STA*Research - Specialist Consultants To The Petrochemicals Industry

Our Objectives

The prime focus of STA*Research’s Materials activity is on polyolefins: polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP) and specialty olefin copolymers. We concentrate on technologies to make, process/convert and use polyolefins in all their application markets, and specifically on emerging innovations that lead to higher performance, enhanced sustainability and greater market penetration.

The Innovation Horizon

Polyolefins are very versatile polymers and there remains enormous potential for future innovation in products & applications. For converters and their customers, the limiting factor is the innovation horizon: all their innovations are limited to use of grades currently available from suppliers. We all know that today’s “best” resins are tomorrow’s “average” resins, that are the next day’s “obsolete” resins. To innovate faster and to stay ahead of the game we need a glimpse of what is over the horizon: the new products under development by resin producers that will soon be available for novel innovations.

Next Generation Polyolefins

At STA*Research, we search the patent and technical literature for new ideas, innovations and technologies related to the production, modification, processing and use of polyolefins to identify those new ideas & inventions that offer hope for significant future market growth. We strive to extrapolate the characteristics of these ideas and inventions in terms of properties and application techniques, thus defining the “next-generation” of PE/PP/PO resins & technologies.

Scope Of Our Activities

Polyolefins are the largest volume thermoplastics in world markets yet are nevertheless still not mature, and innovative new products continue to be commercialized in all market regions. We cover all markets for PP from packaging to fibers & non-wovens, to composites, automobiles and durables markets. We also cover all PE families: HDPE for pipe, film, sheet, blow molding, injection & rotomolding, LLDPE for film, injection & rotomolding, and LDPE for film, coating, molding, extrusion, etc. We also cover polyolefin specialties such as polyolefin plastomers & elastomers (POP & POE), and specialty copolymers like HEVA and ionomers. In particular, we cover UHMW-PE in great detail in our series of published multi-client studies, including the latest 1,000+ page April 2020 report.

Useful Links

Opportunities In UHMW-PE: Poised For Global Market Growth

Next Generation Polyethylene

Next Generation Polypropylene