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improved canvas and weft-inserted products and substantially increase sales.
Apparel is not the only area where Asian growth is a focus. In fact, through a stream of joint
ventures and wholly-owned subsidiaries throughout the region, Freudenberg has a strong foothold
in this important emerging economy.
"Because we have been active for so long in Asia and have benefitted from joint venture partners
such as Japan Vilene Company and Far Eastern, we have not really faced many cultural challenges
in penetrating the Asian market/'Olson says."We have also worked very hard at developing and
promoting local people into key management roles rather than trying to run our businesses with too
many German and Japanese expats."
Focusing on exploiting its businesses globally will continue to help Freudenberg Nonwovens grow
its business moving forward. Additionally, the company will rely on diversity, flexibility and
adding value in the long term."Given the relative maturity of the technology for producing
nonwoven base materials, we will continue to diversify our business portfolio to become a global
provider of performance technical textile solutions," Olson concludes."In this regard, we will place
more and more focus on adding value through the downstream converting of base technical textile
materials which we will source using clear 'make versus buy'criteria."
Freudenberg Politex
Novedrate, Italy www.freudenbergpolitex.com
Headquartered in Novedrate, Italy, Freudenberg Politex specializes in the production and
marketing of polyester nonwovens, mainly used as reinforcements for bituminous roofing
membranes. Beyond membranes, a range of products are sold to the constmction industry in a
number of applications as well as to the furniture industry. Most products are made from recycled
polyester obtained in-house from post consumer polyester bottles.
In 2010, Freudenberg Politex reported its sales increased from [euro]185.2 million to [euro]203.9
million as sales in roofing reinforcements grew 11% and construction sales grew 32%.
Freudenberg Politex operates sites in China, France, Italy, Poland, Russia and the US, from which it
supplies markets globally. According to reports, the construction market was slow throughout the
world, but the company was able to benefit from growth in Russia and the Middle East as well as
developing infrastructures in emerging economies.
In 2010, a key focus for Freudenberg Politex was improving the environmental footprint of its
products and processes. Main European product lines, Texbonci, Terbond and Ecozero, were
certified with Environmental Product Declarations while products manufactured in the US at the
company's Macon, GA site obtained UL Environment Label assessing the recycled content.
In 2011, the company consolidated its position in mature markets against a macroeconomic
backdrop that remains volatile and to follow growth in emerging markets where construction
demand will be stimulated by a need for more modern buildings. Tt is with this in mind
that Freudenberg Politex has decided to expand its Russian facility-' with a new [pounds sterling]20

million spunbond line. The investment will add more than 7000 tons of polyester spun-bond
nonwovens to be sold as backings for bituminous roofing membranes and for other
specialty construction applications.The Russian site was established in 2004 and production started
there in 2006.
Freudenberg Filtration Technologies
www.freudenberg-filter.com
Spun off from Freudenberg Nonwovens two years ago, Freudenberg Filtration Technologies is
Freudengerg Nonwovens' largest customer and a key supplier of innovative filtration solutions
worldwide. Freudenberg Filters are used successfully for intake, exhaust and recirculating air
filtration in many industrial applications such as production, office and residential ventilation and in
the transport segment.
Meanwhile, In liquid filtration, these filters are used in cool and and lubrication applications, pool
and spa, beverages and foodstuffs and products for the manufacture of membranes and filter
candles.
In 2010, Freudenberg Filtration Technologies was able to increase its sales from [euro]194 to
[pounds sterling]241 million as many of its markets recovered and the businesss progressed in
acquiring new customers and expanding its Viledon product portfolio.
In September 2010, Freudenberg acquired the Australian company Micro Fresh Filters, which is
now known as Freudenberg Filtration Technologies (Aust) Pty.The company is one of the market
leaders in filtration technology for the mining industry and it is allowing the group to expand its
portfolio and lay the groundwork for further expansion in Australia and Oceania.
Also contributing to growth in 2010 was the launch of micron Air office fine dust filter for document
shredders. This launch is supposed to follow the same successful path as mcironAir cabin air filters
which provide cleaner air inside of cars. Demand for these filters continue to growth particularly in
South America and Asia.
2. Dupont Nonwoven
Wilmington, DE, USA www.dupont.com 2010 nonwovens sales: $1.4 billion
Key Personnel
Thomas Powell, president of DuPont Protection Technologies; Roger Siemionko, vice president and
global technology leader, DuPont Protection Technologies; Mindy Telliard, global product
manager, Sontara, DuPont Protection Technologies; Michael Sanders, global business manager,
Energy Storage Solutions, DuPont Protection Technologies.
Plants
Richmond, VA (Tyvek, HMT), USA. Old Hickory,TN, USA (spun-lace, Suprel, Softesse), Luxembourg
(Tyvek, Typar), Asturias, Spain (spunlacc) Shenzhen, China (Tyvek and spunlace converting facility),
Seoul, Brazil joint venture (spunlace), Chesterfield County, VA, USA (Energain)
ISO Status

All plants are ISO 9002 certified, Luxembourg facility is also 9001 certified
Processes
Flashspun (Tyvek), spunbond (Typar), spunlace, Energain
Brand Names
Tyvek, Tychem, Sontara, Suprel, Softesse, Typar
Major Markets
Construction, healthcare, protective apparel, industrial filtration, absorbents, home furnishings,
envelopes, geotextiles, graphics, packaging, footwear, automotive, batten,' separators
Recover continued in 2010 for DuPont as many of its core businesses came back from the global
recession. While the Wilmington, DE-based maker of Tyvek and Sontara nonwovens refuses to break
out its nonwovens sales globally industry estimates put the figure in excess of $1.4 billion, making
it the world's second largest maker of nonwovens.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Size, however, is not important to DuPont. The technology-focused company aims for innovation and
its steady stream of new product introductions and line extensions has reflected this in recent
years. Among its most notable introductions are Energain battery separators, metallized Tyvek
flashspun nonwovens and Nomex KD filtration media.
"Our strategy is not to have the most revenue--that would be nice--but we really look for where our
technology brings value to the customers," says Thomas Powell, president of DuPont
Protection Technologies."We are heavily focused on innovation for our means to grow."
DuPont Protection Technologies combines the company's nonwovens businesses with its sister
units, including Kevlar and Nomex aramid technologies. Created in late 2009, this new organization
groups together technologies and products that protect lives, the environment and critical
processes worldwide, Powell explains. By grouping together the nonwovens technologies with
aramid technologies, DuPont hopes to capitalize on synergies already existing between the
businesses while also streamlining costs, support and other infrastructure items. The marriage was
part of a larger, company-wide streamlining that brought the number of DuPont business units from
25 to 14 and allows the company to more easily respond to customer trends.
"We definitely see a lot of leverage. We are focused on three value propositions, protecting people,
protecting the environment and protecting critical processes. While doing this, we support
megatrends, like reducing energy consumption and growing in emerging economies,"Powell says.
While no major product introductions have been born out of the new group, yet, DuPont's Nomex
KD, a filtration medium that combines Nomex and Kevlar fibers in a unique nonwovens filter
material, is an example of how DuPont's technologies can work together to target new market
opportunities. Nomex KD is well suited for high-temperature applications such as asphalt
production and cement clinker coolers.
Moving on to other areas of new products development, battery separators is an area strong on

