Global demand for nonwoven products continues to be strong, and some of the world’s biggest players have manufacturing projects in the works to meet predicted future demand. Following is a look at projects on three continents.
Sandler AG recently opened a new €40-million (US$57.6-million) plant in Schwarzenbach/Saale, Bavaria, Germany. Sandler supplies products for the hygiene, wipes, automotive, filtration, and engineering markets. The new facility employs 63.
“Two years ago — at the height of the financial crisis — the Sandler AG Management Board decided to invest in a new plant and a state-of-the-art spunlace production facility,” said Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO of the family-owned company, at the plant’s dedication. “The new construction of ‘plant 4’ was a challenge for all company employees, who were highly motivated and enthusiastic in their commitment towards the project during all phases of civil engineering, plant assembly, and the start-up of the system.”
The company ranks 15th in global turnover and is currently the only major family-run producer of nonwovens in Europe. The huge new facility has two 10,500-sq.-m. (113,085-sq.-ft.) floors. Or, as the company puts it, “the equivalent of four soccer fields.”
Companhia Providência, a Brazil-based nonwovens manufacturer, has built its second plant in in the municipality of Pouso Alegre, in the state of Minas Gerais. The $60-million plant, which employs 92, will serve the growing Brazilian market.
“We have chosen Pouso Alegre due to its advantageous location for taking delivery of raw materials and to rapidly service our customers,” said Hermínio de Freitas, the company’s CEO. “In addition to the experience already gained in operating in the region, we can also count on the benefit of quality local labor.”
Pegas Nonwovens, a global nonwovens manufacturer based in Luxembourg, plans a new factory in Egypt. While an exact site has not been selected, Pegas said it would likely be in the Cairo region. Pegas has established a new company, Pegas Nonwovens Egypt LLC, for the new plant, which will receive an investment of between €55 million and €60 million (US$79 million and US$86 million).
“The establishment of the company is the result of successful negotiations with a major customer, who expressed interest in a supply arrangement for our products to its production plants in the Middle East,” said František Rezác, member of the board of directors of Pegas Nonwovens. “Currently we consider that the most likely location for the plant will be in the industrial zone in the City of 6th October, not far from Cairo, and we are now in the process of securing a suitable land parcel. Additionally, the construction of the Egyptian plant also opens up many new opportunities in the very promising markets of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia.”