Polymeric Flexible Hose and Tubing

Report Highlights

The overall U.S. market for polymeric flexible hose and tubing materials was over 1.0 billion pounds in 2015 and should reach 1.1 billion pounds in 2020 at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.4%.

This report will provide:

• Coverage of the U.S. markets for materials used in the manufacture of flexible hoses and tubing, as well as those for resulting hose and tubing products.
• Analyses of market trends, with data from 2014, 2015, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2020.
• Identification of products made from several different polymers, natural and synthetic, both elastomeric and nonelastomeric, to produce a number of different types of hose and tubing.
• Discussion of older and newer key technologies and their markets.
• Market analysis by physical volume in pounds by hose and tubing material.
• A look at regulatory, environmental, and public issues that affect industry.
• Profiles of major players in the industry.

SCOPE AND FORMAT

This BCC Research study thoroughly covers many important economic, technological, political, regulatory and environmental considerations in U.S. markets for materials used in the manufacture of polymeric flexible hose and tubing as well as the resulting hose and tubing products.

These products are made from elastomeric and non-elastomeric polymers that can be natural or synthetic. The focus is on thermosetting elastomers, natural and synthetic rubbers and thermoplastic hose and tubing materials, which include plastic resins and TPEs.

The only natural material covered in this study is NR. Biopolymers and bioplastics are nascent and growing technologies and products. Biomass sources are receiving attention as replacements for oil and natural gas and as feedstocks for synthetic polymers, including synthetic rubber and plastic resins. However, these alternative feedstocks are not in the scope of this study, and the focus is on polymers produced from crude oil and natural gas.

This report includes old and new key technologies, the related markets and the key companies that comprise the U.S. hose and tubing industry. The study is primarily focused on activities and markets in the United States but also touches on noteworthy international activities, specifically those that could potentially have impacts on U.S. business and markets and the activities of foreign-based companies in U.S. markets.

Demand data are estimated for base year 2015 and forecast for five years to 2020. Markets are analyzed, estimated and projected by volume in terms of pounds of materials used, and five-year compound annuals growth rates (CAGRs) are provided. Market volumes are rounded to the nearest million pounds. Due to rounding, some growth rates do not correspond exactly with figures in the market tables, especially for very small markets with only a few million estimated pounds.

This report in segmented into nine chapters, of which this is the first.

Chapter Two is a summary that encapsulates the findings and conclusions, including a summary market table. The major findings of the study can be found here in summary format.

Chapter Three provides an overview of the flexible hose and tubing industry. It begins with historical background on hose and tubing and then defines and describes the major markets for the products in the United States.

Chapter Four provides a market analysis and estimated forecasts by physical volume in terms of pounds of hose and tubing materials.

Chapter Five examines the hose and tubing markets in terms of important applications. These include automotive, hydraulic, industrial consumer and healthcare tubing markets. The chapter also provides an expanded discussion and analysis of several important types of hose and tubing.

Chapter Six is devoted to hose and tubing technology, with emphasis on the manufacture of hose and tubing materials and products. The chapter covers the basic technologies used in rubber and polymer manufacture and hose and tubing fabrication and provides a discussion of process economics and technical innovations in hose and tubing.

Chapter Seven examines the structure of the U.S. flexible hose and tubing industry and some discusses competitive factors and trends. Competition among materials and international aspects that affect the U.S. industry are also considered.

Chapter Eight is devoted to a discussion of public health, regulatory and environmental issues affecting the hose and tubing industry. These include: (1) important standards for hose and tubing manufacturing designed to protect the public, (2) regulatory issues, (3) ongoing environmental issues and (4) public perceptions.

Chapter Nine is devoted to information about important major suppliers hose and tubing industry and provides profiles of these suppliers.

An Appendix includes a glossary of important terms, abbreviations and acronyms used in the hose and tubing industry and in the context of related technologies.

Some of the topics covered in the text of this report are not included in the market forecast tables. These topics are discussed in order to provide a comprehensive perspective on the market, but are outside the scope of this study (i.e., discussion about international activities and markets) or may be too new to have yet developed a measurable commercial market.

This report is devoted exclusively to flexible hose and tubing used for materials transport. Tubing that transports fluids and other materials not generally considered to be part of the traditional markets for hose and tubing are outside the scope of this study. Products such as core tubes for paper-towel and tissue products, fiber tube packaging for juice concentrates and other food and beverage products, toothpaste and other product packaging tubes and drinking straws are also outside the scope of the study. In addition, structural and fabrication tubing as well as decorative tubes are also outside the scope. 
As noted at the beginning of this chapter, this is a study of flexible hose and tubing produced from polymeric materials. The report does not cover rigid plastic pipe and tubing or metal pipe and tubing. Markets for rigid plastic pipe and tubing are covered in detail in a companion BCC Research report by the same author, PLS 053A The U.S. Market for Plastic Pipe.

Analyst Credentials

Dr. J. Charles Forman has been a research analyst for BCC Research covering polymers and chemicals for more than two decades. His work in the industry includes 21 years at Abbott Laboratories in R&D and manufacturing management. Dr. Forman has researched and written more than 70 multi-client market research reports on a variety of subjects, ranging from building construction materials and spectroscopy to several studies on plastic packaging. He holds a B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Northwestern University, all in chemical engineering. He is also a licensed Professional Engineer (P.E.).