Description

Worldwide sales of nonwoven roll goods continued their mid-single digit growth in 2005, reaching nearly US$16 bn. Sales of the 20 medium sized producers profiled in this report-which rank from number 11 to number 30 among the world's leading companies-ranged individually from US$91 mn to US$200 mn and together accounted for about 18% of the global total. Companies ranking 11-30 include long established as well as new players. Hollingsworth & Vose has been in the business for more than 160 years but Western Nonwovens, Pegas Nonwovens, Avgol and Concert Industries are relatively new companies. Recent investments among these companies include Pegas's new line in the Czech Republic as well as Avgol's announcement that it would build a facility in Eastern Europe. Also, this is the last year that Orlandi will be profiled as an independent company. In February 2007 it was announced that Orlandi had been purchased by Ahlstrom, the world's sixth largest nonwovens producer. Other ownership changes include the purchase of Polyfelt by Royal Ten Cate, British Vita's ownership by a Texas-based equity fund, and the purchase in June 2006 of 20% of Avgol's outstanding shares by IPE (Israel Petrochemical Enterprises).

Table of Contents

SUMMARY INTRODUCTION THE GLOBAL NONWOVENS MARKET THE TOP 40 MEDIUM SIZED COMPANIES Companies which joined the 20 medium sized producers Companies which exited from the 20 medium sized producers Companies which remained among the 20 medium sized producers GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION 11 JAPAN VILENE, JAPAN Automotive Air filtration materials Medical and consumer materials INVESTMENTS 11 PROPEX FABRICS, USA PRODUCTS AND MARKETS 13 FIBERTEX, DENMARK TECHNICAL DIVISION HYGIENE DIVISION 14 HOLLINGSWORTH & VOSE, USA HIGH EFFICIENCY & SPECIALTY FILTRATION BUSINESS ENGINEERED COMPOSITE MATERIALS & INDUSTRIAL SPECIALTIES BATTERY SEPARATORS ENGINE & INDUSTRIAL FILTRATION 15 COLBOND, NETHERLANDS NEW PRODUCTS, AND PRODUCT AND PROCESS IMPROVEMENT MANUFACTURING FACILITIES PRODUCTS AND MARKETS Building and construction Civil engineering Flooring Automotive Construction 16 ASAHI KASEI (FORMERLY ASAHI CHEMICAL), JAPAN PRODUCTS AND MARKETS 17 BRITISH VITA THREE REGIONAL OPERATIONS PRODUCTS AND MARKETS LIBELTEX 18 AVGOL, ISRAEL PRODUCTS AND MARKETS DEVELOPMENT OF MANUFACTURING CAPACITY 19 WESTERN NONWOVENS, USA EXPANSION NEW PRODUCTS COMPANY HISTORY ACQUISITIONS OPERATIONS BY SEGMENT Industrial Nonwovens Performance Products 19 PEGAS NONWOVENS, CZECH REPUBLIC 21 GEORGIA-PACIFIC (FORMERLY FORT JAMES), USA Staff changes 21 C H SANDLER, GERMANY MANUFACTURING FACILITIES PRODUCTS AND MARKETS PRODUCT INNOVATION 21 TOYOBO, JAPAN POLYESTER SPUNBONDED NONWOVENS NEEDLEPUNCHED NONWOVENS 24 MITSUI CHEMICALS, JAPAN PRODUCTS, MARKETS AND MANUFACTURING FACILITIES 25 LYDALL, USA NEW PRODUCTS PRODUCTS AND MARKETS Thermal/acoustical Filtration/separation Geographical markets CLOSURES 26 CONCERT INDUSTRIES, CANADA PRODUCTS AND MARKETS GROWTH STRATEGY REORGANISATION AND RESTRUCTURING 27 FOSS MANUFACTURING, USA PRODUCTS AND MARKETS 27 ORLANDI, ITALY PRODUCTS AND MARKETS SPUNLACE NEEDLEPUNCH 29 TORAY SAEHAN, SOUTH KOREA 30 POLYFELT, AUSTRIA PRODUCTS AND MARKETS EUROPEAN OPERATIONS AUSTRALASIAN OPERATIONS ASIAN OPERATIONS NEW PRODUCTS FUTURE GROWTH List of tables Table 1: Sales by the world's top 40 roll goods producers, 2005