DuPont's radar. Last year, the company built a pilot line in Chesterfield County, VA, USA to
make Energain battery' separator materials. Once referred to as Hybrid Membrane Technology'
(HMT), Energain is based on DuPont's nanofiber technology. DuPont purchased a form of this
technology four years ago from a Korean company and had been piloting it in a Korean facility
under the Hybrid Membrane Technology (HMT) moniker, but changes in the technology' and
business strategy led to a new brand Energain. DuPont decided to move the production of Energain
to North America to speed the technology development, Powell explains.
Energain will initially be made on a pilot scale to give potential customers a chance to see the
benefits the technology can add to battery separators--including increased power, improved battery
life and higher stability at increased temperatures. According to Powell, decisions regarding
expanding the capacity on a commercial level will be made in 2012. Beyond lithium battery
separators, Energain could also be targeted for batteries in renewable energy, grid applications,
specialty consumer applications including laptops, cell phones and power tools. DuPont estimates
that the market for high performance lithium batteries will be more than $7 million by 2015, driven
by increased use of electric vehicles.
"Battery storage or energy storage is driven by the mega trend of electrification of vehicles," Powell
says."Energain offers unique properties which can extend batter" life between charges.
We need to demonstrate scale-up of the technology and provide large samples for customer
qualification.That is why we invested in this line."
Meanwhile, DuPont's traditional businesses remain strong.The company's Tyvek flashspun
technology is benefiting from technology advancements that offer metallization and other finishing
techniques--up and running at the DuPont Luxembourg site--which is leading to new products being
introduced initially in Japan and Europe, and, while the US construction market continues to lag,
executives are confident that the strength of Tyvek in this market will position it for growth
once the market rebounds. Other important markets for Tyvek include protective apparel and
medical packaging."We are fortunate to participate in a lot of steady businesses that are less
affected by the economy/'Powell says.
In fact, it is in bad times that some of its businesses benefit the most.Take for instance,Tyvek's role
in protective apparel applications. Over the years, threats of disease, terrorism and other disasters
have advanced sales in this market and most recently it's been the Japanese earthquake and
tsunami--and resulting cleanup--that has helped grow sales."When there is a disaster in the world,
they need garments to protect workers and that's where DuPont can step in,"Powell says.
It is the same with its medical garment business, where it offers sophisticated products to keep
workers safe and comfortable. In 2010, however, DuPont gave up on one technology it once deemed
revolutionary when it abandoned ACT (Advance Composite Technology)- According to executives,
advancements in competing technology made it difficult for the company to fetch a reasonable price
for the substrate, which combined the softness of polypropylene with the barrier
protection benefits of polyester. The company ceased operation of the technology in its Old
Hickory, TN, site but continues to target the medical market with its Sontara spunlace fabric."There
is no question that the medical business is a challenge," Powell says."But, the demand continues to
be there and wc still think that Sontara is a premium offering."
DuPont's Sontara spunlace nonwovens target a number of markets beyond medical fabrics. One of
these is the high performance wipes market where DuPont has had a number of home runs
including car detailing wipes, aerospace wipes and other areas where innovation can be valued. At

the same time, however, DuPont has opted to stay clear of the consumer wipes market.
Also benefitting DuPont wipes is the green story. Because Sontara can be made from sustainable
products, such as wood pulp or rayon, companies looking to offer a more sustainable story in their
wipes business are taking advantage of this option.
"We are not going to be the massive producer on the spunlace side. We are looking for areas where
our products and brands add value,"Powell says.
Business-wide, DuPont is not only looking for markets where it can add value but also at new
regions. While most of its nonwovens-related assets are based in North America and Europe, that
does not mean that Asian growth isn't a high priority. In fact, of all of the regions, Asia is the most
important, according to Powell."It's a high priority because of the factors around population and
increasing purchasing power. Right now, DuPont has limited assets in Asia but we don't believe
when you are an innovation-driven business you need to have assets all over the world. We have
very competitive, large scale assets and we can efficiently move material around the world."
3. Ahlstrom
Helsinki, Finland
www.ahlstrom.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $1.35 billion
Key Personnel
Jan Lang, president & CEO; Risto Anttonen, deputy of the president & CEO; Laura Raitio, executive
vice president, Building and Energy; jean-Marie Becker, executive vice president, Home
and Personal; William Casey, executive vice president, Food and Medical; Tommi Bjomman,
executive vice president, Filtration; Patrick Jeambar, executive vice president, Label and
Processing; Paula Aarnio, executive vice president, human resources & sustainability; Claudio
Ermondi, executive vice president, product & technology development; Seppo Parvi, chief financial
officer; Rami Raulas, executive vice president, sales & marketing
Processes
Needlepunch, resin bonded, spunlaced, nanofiber, spun-melt/spunbond, wetlaid, wetlaid/Hydraspun,
wetlaid/spunlace composite, composite nonwovens, wetlaid/Trinitex, SPC, Caustic Entanglement,
film based composites, process enhancements.
Plants
Alicante, Spain, Barcelona, Spain, Bethunc, SC, USA, Binzhou, China, Bishopville, SC, USA,
Bousbecque, France, Brignoud, France, Chirnside, UK, Cressa, Italy, Green Bay, WI, USA, Hyun
Poong, South Korea, Jacarei, Brazil, Karhula, Finland, Kauttua, Finland, Pont Eveque, France,
Louveira, Brazil, Madisonville, KY, USA, Malmedy, Belgium, Mikkeli, Finland, Mozzate, Italy, Mt
Holly Springs, PA, USA, Mundra, India, Osnabruck, Germany, Paulinia, Brazil, Pont-Audemer,
France, Saint Severin, France, Sas-soferrato, Italy, Stalldalen, Sweden, Stenay, France,Tampere,
Finland, Taylorville, IL,Turin, Italy,Tver, Russia, West Carrollton, OH, USA, Windsor Locks, CT,
USA

Major Markets
Wipes, filtration, walkover, building, automotive, labels, food packaging, and medical
Among the recent headlines made by Ahlstrom is the company's plan to divest its entire wipes
business to Suominen in a deal valued at [euro]170 million, which will also make Ahlstrom
Suominen's largest shareholder. In announcing the sale of wipes, an area where Ahlstrom has put
considerable resources during the last five years, the company said it part of a plan toward a more
focused business product portfolio."We have been building our business portfolio based on offering
high performance materials that allow our customers to differentiate and create value to their
customers. We will continue to seek growth and global leadership in all segments in which we
operate. This transaction allows us to free resources to strengthening and further developing our
current businesses, especially in the fast-growing markets in Asia,"said president and CEO Jan Lang
in August.
Ahlstrom's wipes business operates as its Home and Personal business area. With plants in
Wisconsin, Spain, Italy and Brazil, this business generated sales of about [euro]291 million and
profits of [euro]6.1 million last year.
Looking back on 2010, the company reported an 18% increase in total sales, led by 47% growth in
Asia.
During the past five years, Ahlstrom has invested heavily across a number of nonwovens platforms
and geographical regions, catapulting it to one of the top of nonwovens producers in the world. For
all intents and purposes, the company operates through five divisions, Filtration, Home and
Personal (mainly wipes), Building and Energy, Food and Medical and Label and Processing. Nonwovens comprise all or a part of all but the Label and Processing division, accounting for about 55%
of the company's total [euro]1.82 billion in global sales last year, according to estimates. From an
end use standpoint, key markets continue to be consumer wipes, air and liquid filtration, wall
coverings, construction, teabags, food packaging, medical, automotives and wind energy.
These many market areas have benefited from an ambitious growth strategy--including investments
and acquisitions--during the past five to 10 years, that has tapered off more recently as Ahlstrom
seeks to benefit from these investments.
"Following our IPO in 2006, Ahlstrom invested about [euro]500 million, of which about half was
spent on acquisitions, into growth initiatives,"says Liisa Nyyssonen, vice president of
corporate communications. "We are now working on getting the benefit from those investments and
think that our base is very strong to achieve this based on our redefined strategy'."
However, investment in Asia continues to be a top priority. In recent months, Ahlstrom has added to
its capabilities for filtration and wall coverings there, beefing up a business that already
includes facilities in India and Korea. This investment streak started in September 2010 when
Ahlstrom bought Shandong Puri Filter & Paper Products Ltd. in China from the Purico Group. The
C22.5 million price included a plant in Binzhou in the province of Shandong in northeastern China.
In June, Ahlstrom added to this site by investing [euro]30 million in a new nonwoven wallcovering
substrates production line at its Binzhou plant in China, where the company is already
manufacturing filtration materials. Deliveries from the new line are expected to start early 2013.
According to Lang, the investment plays a significant role in the company's growth strategy in Asia.

