leisure
sector.
Continuous Processing
The production of GRP
components using continuous
processes grew by 5% in 2017
- the strongest growth of any
sector, continuing the positive
trend of recent years. Total
production volume is now
in the range of 146,000 MT.
These products have been used
in vehicles for many years,
primarily in truck side panels,
caravan superstructures or
the conversion of commercial
vehicles. This is supplemented
by applications in the facade
sector. The market for GRP
pultrusion profiles had the
strongest growth rate (6%) in
the European GRP industry
and now has a production volume of 53,000 MT. The largest
applications in the segment,
each with an approximately
20% share of the market for
pultrusion components, are
the consumer/private sector
and the construction industry.
Typical applications for GRP
profiles currently include
the production of bridge elements, support or cable duct
systems, railings, and steps in

N°118 January - February 2018

plant construction, as well as
certain areas of the transport
industry.
Pipes and tanks
After last year's stagnation in
production volume, the GRP
market segment of pipes and
tanks manufactured using
centrifugal casting or filament
winding processes is the only
area of European GRP to
decline this year. The total
volume fell by 2% to 145,000
MT. GRP pipes and tanks
are principally used in plant
construction and public/
private pipelines, as well as by
customers in the oil/gas and
chemical industries.
GMT/LFT
In 2017, the markets for
glass-mat reinforced thermoplastics (GMT) and long-fibre
reinforced
thermoplastics
(LFT) have continued their
above-average growth at a
rate of 3.6%, although this is
slightly slower than last year.
The trend of recent years
means that the market share
of GMT/LFT products in
relation to the total GRP
market has risen from 5% in
2000 to 13% today. The total
production of 145,000 MT in
the segment is split between
LFT and GMT in a roughly
2:1 ratio, with the proportion
of LFT rising. These data
also include continuous-fibre
reinforced materials such
as organosheets and tapes.
Typical applications for these
products include underbody
protection, bumpers, instrument panels or seat structures.

Application industries
at a glance
Despite the different trends
in the markets for the various

/ jec composites magazine

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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #118 - January/February 2018
