Rising Usage of Aramid Paper in Protective Apparel and Ballistic Protection Materials Is Complementing the Market Growth

Aramid Paper Market size is forecast to reach US$578.9 million by 2026, after growing at a CAGR of 4.9% during 2021-2026. Aramid paper market is growing at a significant rate during the forecast period, owning to increasing usage in protective apparel and ballistic protection materials due to its heat, flame and electric resistance properties. Aramid paper is made from aromatic polyamides. Aramid Papers are commonly used as electrical insulators and in honeycomb cores. The manufacturers of aramid paper are focused on improving the characteristics such as reducing weight, increasing flexibility and resistance of these papers through research and innovation. This will further drive its market growth.

Moreover, the demand for aramid paper is increasing from automotive and aerospace industry. Based on a recent report published by the US Aerospace Industries Association (AIA), the US aerospace and defense industry generated over $929 billion in sales in the year 2018. In addition, according to Boeing, 44,000 new jetliners are required over the next two decades owning to rise in passenger traffic, which is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 4.6% over the next 20 years. Aircraft industry is also finding its way to adapt on the increasing demand not only considering aircraft safety and customer requirements. The growing usage of aramid papers to manufacture sandwich-structure composites, also known as honeycomb to increase the lightweight property as well as to maintain the aerodynamic flow of aerospace exterior structure leads to increase the demand, which leads the market growth.

Asia Pacific is anticipated to emerge as a major player in the global market over the forecast period owning to increased production of automotive and aircrafts in the region. In 2019, according to International Trade Administration (ITA), China is the world’s second largest civil aerospace and aviation services markets and one of the world’s fastest growing. By the end of 2018, China had more than 59 airlines (passenger & cargo) and 3,615 civil aircraft (an increase of 10% over 2017). In 2016, according to Boeing, China is estimated to require around 6,810 new commercial aircraft, valued at $1 trillion, over the next two decades. Furthermore, according to International Trade Administration (ITA), in 2018 the Indian government spent a total of $645 in the civil aviation sector. Also, India’s rapid aviation growth is expected to drive the demand for 2,300 aircrafts worth $320 billion over the next 20 years, according to Boeing. In addition, according to OICA, automotive production in countries such as India, Indonesia, and Malaysia has increased by 8%, 10.3% and 12.2% up to 5,174,645, 1,343,714 and 402,085 from 2017. Therefore, the growth in aircraft and automotive production is supporting aramid paper market growth in the region.

However, COVID-19 has negatively impacted the Aramid paper market in 2020 with the halt in the production across various countries. The global lockdowns to curb the virus have led to the decrease in manufacturing sectors including, automotive, aerospace and so on, which significantly resulted in the decline of market. In addition, the development of new COVID strains in countries such as India, US, UK, Nigeria and so on during end of 2020 to the beginning of 2021 is further resulting in the lockdown and impacting the manufacturing sector thereby constraining the market growth rate.

Aramid paper is lightweight and has high tensile strength which is increasing its use in protective apparel and ballistic protection. It has heat resistance and finds application in flame resistant apparel. Companies such as DuPont and others has fire proof and acid resistant apparel product range. They are also high in dye-ability broadening their scope for apparel manufacture. In certain emerging Asian countries, the regulations around safety and protective apparel is increasing and as a result is contributing to the increase in demand for aramid paper apparel. Aramid can also be integrated easily with other materials such as carbon, aluminum or mica to form improved materials with better physical and chemical properties. It is used in ballistic protection materials due to its heat, flame and electric resistance. End users include defense personnel, race drivers, and factory workers exposed to chemicals or radiation and more. Aramid paper also finds application in automotive, aeronautical and marine industries. This material is very useful in manufacturing automotive parts, ship or airplane body, and other structural components. This is because aramid papers are light weight, have high strength, and are resistant to factors like heat, flame, abrasion and more. This makes it a suitable choice of material for building aeronautical and marine structures.

The major companies in the Aramid Paper market include DuPont de Nemours, Inc., Teijin Aramid B.V, Yantai Tayho Advanced Materials Co., Shenzhen Longpont Co., Ltd. and others. These industry players are involved in various strategic initiatives to expand their presence. For instance, in April 2018, DuPont Safety & Construction invested over $50 million in the global operations for DuPont Kevlar. The company aims to invest more in technology to enhance reliability, quality and performance of aramid to gain momentum in the aramid paper market in the upcoming years. In January 2018, Teijin Aramid launched a new smartphone app helping customers to reduce calculation errors with a special conversion tool for the fiber and textiles industry. Hence, such developments by the key players is expected to boost its market growth over the forecast period.