"Ahlstrom has a strong presence in Europe and Americas, and we continue to grow our presence
in Asia as well. China is expected to be the world's largest market for wallcoveringss in a few years
time, offering a significant growth potential in the coming years."
"We will use Ahlstrom's extensive know how and experience in walkover manufacturing in
responding to the market needs in China. We are extremely pleased that we will have the
opportunity to grow together with and serve our customers from a local production plant in China,"
says Laura Raitio, executive vice president, Building and Energy, Ahlstrom.
In addition to Binzhou, Ahlstrom has two manufacturing sites in Asia; Hyun Poong in South Korea
and Mundra in India. The company sold a site located in Wuxi, China, along with three lines located
in Bethune, SC, USA, to Andrew Industries in December as part of a plan to exit the dust filtration
business.
"After a careful strategic review of our product portfolio, it was determined that dust filtration did
not fit our product portfolio," says Tommi Bjornman, F.VP, Filtration.
The assets, which were sold for [euro]5.3 million, make dust filtration materials used in applications
such as bag house filtration for pollution control.
Despite this divestment, filtration continues to serve as a straight growth engine for Ahlstrom,
representing 18% growth for the company. As it continues to move beyond its traditional
engine filtration business into new areas such as HVAC, high efficiency and liquid filtration areas,
Ahlstrom still considers filtration part of its value-add business cluster. One area receiving
considerable attention has been in liquid filtration with Disruptor and Disruptor PAC,
high performance water filtration media that rivals UF and A IF membrane filters in terms of
retention and efficiency. They can be used to reduce or remove a wide range of contaminants from
water including viruses and bacterial, chlorine, iodine, iron, lead, tin, copper and
membrane, biofouling contaminants. Applications include beverage manufacturing, pharmaceutical
makeup water, point of use and point of entry filters.
Meanwhile, in transportation filtration, Ahlstrom is adding capacity in Louveira, Brazil and
Tampere, Finland, which will be complete in 2012 and late 2011, respectively.
"We have been pleased to grow with our key customers and as a commitment to the filtration
business we are expanding the operation. This is another important step in our global growth
roadmap where we have strengthened our global platform in Europe, Asia and now in
South America. We will continue to keep our focus on our markets in all four geographies--enabling
Ahlstrom to be a global supplier in the filtration market with a full offering of filter media,"says Gary
Blevins, vice president, Transportation Filtration.
Other recent investments include the Binzhou, China plant and a [euro]17.5 million investment to
expand capacity in Turin, Italy.
In addition to filtration, Ahlstrom's wipes business--which is set to become a part of Suominen-received considerable investment during the last five years with acquisitions in North America and
Europe as well as investment in Brazil. In 2010, the business grew 9.7% and has continued to be an
important contributor to overall growth, according to marketing manager Alistair Brown.
Recent efforts within wipes have focused on modernizing and streamlining its European wipes
business, closing plants in Carbonate and upgrading operations in Mozzate and Cressa as well as

developing innovative solutions to move the wipes business for ward. One key trend within wipes is
movement toward a more sustainable environment."Ahlstrom's diverse range of green wiping
fabrics helps to support a more sustainable environment," Nyyssonen says."No other manufacturer
offers so many easy and innovative ways to produce environmentally friendly wipes for baby
homecare, personal care and industrial applications. Our sustainable offerings
include biodegradable, dispersible or reusable wiping fabrics integrated with natural or recycled
materials."
A reported 82% of Ahlstrom's fibers come from renewable resources. Efforts in this arena include a
recent Chirnside, Scotland, investment that brings a sustainable choice to the growing
infusion market using spunmelt technology. BioWeb is a lightweight nonwoven web, which features
unique functional and environmental characteristics. This unique product provides an
environmentally friendly, sustainable and affordable solution for high end and specialty tea packers,
designed for conversion on ultrasonic or heatseal tea-packing machines, according to Beth
Schiviey, communications officer, Food and Medical.
This investment--and others like it--are part of a company-wide effort toward more sustainable
products and practices, Nyyssonen continues."For Ahlstrom, sustainability means a balance
between economic, social and environmental responsibility,"she says."Our code of business conduct
forms the basis of our corporate responsibility. This means that Ahlstrom supports sustain ability
from raw material sourcing to end use applications."
In addition to improving the environmental profile of its products, Ahlstrom has been mindful of the
impact its processes have on the Earth. The company's environmental impact is continually reduced
in manufacturing with carbon footprint reductions a regular practice. Additionally, the company
achieved zero waste landfills in two of its plants and a significant reduction in waste across all of its
facilities between 2009 and 2010.
Moving back to its business units, in medical, Ahlstrom recently invested in Mundra, India. India
helps support the businesses strategy; strengthening Ahlstrom's leading global position and
increasing presence in Asia. The Mundra facility delivers a wide range of nonwovens for application
in single use medical substrates used inside and outside of the operating room. The plant uses the
start-of-the-art technology to produce a wide range of SMS protective fabrics for the medical
market.
Also in Asia, Ahlstrom has established a joint venture in China for crepe papers used in medical
papers and masking tape base papers.
Meanwhile, Ahlstrom's Building and Energy Business Area serves customers mainly in the building
(flooring, roofing, wallcovering and various other building applications), transportation, marine
and windmill industries.
This segment's extensive product range includes Ahlstrom's Easylife walkover materials, which play
a leading role, offering textile like touch, a wide range of surface effects and superior strippability.
According to executives, business demand is increasing rapidly in wallcovering, driven by Chinese
growth and European recovery, and this should receive an additional boost from the Chinese
investment. Demand is also increasing for flooring products and there is improved demand in the
wind and marine sector in Europe.
Moving forward, Ahlstrom will continue to monitor demand across all of its businesses around the

world, Nyyssonen explains.

"We will strive for new business opportunities and grow with our customers, especially in Asia. As
previously stated, significant investments, acquisitions have been done in the last couple of years
in nonwovens and we now want to enjoy the leading position gained by this move. We are customer
focused and intent on safeguarding our profitability through active pricing and continuous cost
efficiency, "she says.
4. Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Dallas, TX, USA
www.kimberly-clark.com
2010 Nonwovens Sales: $1.2 billion
Partnership Products and K-C
Professional Headquarters
Roswell, GA
Key Personnel
Thomas Falk, chairman and CEO; Jan Spencer, president, K-C Professional & Other; Richard Thome,
vice president, K-C Professional North America; Bob Stargel, vice president, Global Nonwovens
Sector, Stephanie Rossignol, director, K-C Professional Wipers and Partnership Products
Plants
Corinth, MS, Balfour Hendersonville, NC, Lexington, NC, La-Grange, GA, Neenah, WI, Barton-upo-Humber, UK, Jaromer, Czech Republic
ISO Status
Certification achieved in Berkeley, NC, Lexington, NC, LaGrange, GA and Barton (UK); other
facilities in progress
Processes
Spunbond, meltblown, SMS, BCW, hydroentangled, film lamination, elastic lamination and Coform
Brand Names
Blockit protective fabric, Cyclean filtration media, Dustop protective fabric, Evolution 4 protective
fabric, Intrepid filtration media, Noah protective fabric and Powerloft filtration media
Major Markets
Filtration, acoustics, hygiene, industrial, medical, packaging, protective, sorbents, textile linings
and wet wipes

