Nonwovens live

Strong growth in Brazil for ACIMIT

The Brazilian market for nonwovens and technical textiles is growing at a rapid pace, according to Italy’s textile machinery association ACIMIT.
A recent survey finds nonwovens and technical textiles together accounting for well over 200 companies currently operating in Brazil, employing roughly 40,000 people.
Total estimated production for 2008 amounted to 462,000 tons, with a value of 3.9 billion Brazilian Reais (US$2.12 billion). For the same year, over 160 million Reais was invested in modernising and/or acquiring new machinery (a value of about 4% of annual revenues). Exports of products for these two sectors in 2008 totalled US$269 million.
In an effort to place Italian technology in the spotlight, ACIMIT and the Italian Trade Commission (ICE) have organized a technology symposium to be held in Sao Paolo from March 4-5 2010. Some fifteen Italian textile machinery manufacturers will present their latest technology to strengthen the growing bond between the two countries.
In fact, between 2004 and 2008, Italian exports of textile machinery to Brazil have increased by 13% annually, reaching a value of €72 million in 2008, ranking the country fourth among foreign markets for Italy’s textile machinery sector.
In the most recent figures for January to September 2009, Italian exports to Brazil amounted to €23 million. Italian technology most in demand is finishing machinery (32%), followed by accessories (26%) and knitting machines (21%).

New velour line for Rieter

NSC Nonwoven is to provide a new needlepunching line for automotive velour carpet to Rieter Automotive North America, headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan.
This is the first such line to be purchased for a number of years, says NSC, and as such will provide Rieter with a distinct advantage in what is a very competitive market.
The line will include Thibeau Excelle batt formation with IsoProDyn, Asselin needlepunching and the latest SDV Velour needleloom for finishing.
It will offer high output while maintaining minimum weight variation and improved fibre orientation for consistent strength properties.
The equipment will be installed at Rieter’s plant in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, along with Laroche opening and blending units and auxiliary equipment from Signal Machine.

Spontex purchase

Jarden Corporation has made a binding offer to acquire the Mapa Spontex Baby Care and Home Care businesses of Total SA.
Under the terms of the offer, Jarden will pay approximately $500 million in cash, less any indebtedness assumed by Jarden.
Headquartered in Paris, France, Mapa Spontex is a global manufacturer and distributor of baby care and home care products with leading market positions in Europe, Brazil and Argentina in the core categories it serves.
Its baby care portfolio includes teats, soothers, feeding bottles and other infant and health care accessories while home care products include sponges, rubber gloves, wipes and related cleaning products for retail, professional and industrial sold primarily under the Mapa and Spontex brands.
“We believe Mapa Spontex will be an excellent strategic addition to our Jarden Branded Consumables segment,” commented Martin E. Franklin, chairman and chief executive officer of Jarden Corporation. “By entering the baby care and home care markets, we believe we will achieve two major strategic objectives. First, the transaction is expected to expand our product offerings and distribution channels into new, attractive categories, and second, we anticipate it will further diversify our revenue streams and increase our international presence.”
For the year ended December 31, 2008, sales for Mapa Spontex were approximately $800 million with adjusted EBITDA of approximately $80 million. On closing of the transaction, the Mapa Spontex business will be reported within Jarden’s Branded Consumables segment. 
The transaction is expected to close early in the second quarter of 2010.

Strong quarter for Buckeye

Business is bouncing back for airlaid leader Buckeye Technologies which has reported a net income of $46.3 million between September and December, its second financial quarter.
This compares to a loss of $127.6 million in the same period of 2008 and has been achieved as a result of increased shipments, significantly lower raw material costs and other cost reductions at the company’s speciality cotton plants.
Net sales for the most recent quarter were $183 million
“We are encouraged by the improving trends in our business, as evidenced by a strong rebound in earnings,” said chairman and chief executive officer John B. Crowe. “We are benefitting from improved demand, a better mix, rising fluff pulp prices and lower interest expenses.”

New ownership at Nowo

Nowo Textile Machinery, a manufacturer of lines for nonwoven and wadding bedding products, has been purchased by Oy Brandstones Ab, a company owned by Kari Luhtanen in Helsinki Finland.
Mr Luhtanen previously represented Nowo in Central Europe with his company Scanma GmbH.
The company has subsequently delivered a new Nowo Vac line to an unspecified customer, consisting of a bale opener, opening machine, ball fibre machine Noworoll and a pillow filling unit Nowo Vac with two filling boxes.
Nowo cooperates with European thermobonding oven manufacturers, and can now provide a full turnkey-delivery that includes installation, commissioning and personnel training.
The latest Nowo W wadding line is designed to produce high quality wadding for the furniture and mattress industry, for the production of quilts and filter materials. It consists of an opening and blending system, a card and crosslapper, a thermobonding oven and a cross and longitudinal cutting and winding unit.

Expanded research in China for PGI

Polymer Group is establish a new research Center of Excellence (COE) for research in Suzhou, China.
It will focus on developing new technologies to significantly improve barrier, opacity, breathability, softness and comfort in engineered polymeric materials.
A dedicated team of PGI scientists, researchers and engineers will come together to advance these properties that are critical in providing improved performance in infection control devices, hygiene products and protective apparel.
The COE will develop a collaborative work structure with PGI’s other global R&D facilities in the US, Latin America and Europe. It will also tap into Asia’s growing research and development capabilities and leverage existing technology expertise in Europe and North America by forming alliances with research companies, universities, technology think-tanks, raw material suppliers and customers. 
The COE will support the company’s recently announced expansion in Asia and the US, where PGI is adding its proprietary capabilities to new custom-built spunmelt machines designed to deliver differentiated and innovative products to the market. Fabrics with the enhanced performance properties from these new lines and proprietary technologies will be commercially available in mid-2011.
“This latest COE in China will be an extension of PGI’s ongoing global R&D initiatives and continued investment in technology to deliver differentiated, higher-performing products to the market,” said Mike Hale, PGI’s chief operating officer.

