ISBN 1-85765-441-2

Table of Contents

Executive Summary

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary

Market Definition

MAIN RUBBER MATERIALS

COMPOUNDING

MARKET POSITION

MARKET TRENDS

Table 1: UK Consumption of Natural and Synthetic Rubber (000 tonnes), 1990-1993

Table 2: UK Exports and Imports of Synthetic Rubber (000 tonnes), 1990-1993

Table 3: World Production and Consumption of Natural Rubber (000 tonnes), 1990-1994

Table 4: World Production and Consumption of Synthetic Rubber (000 tonnes), 1990-1994

Table 5: Total World Production and Consumption of Natural and Synthetic Rubber (000 tonnes), 1990-1994

Market Size

NEW TYRES, INNER TUBES AND RELATED PRODUCTS

Apparent UK Market

RECONDITIONED TYRES

UK MARKETS FOR MISCELLANEOUS RUBBER PRODUCTS

Table 6: Apparent UK Market Size for New Tyres, Tubes, Reconditioned Tyres and Miscellaneous Rubber Products (£m), 1990-1994

Table 7: UK Manufacturers' Sales of New Tyres, Inner Tubes and Related Products (£m), 1990-1994

Table 8: Exports of New Tyres and Tubes (£m), 1990-1994

Table 9: Imports of New Tyres and Tubes (£m), 1990-1994

Table 10: Apparent UK Market for New Tyres, Tubes and Related Products (£m), 1990-1994

Table 11: Sales by UK Manufacturers Engaged in Retreading and Specialist Repairing of Rubber Tyres (£m), 1990-1994

Table 12: Exports and Imports of Used Tyres (£m), 1990-1994

Table 13: Apparent UK Market for Reconditioned and Used Tyres (£m), 1990-1994

Table 14: UK Manufacturer's Sales of Miscellaneous Rubber Products (£m), 1990-1994

Table 15: Exports and Imports of Miscellaneous Rubber Products (£m and percent), 1990-1994

Table 16: Apparent UK Market for Miscellaneous Rubber Products (£m), 1990-1994

Industry Background

TYRES AND TUBES

NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC RUBBER

Table 17: Production of Cars and Commercial Vehicles in the UK, 1990-1994

Table 18: Leading World Producers of Cars and Commercial Vehicles, 1993

Table 19: Leading World Tyre Manufacturers by Sales Value ($m), 1993

Table 20: Production of Car and Truck Tyres - Units in Selected Countries (million), 1994

Table 21: UK Tyre Exports and Imports for Cars and Commercial Vehicles (000 units), 1994

Table 22: Country Comparisons of Rubber Consumption by Major Sectors (000 tonnes), 1993

Competitor Analysis

TYRE DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE

RETAIL TYRE DISTRIBUTION

WHOLESALE TYRE DISTRIBUTION

ADVERTISING AND PROMOTION

GENERAL RUBBER PRODUCTS

Table 23: Leading Tyre Manufacturers in the UK (£m), 1993/1994

Table 24: Major UK Retail Tyre Outlets, 1994

Table 25: Main Media Advertising and Promotion Expenditure on Tyres (£000), 1993 and 1994

Table 26: Advertising and Promotion Expenditure on Tyre and Exhaust Centres (£000), 1993 and 1994

Table 27: Leading UK Manufacturers of Miscellaneous Rubber Products (£m), 1993/1994

Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT)

TYRES

GENERAL RUBBER PRODUCTS

Buying Behaviour

THE INTERNATIONAL RUBBER AGREEMENT (INRA)

THE SUPPLY OF SYNTHETIC RUBBER

THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY

OTHER USER INDUSTRIES

PERSONAL CONSUMERS

Table 28: Number of Tyre Purchases (000 and percent), 1994

Table 29: Type of Tyre Purchases (000 and percent), 1994

Outside Suppliers to the Industry

SUPPLIERS OF NATURAL RUBBER

SUPPLIERS OF SYHTHETIC RUBBER

'RUBBER CHEMICALS'

PROCESSING MACHINERY

Current Issues

WORLD SUPPLY AND DEMAND FOR RUBBER

Forecasts

TYRES AND TUBES

GENERAL RUBBER PRODUCTS

TOTAL APPARENT UK DEMAND

WORLD RUBBER CONSUMPTION

Table 30: Total Apparent UK Demand (£m), 1995-1999

Table 31: World Consumption Forecasts by Region (000 tonnes), 1993-1999

Company Profiles

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITIONS

FURTHER INFORMATION

Further Sources

ASSOCIATIONS

PERIODICALS

DIRECTORIES

GENERAL SOURCES

ICC INFORMATION SOURCES

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

OTHER SOURCES

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Total UK apparent demand in 1994 for rubber manufactured products is estimated by Key Note to be worth £2.79bn compared with £2.65bn in 1993, which represents an increase in value terms of 5.3 percent. However, growth during the period 1990 to 1993, was virtually non-existent, as all the main demand sectors in the domestic economy were adversely affected by the recession, which continued for longer than was generally expected. Demand then began to recover strongly in 1994 and this recovery has continued into early 1995.

Basically, the UK's consumption of natural and synthetic rubber, amounting to around 350,000 tonnes per annum, is divided fairly evenly between the tyre manufacturing industry and the manufacturers of general rubber products. Synthetic rubber, which is used mostly in the production of miscellaneous rubber products, accounts for around 64 percent of UK consumption, and natural rubber, which is used mainly by the tyre industry, accounts for the remaining 36 percent. A large variety of general products are made in synthetic rubber because of the versatility that can be built into the compounds and formulations.

The surge in demand for rubber products is not confined to the UK as there has been a world-wide expansion in consumption, particularly from the motor vehicle producing countries. Apart from tyres the automotive industry also uses many rubber-based components in the construction of motor vehicles, e.g. hoses, fan belts, seals, suspension units, etc.

Existing capacity for the production of natural and synthetic rubber is only just sufficient to meet current demands, but the imbalance between world demand and supply of raw rubber could become acute unless capacity is quickly increased. Stock levels continue to fall and cannot easily be replenished so raw rubber prices are rising rapidly. The price increases include the chemicals used in the processing of raw rubber because of past closures in capacity when the industry was not very profitable.

There are relatively few options for the disposal of worn out tyres. Although there is a large retreading industry it is mostly concerned with renovating truck tyres. The bulk of car tyres are scrapped and put into landfills or disposed of illicitly. Some used tyres are shredded for alternative uses, e.g. in providing a soft surface for children's playgrounds or for mixing with road building materials and some are burnt for the generation of electricity, but this is a controversial activity because of pollution problems and the cost of the operation. No final solution has been found to deal with the problem of how to dispose of large quantities of used tyres without causing other problems.

Text © 1995 Key Note

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