Rumors swirl around Kimberly-Clark and its status as one of the world's largest producers--and
users--of nonwoven fabrics. Traditionally, the forward-integrated company has supplied much of
the nonwovens to its absorbent hygiene business with products including Huggies diapers, Pull-Ups
training pants, Kotex feminine hygiene items and Depend adult incontinence products as well as a
number of medical, personal protection and professional items. However, the company has made no
secret that it is constantly looking at new technologies both within and outside of its operations,
sourcing nonwovens both externally and internally, depending on what is right for the product at
hand.
While K-C and its partners have remained mum on the subject, there is much speculation that K-C's
movement away from nonwovens production could be a driving force behind the rapid rate of
spunbond and spunmelt investment around the world. If K-C decides to abandon, or even curtail, its
internal nonwovens production, that would certainly help its fellow nonwovens makers move the
hundreds of thousands of tons of new capacity set to come onstream globally in the next couple
of years.
All K-C executives will say on the subject is that the core of K-C's growth strategy is strengthening
its brands and targeting growth in areas where it sees a clear advantage, and this strategy relies on
innovative nonwoven materials--from internal and external sources--that provide a competitive
advantage. Developing and sourcing these materials continues to be a top priority for the
company.
In 2010, total sales at the company reached $197.3 billion, a 3% increase, on a combination of
higher selling prices and organic growth. While the company won't break out its nonwovens sales,
industry estimates put the figure around $1.3 billion, depending on the product mixes and raw
material pricing. In addition to supplying its internal business, K-C targets a number of markets
externally including filtration, acoustics, sorbents and specialty applications.
Regardless of its plans for its nonwovens sourcing, the company continues to invest substantially in
its business. In July, its leg down under, Kimberly-Clark Australia said it would invest $65 million in
new capacity and environmental improvements. Included in the investment is $28 million to start
production of disposable pants at its Ingleburn, Australia plant, $6.5 million to expand capabilities
and reduce carbon emissions in Albury, Australia and $30 million for a combined heat and power
generation project greatly increasing energy efficiencies and significantly reducing greenhouse
emissions for the Millicent mill located in South Australia, where the company makes Kleenex
tissue products.
Making the announcement, managing director Glen Watts says,"These investments demonstrate
Kimberly-Clark's commitment to maintaining an effective Australian manufacturing presence. We
continue to look to the Australian government to play its part to maintain an effective economic
environment for Australian manufacturing."
In keeping with the company's recognized sustainability leadership, around half of the $65 million
investment addresses energy costs and greenhouse gas emission reduction from its manufacturing.
The reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will be on the order of 90,000 tons per year by 2013
when the investments are completed. "This reduction is equivalent to removing 32,000 small cars
from the road or alternatively to planting 10,000 hectare of trees per year," explains Watts.
Last year, it was Russia on the company's radar when it opened its first manufacturing site there.
The plant, located near Moscow, has two lines dedicated to Huggies diaper production, which are
helping the company expand on its already strong marketshare in the region.

"K-C has made significant investments to establish our brands and build our organization in Russia
since 1996. K-C has increased sales 10 times in 10 years in the region. The decision to invest into
the development of local manufacturing became an important part of our strategy to support our
continued growth," says CEO Thomas Falk.
Meanwhile, domestically K-C has embarked on a $25 million expansion in Conway, AR, where it
makes feminine hygiene and other paper products. The investment reportedly allowed the company
to increase capacity of several products formerly not made in the US as well as
modernizing production of items traditionally made there.
Representing $8.6 billion worth of sales, K-C's personal care business remains its largest business
and as such performance here is critical to its success. To ensure this success, the company
is constantly revamping its product line.
Sales are expected to trend higher in 2011 thanks to increased volumes and higher pricing. This
summer, K-C began raising its prices throughout North America to offset inflationary pressure from
higher raw material and energy costs. Net selling prices in the US and Canada for Huggies baby
wipes and diapers, Pull-Ups training pants and GoodNites youth pants are increasing on average
between 3-7%.
Amidst these price increases, K-C continues to innovate its diaper line. Its most recent offering is an
upgrade to its Little Movers diaper line with the introduction of Slip-On diapers, the category's
first and only disposable diaper in North America that slides on just like underwear, offering moms
a simple and easy-to-use solution to defy babies' kicks, twists and contortions. The new Huggies
brand diaper includes an innovative design with stretchy sides to deliver quick changing and a
close, comfy fit on the first try, while offering the trusted leakage protection moms have come to
know and expect from the Huggies Brand. The easy-open sides and finger tabs also allow for
simple removal and disposal.
"No doubt it is a challenge for parents to change diapers when babies are constantly twisting and
turning," says Bob Thibault, president, North American baby & child care brands. "In
fact, according to a recent consumer study conducted by the Huggies brand, more than 60% of
moms say their baby is very active and struggles to get away during a diaper change."
Another diaper innovation boosting sales for K-C has been the seasonal availability of Huggies Little
Movers denim diapers, which were launched on a limited edition basis the last two summers.
Huggies Little Movers Jeans diapers feature a pigmented polypropylene coverstock material
designed to resemble denim jeans. K-C executives described the product as a replacement product
for apparel. Instead of clothing babies in a plain white diaper, the jeans diaper can look more like a
piece of clothing in the hot, summer months. In conjunction with this summer's launch, K-C is
helping the Every Little Bottom program. For every pack of Huggies Jeans diapers sold, K-C
contributed to this program, which supplies diapers to moms and children in need.
In other marketing efforts, in May, the company's GoodNites brand announced a measure to
educate moms of 4-6 year olds on the benefits of switching from training pants to GoodNites brand
underwear to meet their children's nighttime needs. With approximately one million potty-trained
kids in this age group still wearing training pants at night to help manage bedwetting, the focus of
the new GoodNites brand marketing program aims to raise awareness among moms about
a product specially designed for her growing child's needs."In our ongoing partnership with mom,
we've gained new insight into the needs of those with younger children. We learned many 4-6 year
olds are wearing training pants instead of GoodNites Underwear to provide protection against

nighttime accidents," says Tim Abate, marketing director, GoodNites.

The GoodNites brand's mission is to provide advice, resources and product solutions to parents with
children who suffer from bedwetting (clinically known as"nighttime enuresis"), to help enable an
easy night's sleep.The new marketing program continues to deliver on this mission but will also
focus on reaching moms of kids four and up and arming them with better bedtime solutions.
In the feminine hygiene segments, K-C has been using its Kotex brand to help moms talk to their
young daughters about their menstrual cycles. Because many young girls have no idea what's
happening when they get their first period, and four out of five moms feel only somewhat or not at
all prepared to talk to their daughter about her changing body. The Kotex brand is providing the
tools to empower moms to proactively talk to their daughters and guide them through
this important "first," including a new line of products designed specifically for tweens - U by Kotex
Tween.
U by Kotex Tween pads and liners have tween-inspired designs that come in a glittery package with
a helpful informational booklet on the inside to help reduce the anxiety for mom and tween during
the conversation. The brand has also partnered with Lissa Rankin, gynecologist, mother, author,
life coach and founder of online community Owning Pink, who is passionate about encouraging open
communication among moms and their daughters.
K-C's U By Kotex brand, K-C's new take on a tired category'. The youth-inspired feminine hygiene
brand was launched in 2010 featuring bold new packaging and feminine product design and K-C is
calling it a first step in redefining the category and encouraging women to change the conversation
surrounding feminine care from one of shame and embarrassment to one of open, honest dialogue.
In fact, U by Kotex this spring gave young women the chance to express themselves through an
online design contest with designer Patricia Field. Women were invited to enter a pad, accessory
or inspiration board for the chance to work with Field to design a new U by Kotex product and
attend a runway show at Fashion Week in New York City'.
In August, K-C extended the U by Kotex line with a limited edition designer series. Four distinct new
products are designed to capture young women's personal style with trend forward colors
and patterns, keeping her interested by creating surprise, delight and variety on shelf.
Branding agency CBX, provided inspiration, trends, and insights that informed the team within K-C
and all its agency partners involved with product and packaging innovation. The result was a
seamless integration of product development and design-thinking based on critical consumer
insights. "We created a limited edition, designer series package to allow for customized interaction
with the brand. Our consumers can now choose products that reflect their own personal style,"says
Kristi Bryant, design manager.
The U by Kotex* Designer Series features high-contrast colors and vibrant patterns enveloping each
package, and reflect individual fashion trends - poptimistic, boho, and freestyle for the three pad
designs and punk glam for the tampons. The U by Kotex* black logo stands out against the
saturated colors and is accompanied by a black belly band that wraps around the package, creating
a ribbon, gift-like effect. Visuals on all the panels reveal what's inside: pads and product wrappers
as colorful and coordinated as the packages.
"Overall, the designs allow for self-expression and style. When she realizes that these products fit
seamlessly into her purse, along with her other fashion accessories, it is an added bonus of surprise

and delight,"says Bryant.

