Brazilian Composite Use Drops 4.6% in 2020, Yet Revenue Surges 3.9%

Photo Credit: Latin American Composite Materials Association

The Latin American Composite Materials Association’s (ALMACO) (São Paulo, Brazil) recent survey found that Brazilian consumption of composites fell 4.6% in 2020, totaling 208,000 tons. Despite the drop, the sector revenues rose 3.9%, reaching $561 million USD — a supposed result of increases in the prices of raw materials, particularly resin and fiberglass.

According to the ALMACO survey, civil construction accounted for 35% of Brazilian consumption of polyester composites in 2020, ahead of transport (20%), corrosion/sanitation (17%), leisure/swimming pools (12%), wind energy (6%), electricity (4%), marine (2%) and clothing (1%), among others. For composites based on epoxy resin, wind power generation led with 91%, ahead of oil and gas (4%) and electronics (3%).

“Although there was a strong recovery in the second half of the year, the effects of the pandemic at the beginning of 2020 were very intense and, in some cases, such as in the bus segment, they last until now,” comments Erika Bernardino Aprá, president of ALMACO.

For 2021, ALMACO expects an 11% growth in consumption, totaling 230 thousand tons of composites — in value, $650 million USD (+16%). According to ALMACO, civil construction remains heated, as well as the demand from industries that deal with highly corrosive processes, environments in which composites stand out due to their high chemical resistance.