龙头企业座谈会召开 聚酯行业“反内卷”成效初显

Core Viewpoint - The recent meeting among PTA and bottle chip industry leaders is seen as a crucial step to mitigate "involution" competition and promote stable industry operations amid supply-demand mismatches and low profits [1] Group 1: Industry Challenges - The polyester industry is currently in a phase of concentrated capacity investment, with poor profitability reported across the sector [1] - PTA's average operating load is below 80% this year, with spot processing margins dropping to as low as 100 yuan/ton, significantly below normal processing cost levels [1] - The bottle chip industry is also struggling, with average spot processing margins around 400 yuan/ton, dipping below 300 yuan/ton at times, leading to cash flow losses for companies [1] Group 2: Capacity and Utilization - Despite low processing fees, significant capacity clearance in the PTA and bottle chip sectors is unlikely in the short term due to the relatively recent investment in capacity [2] - Current capacity utilization in the polyester industry is better than the previous downturn cycle (2014-2015), and remains among the highest compared to other domestic industrial products [2] Group 3: Industry Response - The polyester industry, particularly the bottle chip sector, has begun to implement "anti-involution" measures, including increasing maintenance frequency and duration, as well as coordinated production cuts among suppliers [2] - The processing margin for bottle chips has improved, reaching a peak of over 550 yuan/ton in mid-October, attributed to industry self-discipline and profit recovery [2] Group 4: Market Outlook - Recent strength in the polyester sector, including rapid rebounds in PX and PTA futures, is driven by cost support from rising oil prices, increased demand for pre-holiday stocking, and positive market expectations following the industry meeting [3] - However, there are concerns about potential declines in textile and apparel production loads in November, which may limit the recovery of polyester processing margins [3] - Future improvements in the polyester industry are expected as capacity investment slows and consumption rebounds, but achieving good profitability will take time [3][4]