High-performance fibres are those fibres, which offer exceptional strength, heat and chemical resistance. High performance fibres are niche products but some of them are manufactured in large quantities according to the demand from end-user industries. High performance fibres offer various properties such as fire resistance, high elongation, high tension and insulation among others. High performance fibres include various fibres such as aramid fibres, carbon fibres, melamine fibres, polybenzimidazole fibres (PBI), fluoropolymer fibres, polyphenylene sulfide fibre (PPS), ceramic fibres and HDPE fibres among others. Due to unique properties of high performance fibres they are used in various end-user industries such as aerospace, automotive, buildings & construction, marine, energy, defense & military, electronics & telecommunications and medical & healthcare among others. Glass and carbon fibres are commonly preferred high performance fibres across various end-user segments.
The market for high performance fibres was mainly driven by end-user industries such as aerospace, automotive, buildings and construction and electronics among others. In aerospace industry, high performance fibres such as carbon fibres, aramid fibres and ceramic fibres are used to enhance the performance of the engine. High performance fibres offer lighter weight to the components thus increasing the fuel efficiency of the engine.
In 2013, Asia Pacific had the highest demand for high performance fibres market. Asia Pacific is also anticipated to be the fastest growing markets for high performance fibres due to increasing demand from aerospace, electronics & communication and textiles among others. China led the demand for high performance fibres in Asia Pacific region. India, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea are likely to exhibit higher demand for high performance fibres over the forecast period. Asia Pacific was followed by North America. Huge demand from defense & military and aerospace industry has been driving the market for high performance fibres in this region.
In 2013, US exhibited the highest demand for high performance fibres in North America. Europe had the third-largest demand for high performance fibres market in 2013. Rising demand for high performance fibres from defense & military industry has been driving the market for high performance fibres in Europe. Germany, Italy, the UK are one of the largest consumers of high performance fibres in this region. Rest of the World market is anticipated to show stable demand for the high performance fibres market in near future. Latin America and the Middle East are projected to show encouraging signs for the high performance fibres market in upcoming years.