5. Polymer Group Inc
Charlotte, NC, USA
www.polymergroupinc.com
2010 Nonwovens sales: $1.15 Billion
Key Personnel
Veronica Flagen, chief executive officer; Mike Hale, chief operating officer; Dennis Norman, chief
financial officer; Dan Rikard, svp, general counsel, and secretary; Bob Dale, svp of research
and development; John Heironimus, svp, chief marketing officer and chief sustainability' officer;
Mary Tomasello, svp human resources and employee communications; Charles Saine, svp
procurement; Cliff Bridges, senior director corporate communications and sustainability;
Scott Tracey, senior vice president and general manager, Europe; Rolando Dominguez, senior vice
president, general manager, Latin America; Daniel Guerrero, senior vice president, general
manager, US;. James Infinger, senior vice president and chief information officer.
Plants
Benson, NC, USA; Mooresville, NC, USA; Waynesboro,VA, USA; Clackamas, OR, USA; Magog,
Quebec, Canada; North Bay, Ontario, Canada; Cuijk,The Netherlands; Bailleul, France; Tarragona,
Spain; San Luis Potosi, Mexico; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Cali, Colombia; Nanhai., China; Suzhou,
China.
ISO Certification
Benson, NC; Mooresville, NC; Waynesboro, VA; Nanhai, China; Buenos Aires, Argentina; San Luis
Potosi, Mexico; Cali, Colombia and Cuijk, the Netherlands are ISO 9002 certified
Processes
Spunbonded, meltblown, SMS, composites, through air bonded, adhesive bonded, resin bonded,
thermal bonded, spunlaced, air-laid, apertured film, film laminates, extruded polyolefins, thermal
laminated, hydroentanglement, and other proprietary fabric forming, surfacing and binding
systems, Spinlace
Brand Names
APEX, Agribon, Chicopee, Boxer, Chifonet, Chux, Durapex, Fresh Guy, Geca-Tapes, J-Cloth, Lavette,
Masslinn, Medisoft, Morana, Quix, Poly Breathe, Polysafe, Stretch'N Dust, Sur-prep, Spinlace,
Ultraloft
An impressive 30% jump in sales was attributed to a combination of volume and pricing
improvements for PGI Nonwovens, Charlotte, NC. The company's net sales of $1,145 billion
included the benefits of the acquisition of Telsaca in Spain and a new line in Mexico and sales
are expected to increase even further as another new line--in Waynesboro,VA--comes onstream
later this year.

And, according to executives, PGI's new owner, Blackstone Capital, is the right partner for the
company's future growth/'Blackstone has indicated that they value PGI's strong position in the
marketplace and our growth strategy and has confidence in our management team,"says Cliff
Bridges, senior director, corporate communications and sustainabilitv/'Blackstone's energy allows
PGI to better execute on growth opportunities."
Blackstone bought PGI in January in a move PGI called the culmination of its strategic review
process to better provide the best value alternative available to its stockholders. At the time of
the acquisition, executives said Blackstone was committed to supporting PGI's strategy of
continued growth and investment in proprietary capabilities in its markets around the globe.
During the past decade PGI has proven its commitment to growth with an ambitious global
investment strategy that has included Large-scale greenfield investments and acquisitions alike. Its
two most recent investments in Mexico and Virginia join other state-of-the-art investments in
Argentina, Colombia, North Carolina, China and Spain. Looking ahead, the company announced in
March it would add a custom-designed spunmelt line as well as a pilot line in Suzhou, China to
focus on the hygiene market.The new line is expected to be commercial by the end of 2012.
Additionally the company has committed to a multiline expansion in Southern China and is currently
surveying possible locations for a greenfield installation in Brazil by early 2013.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Looking even further ahead, PGI expects to eventually add a third spunmelt line at its plant in Cali,
Colombia, where it holds a leadership position serving the Andean Pact market. This facility
was temporarily shut when a flood hit the region in December 2010. According to Bridges, 80% of
its customers continued to have a source of materials while the plant was closed.
Other Latin American investments for PGI include a new line in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, which
came onstream in May 2010 and played a role in increasing PGI's overall sales last year.
Meanwhile, PGI continues to get its feet wet in the European market which it entered in 2009
through the acquisition of Tesalca-Texnovo in Spain, a six-line spunmelt operation mainly supplying
the hygiene market. It operates as a wholly owned subsidiary PGI Spain, and has helped PGI
expand its scope not only into Western Europe but also in North Africa where Telsaca-Texnovo had
a strong customer base.
"The acquisition of the Spanish operation has gone very well," Bridges says. "The Euro market has
stabilized. We have grown from the number four hygiene material supplier to number three. We do
not view ourselves as a'me too'player in this market and will continue to pursue a value-add
business model. We are focusing on global relationships in order to win in the marketplace."
Back in the US, PGI's latest investment, a state-of-the-art Reifenhaucser line in Waynesboro, VA, is
scheduled to be complete in the fourth quarter of this year. The $65 million investment
included construction of the new line and an expansion of the existing facility-, which already
houses one spunmelt line. PGI also has a one-line North American operation in Mooresville, NC.
While investment has been ambitious in the past six or seven years, PGI executives feel the pace of
adding new lines has been in line with demand for the materials. "Since 2004, our focus on the right
cost structure and with the right business construct has positioned us for continued future growth,"
Bridges says, adding that he doesn't think any streamlining or re structuring of PGI's assets will
be imminent.

Instead, the company will focus its research and development efforts on both product and process
innovation.These include developing sub-micron fibers using a variety of melt-spinnable polymer
options that will advance attributes in barrier and pore size."We also are making continued
advancements in combining technologies such as Spinlace and filament extrusions. PGI also is
focusing on advancement in manufacturing with bio-polymers," Bridges says.
Spinlace is PGI's continuous filament wipes-producing technology launched in April 2007 to the
hard surface cleaning market. When releasing the new technology, PGI said it bridged the gap
between value and performance in wipes by eliminating the carded manufacturing steps.
"Wipes continues to be a core market for PGI and Spinlace has gained increased traction in the
marketplace since we introduced this new technology platform in 2007,"Bridges says."We continue
to focus on technologies where we can deliver improved strength, softness and barrier that
customers desire."
Other goals at PGI center around sustainability and several key milestones were reached this year.
In April, EDANA granted PGI two awards at the INDEX '11 show in Geneva, Switzerland. One of
these awards was for PGI's TakeCover Insect Repellant blanket in the finished product category.
This humanitarian aid blanket protects against malaria by repelling mosquitoes and other insects.
The second award was given in the Sustainable Process or Management category for PGI's
Sustainability Process.
Additionally in May, PGI was ranked the number one most sustainable company in North Carolina
and second in the Southeastern US by the Southeastern Corporate Sustainability Rankings
organization. The ranking is based on environmental, social and governance performances using
175 metrics.
"Sustainability is very much part of our culture and doing business at PGI," Bridges says. "We are a
leader in sustainability for both the nonwovens industry and among leading global manufacturers.
Our efforts have been recognized in the marketplace with several recent awards."
These efforts around sustainability wall be one of several tenets that guide PGI as it continues with
its long-term growth strategy for high-growth developing regions and ensuring investments in the
US, Suzhou, Brazil and, ultimately, Southern China.
"To remain a leader and win, PGI will deliver the right products with the right customers/'Bridges
concludes."We believe that anyone with money can invest in additional capacities, but this does not
make them a sustainable leader for the future market environments."
6. Fiberweb
London, UK
www.fiberweb.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $850 million
Key Personnel
Daniel Dayan, CEO; Dan Abrams, CFO; Carsten Heldmann, president consumer fabrics, John June,
president Americas industrial division; John Warner, managing director Geosynthetics division;

