经济新闻
业内人士称，尽管中东危机推高成本，中国橡胶、塑料供应商的订单量仍出现激增 2026-04-22
Chinese rubber and plastic suppliers have been leveraging their supply chain advantages to secure more orders than they did even before the war in the Middle East began, despite growing raw material prices, according to industry insiders.
"Despite rising costs of raw materials due to the war, our orders are still particularly high, exceeding our expectations," Guan Xunning, deputy general manager and deputy GM of marketing at leading modified plastic materials supplier Kingfa Sci. & Tech, told Yicai at Chinaplas 2026. Thanks to the firm's strong supply chain advantages, orders for modified plastics jumped by double digits in the first quarter from a year ago, Guan added.
Chinaplas is the world's leading tech-oriented plastics and rubber trade fair. This year's is being held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai from April 21 through 24, with more than 5,000 exhibitors participating.
Demand for Covestro's engineering plastic remained strong in the first quarter despite raw material prices having surged, said Wang Li, president of the company's relevant business unit. One of the firm's advantages lies in its comprehensive global supply chain, which helps customers better navigate short-term uncertainties, she pointed out.
The situation in the Middle East has created tension throughout the industry, with raw material costs soaring and supply chain stability being disrupted, which has led companies along the supply chain to worry not only about whether they can afford to buy materials but also if they can actually obtain them, Wang stressed. Clients are thus prioritizing supply security and continuing to place new orders, even though this may lift their inventory levels, she noted.
The situation in the Middle East presents both challenges and opportunities for businesses, Andy Postlethwaite, senior vice president of BASF and head of the German chemical giant's performance materials division for Asia-Pacific, said to Yicai.
The majority of the plastic value chain has inevitably been affected by high oil prices and is facing a shortage of upstream raw material supplies, so BASF plans to closely communicate with Chinese customers during Chinaplas to collaboratively manage the crisis and develop more resilient and efficient supply chain solutions, Postlethwaite revealed.
The period is difficult, but BASF has a very reliable supply chain and partners in China, which provide it with many opportunities to better support client needs, Postlethwaite said, adding that the firm's localization rate has reached about 96 percent, while continuing to increase investments in the region.
The situation in the Middle East has indeed driven up raw material prices and logistics costs, Guan Jian, sales director for car customers in China at Belgian chemicals and materials firm Syensqo, said to Yicai. However, many of the company's specialty polymer products are difficult to substitute and their use is relatively small, so the business impact has so far been limited, Guan pointed out.
One of Syensqo's measures to address competition and demand fluctuations is to continuously advance the localization of research and development as well as manufacturing, while "further enhancing business development in China," Guan stressed.
Source: Yicai Global
