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With the continuous expansion of the wipe market and the expansion of new applications, this material with both softness and absorbency continues to be favored, and investment worldwide is also increasing. While investment in other technologies has slowed in recent months, there have been new investments in spunlace lines for wipes, hygiene and medical applications in China, Russia, India and Spain.

As the existing spunlace market continues to grow and new uses are discovered, the technology continues to attract new players, meaning the competitive landscape is constantly changing.

"In this environment, innovation is essential for growth, as are long-term partnerships with customers and suppliers." "In order to achieve these goals and continue to help customers develop products, new product innovation with the help of state-of-the-art technology is Sandler," said CarolinWeber, director of Sandler Hygiene and Wipe Sales."

According to GeraldAlligros, the marketing and communication project manager of the AndritzPerfojet of Spunlace Equipment Experts, the demand for spunlace nonwovens is growing, which is largely related to the demand for wet wipes. Due to the improvement of living standards, more and more people around the world want convenience and care.

He said: "Starting with traditional baby wipes, spunlace nonwovens have become popular and diversified in newly launched hygiene products, and other new uses are being discovered every day. As a result, many companies are investing in this technology. In addition, spunlace nonwovens delivered by manufacturers are also used in other applications, such as masks, hygiene product surface materials or wall coverings."

Among the latest projects Andritz has received is a new spunlace production line for BCNonwovens delivered to Barcelona, Spain, which will start production in 2021. "Our selection of suppliers for spunlace production lines is based on a thorough assessment of existing technologies on the market. The expertise of Andritz's process engineers combined with our extensive market knowledge allows us to define production lines that are suitable for current and future market needs." BCNonwovens general manager MarkoRajamaa said. "The fully equipped Andritz spunlace trial line and its expertise played a key role in obtaining orders."

The production line uses market-leading technology and will be installed in a new plant that meets ultra-high hygiene and environmental standards. The versatility allows BCNonwovens to expand the application range of their products and process a variety of raw materials, including sustainable fibers.

The line will also be equipped with Andritz's own MetrisUX platform for predictive maintenance based on its new Vibe sensors and risk-based maintenance applications. It will improve production line efficiency by reducing downtime, thereby helping BCNonwovens companies achieve their strategic goals in quality and sustainability. "With its wide range of applications, Metris will help us in our business activities in production, and we can already use this powerful Andritz tool to envisage a variety of possible new developments," said RafaelDufour, director of strategy and business development at BCNonwovens."

In the news of other spunlace investments, Polish nonwovens manufacturer Novita has completed a production line. The line is reportedly capable of producing spunlace nonwovens weighing 25 to 100 grams, which has allowed the company to enter the sanitary and medical market.

Novita CEO Radosł awMuzio said: "With the new Andritz spunlace production line, we are able to provide high-quality first-class spunlace nonwovens and tailor-made products that are very suitable for specific uses of sanitary products."

Other hot spots for spunlace investment include China and India, where demand for wipes and the use of facial masks have increased in recent years. China's Nanliu Company recently announced plans to invest in India. Another Indian producer, Welspun, has also invested heavily in spunlace technology in recent years.

"In a short period of time, we have created six spunlace nonwovens brands, which account for 40% of our business and are tailor-made for various applications such as wipes, feminine hygiene products, industrial, civil engineering and aerospace. We are increasing the production capacity of spunlace nonwovens and will triple our production capacity by 2021." Welspun strategy business director PranaySahu said.

Develop strategy

As the world's largest spunlaced nonwovens supplier, Suominen has production lines in North America, South America and Europe. The company recently launched a new strategy focused on growth and profitability.

"In developing our new strategy, we are taking the energy and time to explore the market in depth and build on our strong reputation as a leader in the wipes market," said LyndaKelly, senior vice president of business development at Suominen. "With the new strategy, we are reaffirming our commitment to this important market. We will continue to see growth in new applications in all our core markets."

As with all nonwovens technologies, spunlace still faces challenges in terms of supply and demand balance, and Kelly points out that companies like Suominen, who have been steeped in the industry for many years, are using their experience to stay ahead of the curve, and more sustainability is a key factor in that.

Kelly added: "Our goal is to achieve the carbon footprint calculation of all products by 2020. The long-term goal is to add other responsibility indicators to the sustainability indicators of products. For us, sustainability not only means more environmentally friendly products, but also minimizing the impact of our own operations on the environment."

Developing products and technologies that keep pace with European single-use plastics regulations will have an impact on the value chain of wipes, which is the primary strategy of most spunlace producers. For Suominen, sustainability is one of the cornerstones of its new strategy, which includes the four most important aspects for business development and stakeholders, including: people and safety, sustainable nonwovens, low-impact manufacturing and corporate citizenship.

"Sustainability is increasingly important to our customers and stakeholders," says Kelly. "We help our customers achieve their environmental goals by providing nonwovens made from renewable, recyclable, compostable and plastic-free raw materials."

Companies throughout the spunlace supply chain, from raw materials to end products, are examining the European Plastics Strategy (EUPlasticStrategy) and how considering the limits set by the strategy for single-use plastic products will challenge businesses and have an impact on the consumer market.

Advances in the development of new materials have led to several new environmental options for Suominen sustainable product portfolio. The company's Biolaceair is a special viscose fiber product with a super soft feel, excellent absorption capacity, and fast absorption and water retention characteristics, which makes it an ideal substrate for baby and beauty wipes.

