July 29 2008

The first quarter of 2008 of global technical textile sector

The first quarter of 2008 was a busy period for the global technical textile sector. A number of important acquisitions took place. Diolen Industrial Fibers was taken over by a Netherlands-based investment company, Traction Partners. Lenzing Plastics became the new owner of Dolan, and TenCate and Oranjewoud completed their acquisition of Edel Grass. Performance Fibers bought Invista's North American tyre cord and industrial polyester filament businesses while Ter Group acquired Simon & Werner.

Ahlstrom has announced that its chief executive officer has resigned and that it will shed production capacity to improve its profitability. Freudenberg Nonwovens has announced that it will shut down two of its US production lines. DSM Dyneema has become a separate business group within DSM, while Lenzing and TenCate Protective Fabrics have won the right to supply the USA's armed forces. NanoHorizons and Piedmont Chemical Industries have combined forces to develop and market antimicrobial and moisture management additives for textiles while Oerlikon Neumag has announced that it plans to expand its spunlaid pilot plant in Germany.

Ahlstrom has announced a wave of new investments, Invista has revealed that it plans to build a development facility for polyamide research, Lenzing is investing heavily in cellulosic fibres, and Lurgi Zimmer plans to build a new polyamide plant in China. Meanwhile, a recent market forecast shows that fast growth is predicted for biodegradable polymers.

Source: BharatTextile.com