UHMWPE fiber is an important military supply product of the state, widely used in civil, industrial, safety protection and marine applications. In the next two to three years, China may become the country with the largest production and sales volume in the world. Domestic production technology for high-performance fiber is now basically mastered, and some product quality has reached the internationally advanced level. Demand for military and national defense equipment has grown both in China and abroad, and affected by the current Russia-Ukraine conflict and other situations, global procurement of military supplies has increased.
Capacity growth cannot meet market demand: fiber is used not only for national defense and military supplies, but also for civil and industrial purposes. Ship cables were originally made of steel wire rope, which can rust and pollute the marine environment, so the use of UHMWPE fiber to replace steel wire rope began to be explored many years ago. For high-strength ropes for outdoor sports and product hoisting ropes, UHMWPE fiber products are light and have high tensile strength, and both civil and industrial applications have grown substantially. In the future China will be the country with the largest high-performance fiber production and sales volume in the world, and this will not be limited to ballistic protection, cut resistance, protective clothing, special clothing and rope nets; more fields will be developed. On the basis of its excellent properties, and if no other new material emerges to replace it, analysts believe it will remain an important product for five to eight years, with broad development prospects. Compared with similar products, UHMWPE fiber has a price advantage, and its penetration in various industries continues to rise.
Market structure: at present there is competition, but no severe price wars or other vicious competition. This is determined partly by supply and demand, and partly by the fact that each company’s downstream focus differs. In the future the industry will resemble a scene of a hundred flowers blooming; capacity will continue to grow from the current base of 60,000 tons, market demand will keep rising and application areas will keep expanding. Many companies have their own excellent technologies, some even reaching the world’s leading level.
Experts believe the industry has a broad market and a good development direction, and that if no better product replaces UHMWPE fiber in the future, this industry will not be replaced. The world is optimistic about the development prospects of UHMWPE: it is economical and covers a wide range of applications, and new fields will emerge in the future. Analysts believe domestic technology will surpass the internationally advanced level, and that leading the world in capacity and sales together with expanding application areas will stimulate technological innovation and industry development. The industry will enter its heyday within the next two to eight years.