Hans Jorg Oberberg, president European industrial division

Plants
Green Bay WI, USA; Old Hickory, TN, USA; Simpsonville, SC, USA; Tianjin, China; Biesheim,
France; Aschersleben, Germany; Berlin, Germany; Trezzano Rosa, Italy; Pontypool, UK; Norrkoping, Sweden; Peine, Germany; Terno d'Tsola, Italy; Ma Id on, UK, Aberdare UK
Processes
Chemical bonded, thermal bonded, meltblown, bicomponent spunbond, airlaid, air through bonded,
spunbond, composites, extrusion
Major Markets
Construction and ground cover, consumer care, filtration, baby and adult diapers, hygiene, medical
and protective markets, industrial specialties, femcare
A good year was had by London, UK-based Fiberweb. The company was able to grow sales 10% on
improved volumes and higher raw material prices and at the same time improve its profits while
also significantly investing in several areas of its business.
According to CEO Daniel Dayan, in 2010, Fiberweb achieved sales of about $750 million plus an
additional $100 million generated through its half share in the joint venture partnership
FitesaFiberweb. In general, volumes were good across all of its markets with the exception of the
US construction market, which he describes as"miserable."
One of Fiberweb's main focuses has been on growing Fite-saFiberweb, its joint venture company
with Brazil's Pctropar, which is targeting hygiene spunbond markets in the Americas. The
venture was created in 2009 combining existing sites in Mexico and Washougal, WA, USA, owned
by Fiberweb, and Gravatai, Brazil, where Petropar's Fitesa was based. In 2010, FitesaFiberweb
opened its first greenfield site in Simpsonville, SC--its headquarters--in early 2011 to supply
the North American market, which was reportedly relying heavily on imports.
And, already the venture has announced plans for a second line in Simpsonville as part of a two line
investment announced in November 2010. In addition to Simpsonville, the venture will add a line in
Lima, Peru to help target the western side of South America. The Peru line is scheduled to come
onstream in early 2012 while the timing of the second North American line has not been disclosed.
The two lines will add 35,000 tons to bring the company's total spunmelt output to 140,000 tons.
"We are very focused on growing the joint venture," Dayan says."We have traded very well in
hygiene spunbond in the Americas. Simpsonville and Lima will strengthen our position."
The next region on Fiberweb's radar is Asia. Last year, the company announced it was forming a
partnership with Japan's JNC (formerly Chisso Corporation) to establish a nonwovens
operation targeting hygiene applications in China. While these discussions continue, Dayan says it
is possible that the deal could be between FitesaFiberweb rather than Fiberweb as a standalone
company.
The spunmelt market's unprecedented expansion, particularly in developing markets is not
impacting the venture's expansion plans. In fact, Dayan says the company remains confident in the

strength of spunmelt in the global hygiene market over the medium and longer terms, despite the
massive amounts of capacity' set to enter the market in the next couple of years.
"There is a lot of hygiene spunbond coming onstream, particularly in North and South America and
Asia,"Dayan says."I think the US is set to be pretty self sufficient in polypropylene spunbond
nonwovens for the next couple of years as new projects come onstream. This will mean a reduction
of exports out of South America but this region itself continues to grow strongly so we are
confident that--maybe with the exception of a year or so--demand will continue to grow."
In addition to the FitesaFiberweb assets, Fiberweb operates modern lines in Italy and Sweden
which primarily supply the Eu -ropean markets. While the company has no disclosed plans to
expand its role in this market, business there is benefiting from improved efficiencies in
the recycling operations as well as an efficient carding line being built in Northern Italy to improve
the competitiveness of hygiene products. While investment in hygiene has been strong, it is actually
industrial applications that Fiberweb deems more attractive due to higher margins and higher
returns on capital.The downside, however, is it's harder to grow rapidly unless you do so through
acquisition, Dayan says.
One industrial area where acquisition has been a focus has been geosynthetics. In May 2011, the
company bought Tubex, a producer of tree shelters designed to improve the survival and growth
rates of saplings and vines. The company is considered complementary to Fiberweb's Acorn tree
shelter business which is based in Norfolk, UK."Acquiring a leading niche market position in a
business closely-related to an existing Fiberweb business is highly attractive and we will apply the
scale and geographic reach of Fiberweb to accelerate Tubex's growth in international markets while
realizing efficiencies in production and distribution, "Dayan explains.
Meanwhile, in December 2010, Fiberweb paid [pounds sterling]9.4 million to buy out Essex-based
geosynthetics and accessor manufacturer Boddingtons International, the only UK producer of
geosynthetic nets as well as a wide range of accessories and laminates for use in civil engineering
projects and for temporary ground protection. Its business is highly complementary to Fiberweb's
Wales-based Tcrram geosynthetics business. There is a long-standing and growing
supply relationship between the two businesses, accounting for around 10% of Boddingtons' sales.
There are also links with Fiberweb's Old Hickory, TN-based Typar construction fabrics business,
according to the company.
Boddingtons is based in Maldon, Essex with small manufacturing operations in Lod-don, Norfolk
and Melbourne, Australia and has sales offices in the US and Germany with a total of 92
employees. Boddington's sales for the year ended June 30 were [pounds sterling]14 million with
profit before interest and tax of [pounds sterling]1 million.
Boddingtons, Tubex and Fiberweb's existing geotextile business will form a new business unit
within the industrial division, Fiberweb Geosynthetics. In addition to the two acquisitions, Fiberweb
is investing in a specialty needlepunch geotextile production line in the UK. Other measures will
include the closure of Terrain's Pontypool site as well as Boddingtons' Loddon. Operations from
these two sites will be integrated intoTubex's Aberdare site, which will be expanded to handle some
of the overflow.
"Geosynthetics comprises textiles, nonwovens, nettings, composites, drainage laminates and tree
shelters," Dayan says. "It's a whole range of specialist fabrics or products that go into construction.
We are bullish about it. We have strong brands and we have a strong market position."

Dayan speculates that the next investment step will be the addition of some specialty products-probably tree shelters--in the US
Beyond geosynthetics, Fiberwerb has a number of new products in filtration and technical
nonwovens. These businesses are set to benefit from a new research and development center,
scheduled to open in Old Hickory, TN by the end of the year, as well as a recent line upgrade
in Berlin, Germany dedicated to industrial applications. "We have seen strong volumes in Europe
for all sorts of applications--roofmg, agrotextiles, filtration, etc.,"Dayan says.
Meanwhile, in Asia, Fiberweb continues to operate a two-line airlaid facility inTianjin, China, which
is largely dependent on the success of a major femcare customer."We keep a range of options open.
I would certainly like to have a stronger footprint there--even a plant--and we are seeking the right
opportunities," Dayan says.
In fact, it's the right opportunities that Fiberweb will depend on for broad-based growth throughout
all of its businesses."Rel-evant innovation with the ability to make the right acquisitions and
investments at the right time to accelerate growth is what will move us forward,"Dayan concludes.
7. Johns Manville
Denver, CO, USA
www.jm.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $670 million
Key Personnel
Bob Wamboldt, vice president and general manager, Engineered Products North America (EPNA),
Enno Henze, vice president and general manager Engineered Products Europe/Asia (EPEA); Ken
Forden, director of sales and marketing EPNA; Stefan Mohr, commercial leader nonwovens (EPEA);
Martin Kleinebrecht, marketing leader nonwovens (EPEA)
Plants
Waterville, OH; Defiance, Of 1; Richland, MS, Spartanburg, SC, Etowah,TN; Bobingen, Berlin,
Wertheim, Karlstein and Steinach, Germany; Shanghai and Louyang, China; Trnava, Slovakia
Brand Names
US-Brands: Dura-Glass, DuraBase, Delta-Aire, DynaWick, Dy-naWcb, DynaTech, Micro-Aire,
MicroLith
EU Nonwoven brands: microlith, ForTex, Illuma, StabilStrand,eco-Mat, DuraGlass, DuraSpun,
SpunFil, CombiFil, ComforTex, Sta-bleGrip; UniTex, MicroAire
EU Fibers brands: ThermoFlow, DuraCore, KY-Tex
As it adapts to its new regional structure, roll goods producer and roofing and construction
specialist Johns Manville has defended itself against slowdowns in many of its core markets by
keeping costs under control. The Denver, CO-based company, which is also a part of

