This eighth edition of this industry report for the polyurethane industry updates and expands the previous study published in 2008. Information is based upon an extensive programme of industry and contains both PU products production and raw materials consumption data for 2009 and forecasts to 2014. The report is presented in five volumes. The data includes raw material consumption by product type, by region and by major end use industry, supported with industry data on production volumes by major manufacturer. Profiles of leading flexible foamers and raw materials manufacturers are also included.

After a period of growth, the PU industry was adversely affected by the global financial crisis that hit towards the end of 2008. Total production of PU products is reported to have been 5,066,440 t for 2009, compared to 5.4 million t in 2007. By 2014 this figure is forecast to be 5,867,777 t, equivalent to a mean annual growth of 2.9 %. Comparing the three subsectors of the EMEA region, Western Europe remains the largest, but growth rates are strongest in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.