subject: The Russian Xps Boards Market - March 2012 (russian Market Report) [print this page] Extruded polystyrene is the next generation of thermal insulating materials. The closest analogue is the EPS (foamed polystyrene foam). The produced insulation materials are made of extruded polystyrene foam in the form of plates and shells (segments).
The main advantages of extruded polystyrene are its very low thermal conductivity, minimum water absorption and high strength, which makes it indispensable in civil and industrial construction. It is hardy, durable and chemically stable (except for organic solvents, acids and water-free gasoline).
To improve the fire resistance of extruded polystyrene, flame retardants are added and, a self-extinguishing material means that the liquidation of the source of the flames continue burning.
In the process of manufacturing extruded polystyrene pellets, general purpose polystyrene is mixed with various additives (for example, flame retardants, dyes), and then melted and thoroughly mixed in an extruder. In this mass of high pressure, a gaseous blowing agent is injected. The resulting homogeneous mass is forced through fine spinneret, i.e. subjected to extrusion. Then it is cooled and cut into slabs of a certain size.
The extrusion process leads to the appearance of numerous small, almost uniformly distributed closed cells, which results in high humidity, very high mechanical strength in compression and durable thermal insulating properties.
Insulation is widely used in various fields of national economy: civil and industrial construction, agriculture, refrigeration industry, for laying of railways and highways, construction of airfields and pipelines for various purposes.
The main application areas: insulation of foundations, insulation of floors, wall insulation, insulation of roofs, insulation of roads, thermal insulation of the railways, thermal insulation of the runways of airports, thermal insulation of pipes for various purposes.
The XPS market in Russia is characterized by seasonality, dependent on the construction season. The interviewed experts noted a reduction in the market during the period December - March. However, the rate of decline in this period has been estimated differently - from 20-30% to practically 100%.
The volume of retail sales of XPS, according to various estimates, ranges from 20% to 35% of total market. With the DIY chains, all XPS manufacturers work directly.
3)Increase in the number of small local producers. There were many small producers prior to the financial crisis in 2008. However, the failure of the construction market, coupled with price wars between "Penoplex" and "Technonikol" squeezed most of the small ones out.
4)Increased competition between EPS and XPS, primarily because of the approximation to the consumer properties of the two.
5)In general, the backlog in the level of development of heat-insulating materials (and XPS in particular) from foreign countries in terms of per capita consumption continues. In terms of market structure of insulation materials in Russia, XPS is roughly the same proportion.
6)There are no fundamental differences in price and quality among the different XPS boards. The XPS boards, sold in the Northwestern Federal District at the moment are, by large, manufactured in Europe.
