Nonwovens live

Fiberweb and Fitesa in talks

Fiberweb is in advanced discussions with leading Brazilian spunbond producer Fitesa and its parent company Petropar, in respect of the establishment of a 50/50 joint venture focused primarily on the market for hygiene fabrics for use in diapers and feminine care products in the Americas.
Such a joint venture would comprise Fitesa, the third largest producer of spunbond nonwovens in South America at its site at Gravatai, Brazil and all of Fiberweb's spunbond facilities in North America, specifically at Queretaro, Mexico and Washougal, USA, which together are currently the fourth largest spunbond producer in North America.

Fiberweb believes that the joint venture would be the second largest producer of spunbond nonwovens in the Americas and would enjoy a leading asset and technology base with potential for further development.
The joint venture plans to expand its operations in the US, through investment in new spunbond capacity. Completion of any such transaction would require various consents, including approvals from the boards of both parties and from the shareholders of both Fiberweb and Petropar. There can be no certainty that such a transaction will be completed or about the likely timetable for completing negotiations and obtaining consents.
Fitesa is one of two major Brazilian spunmelt manufacturers which announced major moves into the US market during 2008.
The company said it would invest $120 million in new lines to come onstream in late 2009 at Laurens County, South Carolina, while Companhia Providencia announced a $120 million move into North America with plans to install two Reicofil 4 lines with a combined capacity of 40,000 tonnes at Statesville, North Carolina,. The first line is expected to start up during 2009 and the second early in 2010, and the company has an option to acquire a further two Reicofil lines in the future.

Huntsman to introduce Phobol in Shanghai

At the forthcoming ANEX + SINCE nonwovens show in Shanghai from May 20-22, Huntsman Textile Effects will introduce its latest innovations for key market segments such as medical, transportation, protective wear and others where nonwovens play a major role.

One of the highlights will be the latest in the company’s range of repellents with lower environmental impact – the new DuPont Capstone range which will be marketed by Huntsman as Phobol.
These sustainable, performance-driven and fluorine efficient repellent and soil release finishes are based on short chain chemistry and deliver the maximum performance with the smallest possible environmental footprint.
Also known for its competence in flame retardants (FR), Huntsman will showcase Flovan CWF and Pyrovatim PBS, as two well established names in FR suitable for a range of fibres and constructions with end uses for automotive components, filtration media, mattress ticking, building materials and home decor fabrics.
Huntsman also has a range of antimicrobials for nonwovens including Silpure – a new technology for topical application to both synthetic and cellulose-based fibre substrates.

Fighting Swine Flu with nonwovens

The latest Swine Flu epidemic is an opportunity for the industry to illustrate the valuable role low cost and effective nonwoven barrier filtration products can play in preventing or delaying the spread of such illnesses, according to Monadnock Nonwovens.

By configuring existing proven media, the company has aligned various weights of polypropylene nonwoven media from 10-25 grams per square foot with exceptionally low air resistance.

Monadnock, based in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, USA, has firmly established a business supplying qualified roll goods to converters and producers of medical face masks for the dental and hospital markets. 

The key is to produce consistent media with a suitable combination of filtration and breathability that is easy to process and convert into a variety of face mask configurations, the company says. A standard test is the Bacteria Filtration Efficiency  (BFE) which categorises surgical masks as low, moderate and high efficiency – typically 95%, 99%, or better than 99% efficiency with a corresponding resistance to air flow or breathability. Products made with Monadnock’s face mask media meet the most rigorous BFE requirements.

The Monadnock range of face mask media has been developed over 10 years and now includes a family of roll goods to meet most market requirements including the fast growing consumer or home market. New machinery was installed by the company in 2008 to improve quality and boost capacity by 50% to help meet the growing market demand.

Asia’s nonwovens industry experienced a massive surge in response to the demand for facemasks during the SARs epidemic, and in Japan in particular, facemasks have been adopted as a fashion item, with many variants on offer in striking designs.

Sanitars adds third spunlace line

Italian nonwovens and cosmetic disposables manufacturer Sanitars has started up its third Rieter Perfojet spunlace line at its plant in Flero, Brescia.
Sanitars began producing cotton make-up balls over 30 years ago and the installation of its first Perfojet unit in 1992 saw it enter the field of the production of cotton discs for use as make-up pads. The instant success of this first line resulted in the installation of a Rieter JETlace 2000 line in 1995
While developing a lead in spunlace technology Sanitars also decided to approach the European market with its own brand, in addition to becominf a partner in realising private label product.
The company’s current production capacity is of around 30 million packs of 80 discs per year, with the possibility of also creating special formats including cotton flock and sanitary cotton wool in parallel.
In 2004 the company introduced its Idroclean technology for pure cotton web production, suitable for making tissues, napkins, cloths and cleansing wipes.
The company’s latest JETlace machine is specifically designed for the production of state-of-the-art cotton fabrics for end uses as wipes or cotton pads and has now been in operation for two months.

