News Center

In 2020, it is very extraordinary for the non-woven industry and related enterprises and individuals. In the fight against the new coronavirus pandemic, many people really realized the importance of non-woven fabrics for the first time. When the new coronavirus first spread in the United States in March, the Wall Street Journal published an article stating that "polypropylene nonwovens have never been more popular." They're not kidding. Because of this, this spring, the world's two largest non-woven associations-the European Non-Woven Association EDANA and the North American Non-Woven Association INDA issued a statement to the government to emphasize the importance of non-woven fabrics in responding to this crisis. In April, EDANA, together with 10 other European trade associations, issued a request to the EU and its member states, asking them to continue and strengthen cooperation with the non-woven industry to increase production capacity, while relaxing trade restrictions. INDA and several other U.S. textile associations have also appealed to the federal, state and local governments to explain that related textile and non-woven manufacturing equipment is essential.

Since then, these industries have really proven their importance. Many public places have introduced regulations related to face covering, which makes the market demand for masks has never been so strong. In particular, the demand for N95 masks has greatly promoted the demand for meltblown non-woven fabrics, which has brought extensive investment worldwide.

Meltblown cloth is the best core material for masks because of its high filtration efficiency, low pressure and low gram weight, making masks easy to wear and use. But the pace of investment in meltblown capacity in the US and Europe has slowed in recent years, and much of it has been moved to Asia and subsequently used locally to produce masks. This has led to a shortage in the supply of mask materials, but the non-woven industry has moved quickly to alleviate this phenomenon.

Shortly after the new crown outbreak, medical supplier 3M announced that it would increase its production capacity of N95 masks to its highest level and double its global production to more than 1.1 billion per year.

Soon, it seemed that everyone needed masks and everyone was engaged in mask-related activities, even some sports brands and car manufacturers, and because of the similarities between the structure and materials of masks and absorbent hygiene products, manufacturers of diapers and feminine hygiene products were at the forefront of this wave.

Procter & Gamble, for example, has converted some of its production capacity at nearly ten production sites around the world to mask production. Procter & Gamble CEO David Taylor said their mask production began in China and eventually expanded to North America, Europe and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East and Africa. These efforts have increased the supply of masks to hospitals, first responders and other organizations; and have created a safe work environment for P & G employees, which in the long run will allow P & G to directly help many communities and organizations around the world where demand for protective equipment is at an all-time high.

This conversion requires the installation of new equipment and adjustments to existing equipment, as well as the purchase of new materials and training. P & G partners directly with and makes donations to institutions in a position to help those affected by the new crown epidemic.

Like P & G, Sweden's Esity has announced plans to make masks to supply the Swedish market. At the same time, CMPC, a South American sanitary products company, also announced an increase in mask production capacity to 18.5 million masks per month. They added five mask production lines in four countries (Chile, Brazil, Peru and Mexico). In these countries, the masks will be provided free of charge to public health services.

All these efforts have helped to ease the tight supply of masks, but the world still needs more meltblown cloth.

Reicofil, one of the leading suppliers of nonwoven equipment, quickly announced that it was reducing the supply period of its meltblown line to 3.5 months. Previously, the company also said it would sell meltblown materials produced on its pilot production line, which are generally not sold.

Now let's take a look at the efforts of some companies in the industry.

Berry International BerryGlobal, the world's largest non-woven manufacturer, announced plans to increase meltblown fabric capacity in Europe, the United States and South America, reflecting their efforts to increase the supply of mask materials worldwide. When all these investments are completed, Berry will have a total of nine meltblown lines. In addition, Berry decided to purchase nine mask production equipment in China, the European Union, the United States and Latin America, which can produce more than 20 million masks per month.

Berry has also spent time and effort over the past few months rapidly redeploying existing assets to support as much as possible the unprecedented growth in healthcare demand. In addition to the meltblown line investment mentioned above, these efforts include a new spunmelt line in China and a Spinlace line in North Carolina, USA, which can produce wet wipe materials.

At the same time, Lydall of the United States received a $13.5 million grant from the United States government, thus investing in two meltblown production lines. This will greatly speed up Lydall's production of meltblown filter media.

In Europe, the German non-woven Sandler from Germany announced that it is investing in an advanced meltblown non-woven production line for the production of materials for masks. Like Lydall, Sandler has made this investment with the help of the German government, which is promoting these investments to address material shortages in Germany and across Europe.

At the same time, in France, non-woven fabric manufacturer Oslonminsk is also trying to help, and its products meet the French requirements for masks used in contact with the public. Such materials have previously been commonly used in the manufacture of sterile packaging for surgical instruments. The company manufactured the equivalent of the material used to produce 0.1 billion masks.

Another company that has been struggling to fight the new coronavirus is JacobHolmIndustries. The Swiss company has factories in the United States, France, Spain and Germany. They significantly increased production this spring to meet demand for medical suits and masks, and then announced that they would invest in four of their plants worldwide. These efforts have increased the production capacity of the company's Sontara medical-grade materials by 65%. The company has also partnered with a sports brand UnderArmour to manufacture personal protective equipment, such as face masks and medical protection.

At the same time, Jasmeiwei announced JohnsManville in the United States to adjust production to meet the demand for masks and medical materials. In Michigan, the company realigned its filter media production line to produce mask materials that can provide a high level of filter protection for various types of masks. In South Carolina, the company began manufacturing medical protective clothing materials. These efforts are based on JM's extensive experience in filtration.

A new company focused on filter media, 5KFibers, has shifted most of its capacity to the mask market. The company's founder is DougBrown of the CEO of Biax-Fiberfilm, a supplier of meltblown equipment. They currently operate two production lines at their plant in Greenville and have just launched a new capacity program. This is a combination of old technology and new technology at a plant in Wisconsin that was previously owned by Kimberly-Clark.

In addition to non-woven materials, other raw material suppliers, such as some companies that originally served the sanitary products market, are also working hard to meet the needs of the mask market. TredegarCorporation, a global supplier of perforated membranes and elastic fabrics, is also playing an active role in increasing the production of films used in medical masks and N95 masks to help respond to the new crown outbreak.

All these efforts are going at full speed to produce materials that can make people safe and healthy. We have also seen an increase in the production of wipes, as many people are aware of keeping various places clean. There is a serious shortage of disinfectant wipes, and many people also hoard diapers, feminine hygiene products, and adult incontinence products. All this means that the non-woven industry is facing great opportunities. Although many people are not happy to profit from this situation, they are happy to respond to this situation quickly and actively to ensure people's safety.

作者：KarenMcIntyre

American Journal of NonwovensIndustry