Resumen de TiO2: : Year in Review 2014
An uptick in TiO[subscript]2 demand in 2014, owing particularly to a revival in paint demand in the Northern Hemisphere, has led to increases in production by leading pigment producers, while destocking also occurred in 2014 in the major TiO[subscript]2 producers' inventories, indicating that pigment prices stabilised in the second half of last year.
Increases in TiO[subscript]2 pigment prices towards the middle of 2014 have yet to lift prices in feedstock minerals, with prices in the ilmenite market showing no signs of picking up in the foreseeable future, and, according to some sources, are anticipated to fall further. Recent production increases from ilmenite miners also added weight to the supply side in 2014 at a time when demand remains flat to weak, making material easy to get hold of.
One thing that producers remain in agreement over is that only pioneering companies will survive. While there have been huge leaps forward in TiO[subscript]2 technology in the past, aside from a few recent technological shifts, such as that of Argex, the innovation pipeline has remained relatively bare in TiO[subscript]2.