PGI to close North Little Rock plant

PGI to close North Little Rock plant

Leading nonwovens manufacturer Polymer Group (PGI) is to close its US plant in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and consolidate certain manufacturing operations in its Benson, North Carolina, plant.

The move is necessary to maintain competitiveness in response to major global downturns in industrial markets, the company says. It plans to phase out operations at North Little Rock by the end of March 2010 and relocate portions of its hydroentanglement and fusible fibre businesses to increase efficiency, reduce costs and maintain quality levels. These activities will involve upgrading the capabilities of both the hydroentanglement and fusible fibre manufacturing bases at PGI in order to meet developing market needs, through capitalisation of in-house intellectual properties.

“PGI’s focus on leading market positions and global growth requires a constant assessment of our capabilities compared to the market needs,” said CEO Ronee Hagen. “As certain market segments for carded technologies increasingly become commoditised or transition to more cost-effective technologies, we must constantly streamline business operations and enhance our capabilities to maintain competitiveness. As a result of these activities, we will be upgrading our overall asset base to better meet market needs.

“Despite efforts to continually improve operations at the North Little Rock plant, the current level and mix of business and future outlook do not support the cost structure of multiple facilities serving these markets. We regret the impact this action will have on employees, but it is a necessary step to maintain our competitive position and effectively serve the needs of our global customer base.”

The North Little Rock plant was built and opened in 1956 and became part of PGI in 1995 when the company acquired the Chicopee business from Johnson & Johnson. After the consolidation is complete, PGI will continue to operate seven plants in the US.

The company estimates that it will recognise cash restructuring charges of approximately $10-11 million through to the first quarter of fiscal 2010, primarily associated with employee termination expenses and costs to move and upgrade equipment. The company also currently expects to recognise a non-cash impairment charge during the second quarter of 2009 of approximately $1-2 million associated with the consolidation and closure. When fully implemented, the consolidation is expected to result in reduced annual manufacturing costs of approximately $10-11.0 million, partially offset by $3-4 million of lower contributions from the exited businesses.

Carcoustics sells Mexican plant

Automotive insulation specialist Carcoustics has sold CarMex, its Mexican textile plant to HP Pelzer Holding GmbH.
CarMex is a leading producer of automotive textile components – including nonwoven carpets and wheelhouse liners – in Los Reyes Acozac.
HP Pelzer now claims to produce more than 350,000 automotive parts every day, with insulation materials accounting for 40% of its output, carpet 30%, trim parts 20% and miscellaneous other automotive and non-automotive materials the remaining 10%.
Headquartered in Witten, Germany, the company has grown into an organisation with 37 manufacturing plants and six R&D centres.
 Carcoustics, headquartered in Leverkeusen, Germany, opened a new plant in Queretaro, Mexico during 2008, which is focused on the company's future technologies.
Having established a leading position in the development of automotive acoustic packages, the company is now actively seeking new markets.
“We started in the acoustics sector for automotive, but we have found that our technologies and experience can do so much more,” says Peter Schwibinger, CEO of the Carcoustics Group.
One example of this is in consulting services for acoustic and material technology. The company says there is a big demand for such services both from other automotive companies, who don't have all the facilities for it and also in fields such as the marine industry.
The reduction of CO² emissions is becoming an ever more critical issue and this can be achieved with the use of lightweight materials and improved insulation across a range of industries.
Carcoustics is also offering energy-related advisory services in Germany. In both private homes and businesses, the thermal efficiency of any building can be visualised by the company with the aid of thermal imaging cameras. Through the implementation of improved insulation where it is needed, potential savings can be maximised. In Germany it is now required for new houses to hold an energy pass, which the company can provide, drawing on its heat management and insulation know-how. This new part of the business is currently only being tested in Germany, but if it is successful, and if other countries require energy passes, the company may consider expanding in this field.
At the start of 2009, Carcoustics also secured the first orders for its materials as premium packaging for kitchen equipment.
Carcoustics International employs 2,300 people worldwide at 15 production sites and had an annual turnover of €315m in 2008, down from €315m in 2007.