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North American Acoustic Nonwovens Markets
Frost & Sullivan, June 2006
This Frost & Sullivan research service titled North American Acoustic Nonwovens Markets identifies and discusses the trends in the North American automotive, appliances, and marine acoustic nonwovens markets from 2002 to 2012, with 2005 as the base year. It also lists key market drivers and restraints, provides in-depth market and competitive analysis, as well as offers strategic recommendations to succeed in these highly competitive markets. In this research service, Frost & Sullivan's expert analysts thoroughly examine the following markets: automotive, appliances, and marine.
Market Sectors
Expert Frost & Sullivan analysts thoroughly examine the following market sectors in this research:
By Application Segment:
- Chemicals & Materials
- Automotive
- Appliances
- Marine
Technologies
The following technology is covered in this research:
- Acoustic Nonwovens: These are nonwoven materials designed to control noise. They are supplied in varying widths of 20 inches to 80 inches and varying thickness of 1/8 of an inch to 6 inches. Acoustic nonwovens typically find applications in many varied end-use markets such as automotive, appliances, marine, office partitions, and aviation among others.
Market Overview
Need for Lower-weight, High-performance Acoustic Nonwovens Challenges Manufacturers
Rising raw material prices, particularly of crude oil, along with increasing price pressures from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are likely to prove major challenges for participants in the North American acoustic nonwovens markets. While these factors are exercising significant restraints on profitability levels, OEMs are also on the look out for lower-weight products that promise greater performance. This interest in lower-weight products stems from the need to increase fuel efficiency and reduce prices, making the development of lighter-weight nonwovens that deliver superior performance critical for market success. To achieve this, manufacturers will need to strengthen their R&D efforts and constantly work toward developing new products that are in tune with market requirements.
In addition to the above mentioned challenges, manufacturers in the North American acoustic nonwovens markets face an added threat in newer technologies such as Quiet Steel or Sound Trap. Conceived by the Material Sciences Corporation (MSC), Quiet Steel and Sound Trap are fast gaining recognition and acceptance by both the automotive and appliance industries, thereby hindering the sale of acoustic nonwovens. Both Quiet Steel and Sound Trap can be produced as continuous coils and blanked sheets of up to 72 inches in width and are specifically tailored to meet the damping, temperature, stiffness, and operating environment needs of their intended end-user application, explains the analyst of this research service. Besides controlling noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH), these materials are also light and economically favorable, thereby challenging acoustic nonwovens.
Shift from Fiberglass to Synthetic Nonwovens Propels Growth
In a noteworthy trend, OEMs and tier 1 participants are gradually moving from fiberglass to synthetic nonwovens. Considered unsafe to work with, fiberglass is often compared to asbestos and this has prompted companies to use synthetic nonwovens wherever possible. Synthetic systems also offer enhanced acoustic performance as well as considerable weight savings and being more expensive than their fiberglass counterparts, are providing a significant boost to the acoustic nonwovens markets. While the impact of this driver is expected to be high throughout the forecast period, rising and fluctuating foam prices are likely to be of further help to the growth of the North American acoustic nonwovens markets. With foam prices continually fluctuating, many tier 1 participants are considering the use of alternatives. Nonwovens, being extremely cost competitive besides offering various other benefits, are thus favored and the impact of this driver is expected to increase in the medium and long term when raw material prices and recyclability will be of paramount importance.
With respect to major end-user applications, the automotive market continues to be the largest and the most lucrative segment. Illustrating this, the automotive market accounted for 83.3 percent of the total market in 2005, while the appliance and marine markets accounted for 10.2 and 6.5 percent, respectively. Confronted with declining profitability, acoustic nonwovens manufacturers will have to better use their bargaining powers, eliminate overhead costs, and work toward operating at maximum efficiency, says the analyst. Forward integration can also be considered as it eliminates a few levels in the value chain and greater coordination with the OEMs can also be beneficial in the design of more suitable products.
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