Benzene Market & Its Derivatives (Ethylbenzene, Cumene, Cyclohexane, Nitrobenzene, and Alkylbenzene) Market by Application & Geography - Trends and Forecasts to 2018

Benzene is a basic petrochemical which is widely used in the industry as a feedstock for manufacturing various chemicals, which are further linked to various manufacturing industries. The possibility of plummeting in the benzene derivates demand is expected to be very minimal due to a very high number of end-user markets that depend on these derivates. The fall in demand from one end-user industry wouldn't impact the complete demand of benzene derivatives market because of the aforementioned reason.

The Asia-Pacific is the biggest market of benzene consuming a significant share of the total consumption in 2012, and it is also the second fastest growing market next to ROW. The consumption patterns of benzene and its various derivatives are continuously showing an upward trend which is mainly due to the shift of manufacturing industry to the Asia-Pacific on account of increasing demand and low cost of production. China is the leading country in the region in terms of both, production as well as consumption of benzene and its derivatives, while the Indian market, despite being small in size, is expected to be a market with high potential.

Currently, the demand of benzene is dominated by ethylbenzene manufacturers that consumed more than half of the total benzene demanded in 2012 and this demand is increasing at a considerable pace due to budding demand for styrenic polymers. Cumene and alkylbenzene manufacturing segments are expected to be the strongest growth areas of benzene in the near future, driven by increased use in the Asia-Pacific and ROW. The key factors driving the industry are identified as budding demand in the Asia-Pacific and growth by various end user industries, while rising investments in Saudi Arabia's downstream sector is identified as a major opportunity in the market. Value chain and plant integration is among the key strategies adopted by various market players to sustain their position in the much competitive market.

China Petroleum & Chemical Corporation (Sinopec, China) and ExxonMobil Corporation (U.S.) are the leading market participants in benzene market, followed by Royal Dutch Shell Plc. (The Netherlands), The Dow Chemical Company (U.S.), JX Holdings (Japan), CNPC (China), Total S.A. (France). However, In terms of market development activities Sinopec was the most active player from 2010 to 2013 with a share of 12.7% of the total development activities traced.Other active market participants include CNPC, Total, BASF SE, etc.