Berkshire Hathaway Group, is organized into four regional segments--Insulations Systems, Roofing
Systems and Engineered Products North America (EPNA) and Engineered Products Europe/Asia
(EPEA), a restructuring that allows the company to increase its decisionmaking speed.
Among the markets JM is focusing on are laminate flooring, air filtration, wall coverings and
landscaping in addition to its more traditional areas including residential and commercial
construction and geotextiles.
The company currently makes glass mat nonwovens in Waterville, OH and Etowah, TN. In Ohio, a
line upgrade has increased capacity and efficiency of the operation while in Tennessee the facility is
described as extremely cost-efficient, running 24 hours per day/seven days a week.
Additionally, in July, JM broke ground on a new commercial roofing single ply membrane
manufacturing facility in Milan, OH, where it will make EPDM roofing products starting in the
second quarter of next year. The facility will be the company's third in Ohio."This is the right time
to invest in enhancing our product portfolio and JM now has one of the broadest offerings of
commercial products in the industry," says CEO Todd Raba.
JM has invested more than $125 million in its commercial roofing business during the last five
years.
EPDM is a thermoset synthetic rubber single ply roofing membrane known for its durability, ease of
installation and superior weathering characteristics. Approximately 80% of the FPDM market is
located in the Midwest and Northeast. JM strategically selected a location close to the majority of
its customers to ensure the most efficient delivery.The new facility, a former rubber manufacturing
facility, began renovations in May 2011, with approximately 100 million square feet of
manufacturing capacity and production scheduled for mid-2012.
Meanwhile, in Europe, JM makes glass fiber nonwovens in Karlstein, Steinach and Wertheim,
Germany as well as polyester spunbond in Berlin and Bobingen, Germany. A recent highlight for the
German operation is a Top 100 seal by the Vienna University of Economics and
Business Administration. For the second year in a row, JM was ranked among the top 100 mostinnovative mid-sized companies in Germany.
JM also operates two plants in China--one in Shanghai and the other in Louyang--where it continues
to service roofing specialty and geotextiles markets in Asia and the Middle East from state-of-te-art spunbond lines.
In terms of product development, JM is going after the laminate flooring panel market with the use
of StabilStrand, an innovative glass fiber nonwoven impregnated with a semi-cured resin system.
Especially in the case of floor coverings, which are subjected to daily stress over many years,
impact resistance and impact strength play an important role. StabilStrand EW 160 C/A, used as
underlay reinforcements of laminate flooring panels manufactured in DPL-process, increases
the impact strength and the edge stability of HDF panels. StabilStrand enables users to meet the
new performance requirements for the flooring class 34.
Meanwhile, JM is entering an entirely different field of application that can be entered with
CombiFil GS, which is a brand-new polyester spunbond air filtration media with improved
filtration efficiency and lower pressure drop leading to expanded filter lifetime and lower energy
consumption.This helps customers to save costs and protect the environment by using fewer
resources, according to executives.

Another new product, EasyShine, a nonwoven glass fiber product, has recently been incorporated
into JM's already strong portfolio of innovative and decorative wall covering products for both
commercial and residential markets. EasyShine is pre-coated to provide both a time and costefficient alternative. Paint consumption is considerably lower compared to other similar products.
The pre-coating also acts as a stabilizing factor which enables faster and more accurate edge-t-edge installation.
Within the landscape market, JM has introduced DuraSpun Type 014, which has been specially
designed to meet the market demand as a protective layer to stabilize sloped landscapes of all
kinds. The Polyester Nonwoven DuraSpun Type 014 provides excellent chemical stability and
outstanding technical values. "The surface treatment applied to the fabric in combination with the
UV resistance enables JM customers to offer an outstanding product for downstream applications,"
explains Martin Kleinebrecht, marketing leader nonwovens (EPEA).
8. Glatfelter
York, PA, USA
www.glatfelter.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $350 million
Key Personnel Dante Parrini, CEO; Jonathan Bourget, vice president and general manager
Advanced Airlaid Materials; Lionel Bitton, general sales manager Advanced Airlaid Materials
Plants
Canada, Germany, France, UK Processes
Airlaid, wetlaid
Airlaid sales continue to drive sales growth for York, PA-based Glatfelter Group. The maker of
specialty paper and wetlaid nonwovens purchased airlaid maker Concert Industries--and its plants
in Canada and Germany--in February 2010 for a reported $235 million. This division now operates
as Glatfelter Advanced Airlaid.
Already airlaid sales, which were estimated at approximately $200 million during the purchase, are
on the rise. During the second quarter of 2011 ended June 30, sales increased 24.7% to nearly $65
million thanks to a combination of higher selling prices, increased volumes and improved currency
translations.
Also benefitting Glatfelter's airlaid business is a new, state-of-the-art airlaid line in Falkenhagen,
Germany. Representing a $70 million investment, Concert began ramping up the new line,
that facility's third, in late 2009, and Glatfelter said the potential this new line had on the business
was one of the contributing factors that led to its decision to buy Concert.The line added 18,000
tons of capacity to bring the global airlaid capacity, which also contains a two-line operation in
Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, to 84,000 tons.
The core business for this output is feminine hygiene products but other areas of interest include
adult incontinence, food pads, tabletop items and wipes. Much of this output is already contracted
through 2013 and some 80% of current revenue is attached to raw material price pass-throughs,

which allows the company to raise and lower prices depending on its supplier base.
By adding the strength of Concert's airlaid business to Glatfelter's existing knowledge in specialty
papers and other technologies, the company is hoping to capitalize on synergies across all of its
business units, which in addition to advanced airlaid include composite fibers and specialty papers.
Concert's airlaid business is only the latest in a string of investments by Glatfelter.The company has
spent the last decade working to build its business by expanding into new areas largely
through acquisitions rather than Greenfield investments, which present the challenge of
introducing incremental capacity into the market. Through acquisition, Glatfelter has not only
bought existing capacity but also gained intellectual property and know-how.
In fact, the Concert acquisition was Glatfelter's first since 1998 and it is consistent with its strategy
to build on areas where it is al ready a leader. Airlaid nonwovens is helping Glatfelter expand more
into engineered fiber-based materials. Airlaid was a good adjacent technology' to existing
businesses, particularly wetlaid nonwovens, which Glatfelter makes in Europe.
Beyond the acquired business, Glatfelter operates a diverse specialty papers business that includes,
among other things, a sizeable wetlaid nonwovens business in Germany, France and the UK.
Core applications for this business, which was valued between $100-150 million last year include
tabletop applications and surgical masks.
9. Companhia Providencia
Parana, Brazil www.providencia.com.br
2010 nonwovens sales: $326 million
Key Personnel
Herminio Freitas, president and CEO; Eduardo Feldmann, CFO; Alexandre Domequc commercial
director; Romeo Bregant, engineering and technology director; Fabio Kryzanovski, operational
director
Plants
Sao Jose dos Pinhais-Parana, Brazil, and Pouso Alegre-Minas Gerais, Brazil, Statesville, NC, USA
Processes
Spunbonded, SMS, meltblovvn, laminated nonwovens, printed nonwovens
Brand Names
Kami, Protect, Protect Advanced, Protect Ultra, Kami Soft Major Markets
Medical, agricultural, furniture and bedding, towel and coverlet, hygiene, filtration, wipes
With new lines going in in the US and Brazil, Companhia Providencia has reason to be optimistic
about future growth.The Sao Paolo, Brazil-based company is already-reporting 10% growth in 2010
thanks to growth throughout the Americas and this figure is set to go even higher as new

investments take hold in the US and Brazil.

