The world nonwovens industry: part 3 -- ten smaller producers, 1st quarter 2007

23 pages, published in Issue 68, 1st quarter 2007   Report price: Euro 395.00; US$ 520.00

Worldwide sales of nonwoven roll goods continued their mid-single digit growth in 2005, reaching nearly US$16 bn. Sales of the ten smaller producers profiled in this report?which rank from number 31 to number 40 among the world?s leading companies?ranged individually from US$55 mn to US$87 mn and together accounted for about 5% of the global total.

These producers include new players as well as long established ones. Two Italian producers?Union Industries and Albis?were both established in the 1990s and focus mainly on the hygiene market.

Internationalisation is also driving industry growth. Denmark?s Jacob Holm started up a new US$65 mn spunlaced line in the USA in autumn 2005 and is targeting new technical applications with its output, as well as traditional markets for spunlace nonwovens such as wipes. Union Industries is in the process of adding a new spunmelt line and Textilgruppe Hof has announced expansions throughout its facilities.

Other drivers of growth are new technologies and product markets. SP2C and Easy Care interlining products from Textilgruppe Hof have coatings to enhance performance in fashion fabrics. Precision Custom Coatings has diversified into OmniStretch hydroentangled liners for the automotive market. Kuraray has commercialised nonwovens made from Vectran, which uses liquid crystal polymer technology.

The World Nonwovens Industry: Part 3?Ten Smaller Producers

Summary
Introduction
Textilgruppe Hof, Germany
Jacob Holm Industries/norafin, Switzerland
Suominen Nonwovens, Finland
Unitika, Japan
Union Industries, Italy
Albis, Italy
Precision Custom Coatings, USA
Kuraray, Japan
KNH (Formerly Kang Na Hsiung), Taiwan
Lantor, Netherlands

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• The world nonwovens industry: part 3 -- 20 medium sized producers, 1st quarter 2007, (4th quarter 2006)
• The world nonwovens industry: part 1 -- the leading ten producers, 3rd quarter 2006, (3rd quarter 2006)
• Editorial: Despite Difficulties, the Global Nonwovens Industry Continues to Expand, (2nd quarter 2006)
• Editorial: Is India Waking Up to the Opportunities Provided by Technical Textiles?, (1st quarter 2006)
• Nonwovens in China: Profiles of Eight Leading Manufacturers, (1st quarter 2004)

Four times a year, Technical Textile Markets provides an overview of the global man-made fibre, nonwoven and technical textile industries. It provides market data and analysis of new and established markets for technical textiles, and is essential reading for senior executives in (or supplying) the man-made fibre, nonwoven and technical textile sectors ? as well as for those who are not involved in the industry on a day-to-day basis, but who need an authoritative source which helps them to quickly gain an understanding of the key issues facing the companies which are actively involved in this fast-growing sector.
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	profiles of the world's top 40 producers of nonwovens ? updated each year with details of developments from each of the leading producers, including acquisitions, investments and divestments, and analyses of trends which the "rising stars" are using to their advantage.
	statistical reports ? including consumption data, by fibre and end-use applications. Regular updates are published for fibre consumption in Japan, the rest of Asia, the USA, and Western Europe.
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