Description

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.

Table of Contents

SUMMARY INTRODUCTION The global nonwovens market The Top 40 Ten smaller producers Companies which exited from the ten smaller players Companies which remained among the ten smaller players 31 TEXTILGRUPPE HOF, GERMANY Products and markets Interlinings Industrial end uses Facilities New products 31 JACOB HOLM INDUSTRIES/NORAFIN, SWITZERLAND Products and markets 33 SUOMINEN NONWOVENS, FINLAND Company structure Products and markets Nonwovens Polypropylene fibre Facilities 34 UNITIKA, JAPAN Spunbonded Spunlaced Expansion 35 UNION INDUSTRIES, ITALY 36 ALBIS, ITALY 37 PRECISION CUSTOM COATINGS, USA Expansion 38 KURARAY, JAPAN 39 KNH (FORMERLY KANG NA HSIUNG), TAIWAN 40 LANTOR, NETHERLANDS List of tables Table 1: Sales by the world's top 40 roll goods producers, 2005