Second SMS line for Toray in China

Toray Polytech Nantong (TPN) is to add a new polypropylene SMS line at its plant in Nantong, Jiangsu Province, at a cost of 375 million yuan (€38 million).
With an annual capacity of 20,000 tonnes, the line will bring total capacity at the plant to 38,000 tonnes. In combination with sister company Toray Saehan’s plants in South Korea and China, Toray will become the biggest producer in Asia once construction of the new line is completed, with a total annual capacity of 88,000 tonnes.
TPN started up its first Reicofil SMS line with a capacity of 18,000 tonnes in 2008 (pictured is the opening ceremony).
At that time, the company said that despite the soaring cost of raw materials which it was finding hard to pass on to its customers, its SMS sales were increasing rapidly.
In addition to hygiene end-uses, TPN has been developing other markets such as medical applications for this output, in collaboration with the Toray Fibers and Textiles Research Laboratories which are also located in Nantong.
Toray Sehan in Korea reduced its exports to China following the opening of TPN, and relocated a portion of its output to the Japanese market.

Right for Hygiene site launch

EDANA has announced the launch of the new website – www.rightforhygiene.eu – highlighting the role personal care products play in today’s society.
The site focuses on baby diapers, feminine hygiene products, incontinence products and personal care wet wipes and what contribution they make to the wellbeing of both individuals and society at large. It also explores how they have changed to reduce environmental impact and what life was like before they were available.
The site was produced by members of EDANA who are supporters of the Right for Hygiene Programme – a pan-European activity to communicate the benefits of absorbent hygiene products and personal care wet wipes.
“The newly launched resource on the ‘Right for Hygiene’ provides both easily accessible information and detailed reports and factsheets about products that are widely used, and so much part of everyday life that they are taken for granted by millions of people around the world,” says Abby Bailey, director of marketing and communications for EDANA.

Glatfelter to acquire Concert Industries

Airlaid leader Concert Industries is to be acquired by Glatfelter for US$235 million, which up to now has been active primarily in wetlaid nonwoven products.
Glatfelter says the purchase will allow it to capitalise on the rapidly growing global markets for feminine hygiene and adult incontinence products.
Concert is a leading global supplier of highly absorbent cellulose-based airlaid nonwoven materials, used to manufacture a diverse range of consumer and industrial products for growing global end-use markets, including feminine hygiene and adult incontinence products, speciality wipes and food pads. 
Approximately 80% of Concert’s sales come from the feminine hygiene market, which is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 5% for the next four years. 
In 2009, Concert’s revenues are estimated at approximately $203 million) and earnings before interest $25 million. The company employs about 600 people at its two state-of-the-art facilities in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada and Falkenhagen, Brandenburg, Germany.  In response to rapidly increasing customer demand, Concert recently invested approximately $70 million to install a new line at its Falkenhagen facility which increased annual rated capacity by 18,000 metric tons to a total of 84,000 metric tons.  The new line successfully commenced commercial production during the fourth quarter of 2009, and is expected to ramp up significantly in 2010-2011 period.   
“We view Concert as a natural fit for our business and right in line with our growth strategy,” said George H. Glatfelter II, chairman and chief executive officer of Glatfelter. “This acquisition will combine the strengths of two highly-regarded specialIty producers and provide us with another industry-leading global business that sells highly specialiSed, engineered fibre-based products to niche markets with substantial barriers to entry. 
“Concert participates in markets that are adjacent to markets we currently serve. It employs technologies that are familiar to us and broadens our relationship with premier global consumer products companies. In addition, Concert will create additional growth opportunities globally for Glatfelter, particularly in developing markets such as Asia, Central and Eastern Europe and South America.”
Founded in 1993, Concert is a recognized technology and product innovation leader in technically demanding segments of the airlaid market, most notably feminine hygiene, with the majority of its production technology and equipment being less than ten years old. Its customers include Procter and Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, SCA and Kimberly-Clark.
 “The acquisition of Concert affords us the opportunity to grow with the industry leaders in feminine hygiene and adult incontinence,” Mr Glatfelter said. “Like Glatfelter’s existing business units, Concert holds leading market share positions in the markets it serves, excels in building long-term customer relationships through superior quality and customer service programmes, and has a well-earned reputation for innovation and its ability to quickly bring new products to market.”
The proposed transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, including receipt of German regulatory approval, is expected to close by the end of the first quarter of 2010.  Upon closing, Glatfelter plans to operate Concert as a third business unit along with Specialty Papers and Composite Fibers.

In-house investments at Ungricht

Roller and engraving technology specialist Ungricht, based in Mönchengladbach, Germany, has invested in additional engraving machines for the hygiene industry.
The investment is in response to customer demand for smaller, high precision engraved rollers for use in the converting of disposables, including overbonding, laminating, embossing, crimping, calandering and ultrasonic anvil-rollers.
Ungricht has also invested in new technologies enabling it to combine techniques – such as direct laser engraving together with high speed milling – to create new surfaces and new roller properties.
 “I’m very happy that Ungricht is able to move forward in these difficult times,” said nonwovens industry sales manager for the company Achim von Wirth. “After serving a lot of customers around the globe in this field I believe that with everything needed in-house, we now have the chance to increase our market share significantly.”