IPF – Ingenieria del Poliuretano Flexible was invited to last EuroPUR meeting where in addition to presenting our last technology MyFoamPlant, attended the presentation of the last   study on Flexible Foam Market developed by Labyrinth Research & Markets Ltd.

SUMMARY OF FLEXIBLE FOAM MARKET 2017 REPORT

The use of flexible polyurethane foam grew in Europe between 2015 and 2016 despite raw materials difficulties.

As per the information published by EuroPUR, data illustrate a positive growth trend in production, exports and consumption of foam containing products such as mattresses, upholstered furniture and automation. A comparison of production data for EU28 countries, Norway and Switzerland suggests a growth of 12.6 % in polyether slabstock and 3.2 % in polyester slabstock (in tonnage values).

Especially relevant is that EuroPUR members reported a 10.2 % increase in the weight of foam produced in 2016 vs 2015.

Market is growing and foam specifications seem to be changing. The unexpectedly high growth in the weight of foam produced could be explained by a general increase in foam density, probably affected by the bigger use of compression techniques to ship foam and mattresses.

Compression allows products to be shipped cost effectively over longer distances and, to avoid damage to the foam, higher quality and higher density foams are required.

The good forecast for the polyurethane foam market in the next years makes IPF team work on high technology and automatic solutions to accomplish our customers’ new needs, designing installations to allow bigger production capacity and improving foam handling equipment.

Our automatic systems for foam transport, curing and storage will allow our clients to face market changes from an efficient and innovative approach.