In addition, BioGenesis is a truly sustainable nonwoven made from Suominen latest production line Bethune in South Carolina. "What sets BioGenesis apart is that it is not only environmentally friendly, but also has excellent liquid management properties. It is strong, has excellent dimensional stability and feel, and has high cleanliness," Kelly added. "This is the first sustainable single-layer wet substrate that can meet the requirements of household or professional wipes for strength and cleanliness. BioGenesis is three times stronger than paper and is a 100 percent plastic-free and biodegradable material."

Germany-based Sandler has made sustainability the focus of its nonwovens business from the start, producing spunlace nonwovens that can use renewable and recyclable raw materials, including viscose, cotton or PLA. The company is always looking for short-, medium-and long-term possibilities to improve the sustainability of its products and business, and is looking for alternative raw materials that can provide higher sustainability while maintaining the original Product functionality and quality.

"Advances in spunlace technology offer the possibility of adapting the raw material composition of nonwovens while maintaining current quality standards or achieving desired properties. This allows us to take sustainability into account, even in disposable products such as wipes," said CarolinWeber, Business Director for Sandler Health and Hygiene."

"A few years ago, we succeeded in achieving a reduction in the basis weight of the substrate in a new generation of wet wipes, reducing the use of materials while maintaining the performance of nonwovens. In order to reduce the carbon footprint of our products, we strive to reduce energy consumption in all areas of the company. This is mainly achieved through the energy monitoring system of the production line."

Welspun believe the nature of wet wipes means they should be sustainable. "Wet wipes are convenient and time-saving, and given the huge consumption of this disposable product, they should be 100 per cent biodegradable," he said."

That's why sustainability is so important to Welspun. Welspun's parent company is a global leader in home textiles, consuming more than 100000 tons of cotton a year. "Cotton is our strong point, and we have been working hard and developing cost-effective spunlaced nonwovens made of natural fibers. Of our six nonwovens brands, PuroKott achieved commercialization the fastest in just a few months after launch. It is expected to be our highest-selling brand by next year."

Developed PuroKott using waste fibers from the company's home textile factory, it is green, environmentally friendly, and has no chemical residue. Unlike other spunlaced fabrics made of 100 percent biodegradable fibers, it has stronger functional properties, such as higher wet strength and volume, which are the main functional requirements for wipe applications. These advantages have helped PuroKott win the favor of consumers and brands.

Beyond the wipes

Although wipes are still the largest market for spunlace nonwovens, manufacturers have moved into markets such as hygiene and medical, hoping that diversified strategies will drive sales growth. "Indeed, when we talk about spunlace materials, we usually think of wipes, which are still a major part of the spunlace nonwovens end market. However, outside this scope, there are more application areas to be discovered." GeraldAlligros said.

He said: "Spunlace nonwovens are now also used in industrial fields such as household goods or automobiles, and are being expanded to more high value-added products." Some spunlace non-wovens producers are trying to diversify their product range through equipment purchases or upgrades. One of their goals is to expand the product range and add added value to nonwovens.

For example, there are many opportunities for technology applications and the hygiene products market. We can use different techniques to combine material properties to further enhance functionality. In the technical field, spunlace nonwovens can be used for compounding. The functionality of these materials has brought benefits to the automotive industry. In order to promote these new application areas and innovation in the wipes market, we work closely with customers and partners in the supply chain.

Sandler's Weber says its broad range of nonwovens technology allows it to apply the experience and lessons learned in other markets to its spunlace business.

She continued: "Wipes remain the largest area of spunlace nonwoven applications. The growth of the wipes market is one of several important drivers for the overall growth of spunlaced nonwovens. Wipes can be seen in almost every aspect of daily life, and can be bought anytime, anywhere, even on the go. In today's fast-paced society, this is a major convenience factor. In addition, the versatility for different applications is constantly creating new opportunities for innovation in spunlaced nonwovens, which has become a driving force for further development."

washable wipes

Aralar introduced a cellulosic substrate to flushable wipes and is leading the way. Globally, it is a key player. Although the use of cellulose is relatively new to the spunlaced nonwovens and even wipes market, Aralar's long experience with the material in the flexible packaging industry has helped them apply it to the wipes market.

"So, as an extension of our years of dedicated research and development in the broader packaging sector, we are also a supplier of sustainable wiping materials." JavierFalcon, the company's regional manager, said, "We believe that if it is the plastic-based material that currently dominates the market, wet wipes will still not be a healthy business. The ongoing wave of public opinion and regulatory changes for plastics directly threaten the existing market. Only by gradually shifting to sustainable substrates can the wipe industry survive and flourish."

Aralar's latest flushable material is the result of years of research and development. Improved production techniques, fiber combinations and expertise have made today's flushable wipes far more usable than a few years ago.

As in much of Asia, there are still places where dispensibility has not had much impact. Nevertheless, flushable wipes will still occupy a certain share in the entire market.

Current dispalable standards are based not on government regulations but on standards issued by various stakeholder groups, most commonly the dispalable guidelines issued by INDA and EDANA. He said, "The litigation incident has had a positive impact on improving the quality standards for flushable substrates. We welcome the development of standards and are committed to keeping our products up to date. With better flushable standards, we can ensure more consumer acceptance of flushable wipes and drive the growth of this category."

This article is from Nonwovens Industry Journal

作者：Karen McIntyre