Freedonia has used proven technology to take careful measurements of the market growth of Silicones.  As expected, the greatest area of need is Asia.  The Asia/Pacific region has risen to become the leading market for silicones, accounting for nearly 40 percent of global demand in 2012. Demand in the region grew nearly 10 percent annually from 2002 to 2012, fueled primarily by the rapid advancement of China as a silicone consumer. Silicone demand in the more mature markets of North America and Western Europe will rise at a pace below the global average through 2017.  Silicones are commonly used in metalworking fluid defoamers.  The complete report copy is available from The Freedonia Group, Inc. (Cleveland, OH) – price is $6,100.  They are a provider of numerous respectable industrial reports throughout the year related to the metalworking fluid industry. - Nothing like us, as you can see.  We get to be stupid like this every couple of years when this report comes out.