Glass fibre accounts for about 90% of the reinforcements used in composites consumption, globally, the market research company notes.
GRP composites are in widely used in the transportation and infrastructure and construction sectors. The demand for renewable energy in the form of wind turbines, and for lightweight fuel efficient aircraft and cars, plus the demand for GRP pipe, tanks and other corrosion-resistant equipment, are major drivers for their increased use in the coming years.
China leads
The report notes that the global GRP market is dominated by Asia-Pacific and North America, which accounted for 67% of the overall market in 2013.
In terms of countries, China is the leading consumer of GRP products globally, and the largest supplier, estimated to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) above the global average, to 2019.
China and India have enormous potential and are the fastest growing markets for GRP composites in the Asia-Pacific as well as globally, the reports says, whereas US and European countries are leading in R&D of high performance glass fibre products.
The transportation and aerospace/defence sectors accounted for 49% (by value) of the GRP composites market in 2013. The highest growth is expected from the wind energy and the aerospace/defence markets in the near future.
Factors responsible for the growing demand for GRP composites include the recovery in the global economy and improving prospects in various end-use markets composites are used in.
The report, Glass Fiber & Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic (GFRP) Composites Market By Raw Material, By Manufacturing Process, By Application (Transportation, Construction, Electrical & Electronics, & Others) & By Geography – Global Trends & Forecast to 2019, aims to estimate the global market for 2014 and to project its the expected demand by 2019.