Asian acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene producers Thursday said a sharp drop in ABS demand in China in the first quarter of 2013 could be linked to a record decline in worldwide sales of personal computers as reported by the US-based research firm International Data Corp., or IDC.
Demand for ABS -- which is used in PCs and other home appliances -- has been weak in China after the Lunar New Year holidays in February, with prices dropping 8.5% from a year-to-date high of $2,055/mt CFR China on February 17 to $1,880/mt CFR China on April 10, Platts data showed.
China's imports of ABS also fell 14% year on year in Q1 2013, to 353,212 mt, customs data showed.
In its report released Wednesday IDC said smartphones and tablets had diverted much of the consumer spending away from PCs, which led to their sales tumbling 14% year on year in the first quarter of this year to 76.3 million units -- the steepest decline ever recorded.
As consumers switched to tablets and smartphones, demand for ABS also decreased, an ABS producer based in Taiwan said Thursday, adding that PCs are typically larger and contain more plastics than a tablet or smartphone and so require more ABS for production.
PC sales in the Asia-Pacific, excluding Japan, fell a record 12.7% year on year, IDC said. Hewlett-Packard maintained its spot as the top vendor, but its worldwide shipments still tumbled 23% year on year, IDC said.
