Products Distribution of Meta-Oriented Aromatic Polyamide Needs Improvement   

By Sun Maojian   

Capacity holding the second place in the world

Meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber was first developed by DuPont of the United States. Commercial production began in the late 1960s. Today the world's capacity to produce meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber is 28 150 t/a, and DuPont holds a 78% market share.
   China started research in meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber production technology in the early 1960s. Till May 2004, Yantai Spandex Co., Ltd. at last made some technical breakthroughs and took the lead in China to achieve commercial production of meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber, and the product quality was recognized by domestic and overseas clients. After repeated expansions, the company's capacity reached 2 800 t/a, second in the world. In addition to Yantai Spandex Co., Ltd., a 1 000 t/a unit in Guangdong Charming Co., Ltd. has started production. China's capacity to make meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber has therefore reached 3 800 t/a, second in the world.
   Despite trailing DuPont by considerable gaps in scale, technology and product brand, the involvement of Chinese chemical fiber enterprises, Yantai Spandex Co., Ltd. in particular, has greatly changed the mode of the world's meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber market.
   Localization of the meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber production has greatly promoted the development of its upstream and downstream sectors. With the outstanding advantages of the textile processing sector in China, the meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber sector in the world, especially its downstream processing sectors, has been shifting towards China.

Irrational products Distribution

Meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber is also called Nomax. It is an important basic material for aviation, spaceflight, national defense, electronic, communication, environmental protection, chemical and marine development sectors. Meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber has excellent thermal stability, flame retardance, electrical insulation, chemical stability and radiation resistance. It has applications in high-temperature filtration materials, protective clothing, automotive hoses and acoustic components.
   More than 80% of meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber produced in China is the low-end variety. It is mainly used to produce high-temperature filtration materials. Small amounts produced by Yantai Spandex Co., Ltd. are also used in clothes and other high-end sectors. Products of Guangdong Charming Co., Ltd. are also mostly used in high-temperature filtration materials. In contrast, the high-end meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fibers produced by DuPont that are used in clothes and paper account for around 80% of the company's total output. The great complexity of technical development and the high threshold in market promotion have reinforced the absence of high-end meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber in China.

Danger of overheated development

The main raw materials for meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber include 1,3-benzenedicarbonyl chloride and m-phenylenediamine. These intermediates easily deteriorate. The production of meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber, however, requires very high quality raw materials. Most producers of upstream raw materials in China are small scale, with poor technology and unstable production. The production of meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber is therefore affected and the competitiveness of domestic products is reduced. Besides, the downstream textile sector is faced with the macro control of the government and its development is restricted. Downstream processing sectors have poor profit-earning ability and high-end processing sectors such as meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber clothes have just started to develop. The application of meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber in high-end sectors is therefore restricted.
   With the start of the commercial production at Yantai Spandex Co., Ltd., some enterprises in China think that the technical threshold for the commercialization of meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber has already been broken down. They have started to enter the sector. There is therefore a danger of overheated development in the sector. On one hand, the production of meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber has great technical complexity and a high investment risk. On the other hand, the demand for meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber in the world is around 28 000 tons a year. The completion of a unit as small as 1 000 t/a will have a great impact on the world market. Meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber produced in China is mainly used in low-end high-temperature filtration materials, and the demand for meta-oriented aromatic polyamide fiber in high-temperature filtration materials is not more than 6 000 tons in the world. Blind expansion in low-end products would lead to fierce competition in the market.