Wiring harness tape, this seemingly ordinary automotive material, is becoming a key link in the intelligent manufacturing and green upgrade of automobiles.

     Against the backdrop of the global automotive industry's accelerated transformation towards electrification and intelligence, the automotive wiring harness tape industry is undergoing profound changes. The market pattern, which had long been monopolized by international giants, has shown cracks due to the impetus of the new energy vehicle wave. Domestic enterprises are seizing the high-end market through green process innovation and industrial chain collaboration. An industry reshaping centered on technology, environmental protection and supply chain is underway.

01 Market Structure and Scale: Global Growth and Foreign Capital Dominance

    The latest data shows that the global automotive wiring harness tape market is experiencing a steady growth trend. According to industry reports, the global market size is expected to grow from the hundreds of millions of yuan level in 2024 to the hundreds of millions of yuan level in 2030, with a stable compound annual growth rate. As the world's largest single market, the Chinese market has reached a scale of hundreds of millions of yuan by 2024.

    From the perspective of the competitive landscape, the current global market is mainly dominated by a few international giants. Foreign-funded enterprises such as Tesa, 3M, Nitto Denko and DIC occupy the majority of the market share, forming a relatively concentrated market pattern. These enterprises have long dominated the high-end market by virtue of their technological accumulation and brand advantages.

    Automotive wiring harness tapes can be classified into PVC tapes, PET tapes and tapes made of other materials according to product types. It is divided into two major categories according to application fields: passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles. With the increasing degree of automotive electronicization, the value of adhesive tape per vehicle has reached 30 to 50 yuan, and the requirements for the functionality and lifespan of the tape are constantly rising.

02 Domestic Opportunities: New energy vehicles Drive Supply Chain Reconstruction

    The rapid development of China's new energy vehicle industry is providing domestic wire harness and tape enterprises with a rare window of opportunity for domestic substitution.

    According to industry analysis, domestic new energy vehicle manufacturers are expected to achieve a "curve overtaking", accelerate the localization process of auto parts, and bring import substitution opportunities to the wiring harness tape industry. Domestic enterprises such as Yongguan New Materials have been actively laying out in the field of automotive-grade film new materials. Data shows that in 2024, the sales volume of its new automotive-grade film materials increased by 86.37% year-on-year, indicating that the process of domestic substitution is accelerating. Domestic enterprises are transforming and upgrading from traditional civilian consumer-grade products to high-tech industrial-grade and automotive-grade products.

    At present, the certification access cycle for automotive wiring harness tapes is long, and the added value and access threshold of the products are relatively high. This is also an important reason why foreign-funded enterprises can dominate the market for a long time. However, as the overall level of the domestic industrial chain improves, this situation is gradually changing.

03 Technological development Trend: Equal emphasis on green environmental protection and high performance

    From the perspective of technological development, environmental protection and high performance have become the two main lines of innovation for automotive wiring harness tapes.

    The UV/EB green curing process is one of the most cutting-edge innovative directions at present. Domestic enterprises such as Liangxian Technology have begun to promote and apply this technology. This process can achieve rapid curing, significantly reduce the use of solvents and VOCs emissions, and meet the increasingly strict environmental protection requirements of the automotive industry.

    International giants are also constantly innovating. tesa®50128 tape developed by Tesa offers solutions to problems such as difficult-to-bond materials, numerous wire harnesses, and tight process times. This tape has high adhesion on both non-polar and rough substrate surfaces, and its low volatile organic compound characteristics meet the application standards of automotive interiors.

In the future, the demand for differentiated products such as high-performance aluminum foil-based pressure-sensitive tapes and conductive tapes will continue to grow. Especially with the rising demand for battery pack packaging in new energy vehicles, the market prospects for special tapes with high temperature resistance and high bonding strength are broad.

04 Industry Challenges and Risks: Coexistence of cost and competitive pressure

    The automotive wiring harness tape industry still faces multiple challenges. The proportion of raw material costs in the total product costs exceeds 75%, and the price fluctuations of major raw materials such as butyl acrylate have a significant impact on the operation of enterprises. In 2024, the price fluctuation range of acrylic acid reached ±23%, exerting significant cost pressure on the industry.

    Competition in the industry is also intensifying continuously. In 2024, some tape enterprises witnessed a phenomenon of cutting prices to secure orders, which led to a decline in the overall profitability of the industry. Yongguan New Materials' gross profit margin in 2024 is only 7.94%, reflecting the intensity of market competition.

    From the perspective of the supply chain, enterprises with a relatively large proportion of exports are at risk of changes in trade policies. Take Yongguan New Materials as an example. In 2024, the proportion of its export business in its main business income reached over 70%. Fluctuations in exchange rates and changes in the international trade environment have had a significant impact on the enterprise.

    In addition, the tightening of environmental protection policies has also driven a reshuffle in the industry. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's "Normative Conditions for the Green Packaging Industry" clearly stipulates that solvent-based adhesive processes should be phased out by 2027, compelling enterprises to upgrade their technologies and transform towards environmentally friendly directions such as water-based adhesives.

    With the continuous transformation of the automotive industry, the automotive wiring harness tape industry is embracing a new round of development opportunities. Domestic enterprises such as Yongguan New Materials and Liangxian Technology are increasing their investment in research and development to enhance their market competitiveness by developing environmentally friendly and high-performance products.

    In the next five years, enterprises with nano-coating technology and intelligent coating equipment will dominate the market landscape. By 2030, tapes that meet environmental protection standards are expected to account for 62% of the market share, and the defect rate of products in intelligent manufacturing demonstration factories can be controlled at an extremely low level.

    Although automotive wiring harness tape is small, it reflects the grand picture of the transformation and upgrading of China's manufacturing industry - from relying on imports to independent innovation, from price competition to value competition. The domestic supply chain is firmly establishing itself in the high-end market through continuous innovation.