Analysis: Outlook bright for carbon black?

Can major manufacturers continue on the track of strong market growth and investment seen last year?

After a period of strong demand and tightness of supply the carbon black market showed signs of cooling towards the end 2018.

Birla Carbon president Europe & Africa, John Davidson is detecting “cautious optimism” in his region for the rest of the year, with predictions of 1-2% growth in Europe.

“Our customers are feeling reasonably confident that they can deliver that,” Davidson told ERJ during the Tire Tech Show, in Hanover, 6 March.

While the automotive industry has witnessed a “huge amount of volatility”, the macrotrend is still that people want to own vehicles and drive more miles, he continued.

A positive side of the tire market is the truck and bus tire market – particularly in Europe, added Davidson, who joined Birla Carbon just over a year ago.