Overview of Flexible Foam Production
In 2023, the production of Polyurethane Flexible Foam in the EMEA (Europe, Middle East & Africa) region experienced a decline of approximately 2% compared to the previous year. Despite a significant increase in automotive production, the decline was attributed to lower consumer demand for comfort foams and an oversupply of raw materials.
Major Producers and Regional Insights
The Flexible Foam market in the EMEA region is well-established, with Western Europe being the primary producer. Germany experienced a minimal decline, while the Nordic region experienced the sharpest decline in Western Europe. Key producers include Turkey, Poland, Germany, and Italy, driven by robust automotive and furniture sectors. In 2023, nearly all Western European countries, with the exception of Ireland, experienced decline substantially.
Eastern and Central Europe were most affected, with Poland and Romania facing considerable declines. The Nordic region experienced the most significant declines.
On the other hand, the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region exhibited a notable increase in production in 2023. in the MEA region, North and West Africa were the primary producers, with East Africa, Iran, and Saudi Arabia following in that order. The Polyurethane Flexible Foam industry is experiencing significant growth in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, with an emphasis on Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. Automotive seating foam, HR/CMHR foam, and conventional polyether foam comprise the primary categories. The technical foam sections demonstrated superior performance, while the comfort segment encountered obstacles due to overstocking and discretionary purchases during the pandemic. In automotive seating, commercial seating, furniture component foam, slab stock foam, and viscoelastic foam, there is an increasing trend towards self-formulation. Additionally, the global furniture industry was affected by attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.
PU Slabstock Foam Production
In 2023, the production of Polyurethane Flexible Slabstock foam in Western Europe decreased significantly, around 4% across the entire EMEA region. This downturn was brought on by reductions in demand, increased raw material costs, and supply shortages. Poland experienced the most substantial contraction in Central and Eastern Europe. Conversely, Turkey's production saw a significant increase due to the robust mattress market demand. In the Middle East, the market experienced an increase of about 5% in PU Slabstock production, primarily driven by conventional Polyether foam, thanks to the expansion of the furniture and mattress industries.
In Europe, Flexible Slabstock PU foam is employed in a variety of applications, including upholstered furniture, bedding, transportation, packaging, footwear, and clothing. During pandemic, the bedding market was significantly influenced by the 'bed-in-a-box' mattress trend. Polyurethane is an ideal material for compression applications due to its reduced likelihood of product damage. This trend has reached the GCC countries because of simplified logistics and ecommerce trends. They are a popular choice for retail stores due to the absence of springs and spring-less mattresses.
Moulded Foam Production
Germany and France accounted for the majority of the increase in PU moulded foam production in the EMEA region in 2023. Turkey led the Central and Eastern European region in production growth, which increased by 5%. The production of automotive seating foam was the most prevalent, followed by NVH foam. In Western Europe, transport foams outperformed comfort foams, resulting in significant increases in outputs for auto and commercial vehicle seating foam, NVH foam, integral skin, semi-rigid foam, and other transport foams. More specifically, the auto seating foam and commercial vehicle seating foam in moulded transport foams experienced a 6.9% and 7.2% increase, respectively. In the Middle East and Africa, slab stock segments are generally outperformed by moulded foam segments.
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