In 2011, the company completed construction on its first line outside of Brazil, a 20,000- ton- peryear spunmelt line in Statesville, NC, which is expected to be fully operational by the end of the
year. According to executives, this line is casing the strain on its Brazilian operations which had
been supplying North America. The new line is also expected to boost North American sales, already
comprising 20% of total sales, even further.
This probably explains the speed with which Providencia announced line no. 2 for North America,
another large capacity Re-icofil line, which is set to come onstream late next year. Eventually,
experts say this site could hold as many as four spunmelt lines, feeding hygiene growth in the
Americas. "We have contracts with many clients in the US," says Herminio Freitas, CEO."We expect
North American segment sales to continue to grow at around 3%, driven by growth in adult
diapers."
The new US lines feature bicomponent technology allowing Providencia to produce nonwovens for
both hygiene and high performance medical applications.
In addition to the US investment, Providencia has also unveiled plans to increase its Brazilian
operation, adding an 11th line there by the end of next year.The new line is expected to help the
company capitalize on growth in Brazil, which is estimated at about 10% per years."Baby diapers
are driving this growth because penetration of diapers in Brazil increased from 20% in 2000 to 48%
in 2010, and it is expected to increase even more,"Freitas says.
Providencia's latest Brazilian line--its 10th--was added in April 2008, giving the company the
flexibility to target the medical market. To further boost its role in medical, the company established
a new medical fabrics division to help it not only take advantage of the new line's capabilities but
also capitalize on existing technologies including cast films, breathable films printing
and laminating.
While he percentage of Providencia's output going into medical is currently very small, 2%, this
figure will grow as more lines featuring medical capabilities come onstream in the US and Brazil.
In terms of regional penetration, Brazil currently accounts for 61% of Providencia's sales, a figure
that is expected to decrease as investments in the US come onstream. Ultimately, the percentage
of capacity produced in Brazil will decrease from 80% to about 65%. Beyond Brazil, important Latin
American markets include Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina and Peru. Meanwhile, growth will
continue to be strongest in Latin America with sales increasing 10% in Brazil and 8% outside
of Brazil. The US hygiene market, meanwhile continues to grow on the strength of the adult
incontinence market.
"We are planning to expand in the US and in Brazil, because these are the biggest consumer
countries for nonwovens and from then on we can export to all the other countries in the Americas,"
Freitas says adding that greenfield projects, mainly in Brazil and the US, will continue to fuel
growth.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
10. Sandler AG.
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany

www.sandlcr.de
2010 nonwovens sales: $288 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, chief executive officer; Dieter Magiera and Dipl.-Ingenieur (FH)
Wolfgang Hoflich, members of the management board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany ISO Status
ISO 9001, ISO 14001 certified, Okotex Standard 100, OHRIS, FSC, PEFC
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown,
thermofused, needlepunched, air through bonded, spunlaced, hotmelt and thermal lamination,
coating and flexoprinting, embossing, aperturing, composites
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawa-tex, sawascreen, sawagrow,
sandier sports, sawacomp sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sawatec,
sandier fibercomfort, sandier fiberskin, sandier unico, sawadur, sawadry, sawabond White Lace,
sawabond Silver Lace, sawatcx mariquita, sawatex orsettino, bio textile by sandler
Major Markets
Home textiles, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, automotive, filtration, horticulture),
nonwovens for hygiene, medical, wipes (baby cosmetic, technical, oil)
A new spunlace line is the top story from Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany-based Sandler AG but
other highlights from the nonwovens producer include a 21% sales increase, new efforts in
sustainability and growth in technical applications.
"2010 was really a very good year for us and we had about 21% increase from year on year 20092010,"says vice president of sales, logistics and procurement Ulrich Hornfeck, stressing that these
sales figures don't include the company's latest spunlace investment, which is expected to drive
sales growth even further in the years ahead.
Instead, this growth has been attributed to a spirit of cooperation with key customers in a number
of different market segments--automotives, filtration, hygiene, wipes--as well as the impact of
higher raw material prices."It was really a broad increase and I think that is a good thing,"Hornfeck
adds.
Spunlaced nonwovens, particularly for wipes applications--has been a strong growth area for
Sandler since it first entered the market in 2003. Last year, the company said it would continue to
invest in the technology with a third line to facilitate growth not only in wipes but in more technical
applications. It is part of a --40 million investment which also encompasses a new building to house

the new line.

Hornfeck said line number three is ramping up quite well. "We are still very happy to see that the
line has been installed on time. It started on time, it supplied its first order on time. It is a
good situation."
While wipes continue to be strong, other, more technical areas for spunlace will be a major focus for
the new line. Because Sandler is already present in a number of technical markets with other
existing technologies, transition into new markets that could use spunlace should be seamless,
Hornfeck says.
At the same time, Sandler will capitalize on growth in the Central and Eastern European wipes
markets."Wipes is still increasing, more so in Eastern Europe, for sure because all the big brands
are now going there and growing the market. It is a good situation for us because of our location
near the east, "Hornfeck says.
Sandler makes baby and other personal care wipes substrates as well as products for industrial
cleaning, medical, adult care and household cleaning. Its second spunlace line was added in 2007.
Meanwhile, Sandler's technical business, which includes products for a number of markets, will be
the next investment area at the company but final plans have not been announced. "You always see
Sandler grow on both sides," Horn feck says.
One exciting market for Sandler recently has been filtration where it has begun selling products for
liquid applications in addition to its traditional air filtration products. Specific markets on
the company's radar include automotive filtration and air compo-sitioning.
Additionally Sandler has been targeting its polyester products to the insulation and energy savings
markets. Here, nonwovens can replace foams or multilayer structures typically used for heat
insulation or even in automotive fields to save energy. These materials typically need to be
engineered to withstand extreme temperatures.
Speaking of saving energy, sustainability has been a key goal for Sandler both in its products and
manufacturing processes. From a product standpoint, Sandler launched the bio wipe sub-strate "bio
textile by Sandler" this year, which uses certificated viscose fiber from Lenzing. "This wipe has a
nice embossed pattern to give the idea of a biowipe or a biotextile even to the end users to give
them the idea that the wipe is made from the renewable resource wood and is also
fully biodegradable," Hornfeck says. Providing the basis for this new development and furthering
sustainability, Sandler obtained certification according to the FSC and PEFC standards in 2010.
From a production standpoint, the company has continued with the'Xess is best to
nature"philosophy, started in 2008. Efforts here have led to lower basis weights as well as an
increased use of recycled fibers. Today, 30% of all fibers used by Sandler come from renewable raw
materials or recycled polyester bottles.
While these efforts are important, there is some question over how well they translate into sales
success."Customers like it but the whole industry is worrying about price. The situation of raw
material prices is making disposables very tough, so everyone is welcome to find new opportunities
and new situations. If you can put that balance into a sustainable background, it's not the worst
thing you can do," Hornfeck explains.

11. Avgol
Tel Aviv, Israel
www.avgol.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $ 277.5 million
Key Personnel
Shuki Goldwasser, chairman; Achai Bonneh, vice chairman & CTO; Shlomo Liran, CEO
Plants Tel Aviv Israel; Mocksville, NC, USA; Jingmen City, Hubei Province, China; Uzlovaya, Russia
ISO Status
ISO 9002 Certified
Processes
Spunbonded, meltblown, hydroentangled spunlaid
Brand Name
Zebra, Avspun, Avsoft
Major Markets
Hygiene, medical, and construction
Continuing its ambitious global expansion plan is Tel Aviv, Israel-based Avgol Nonwovens. As it
waits for its fourth North American line to come onstream early next year, the company announced
last month it would add a third line in China and increase its share in its joint venture partnership
there.
With five lines in Israel, two existing in China, three up and running in North America and one in
Russia, all based on Reicofil technology, Avgol is one of the world's largest suppliers to the global
hygiene market where it attributes its success to its ability to make an extremely uniform,
lightweight product.
"We really continue to be focused on hygiene," says North American sales manager Dennis
Durkin/'That's where we see our growth is. Looking out over the next five years, that's where
we are going."Durkin was formerly a part of Cleaver Associates, once a distributor of Avgol that the
company purchased earlier this year for $7 million, in a streamlining measure.
For Avgol, growth is expected to be global. In Asia, Avgol currently operates a two (soon to be
three) line venture with a local partner, Hubei Gold Dragon. Its latest investment, a Reicofil line,
will bring Avgol's production capacity in China to 40,000 tons. It is part of an effort, announced last
year, to expand production capacity through the purchase of two new production lines in the US
and China for an investment of $80 million. The new lines--the other is being built in Mocksville,
NC--will raise Avgol's production capacity by 30%, or 30,000 tons of finished product a year, so that

overall company production of finished products will reach 140,000 tons a year.This expansion will
allow the company to meet increased demand of company products.
The cost of the additional Chinese production line will be financed mainly by investment in equity
from the Chinese partnership, bank financing, and/or with a shareholders' loan. The
investment required to set up the new Chinese production line includes an investment' of between
$10.2 million and $12.4 million by Avgol in the Chinese partnership equity, as well as a $1.1 million
investment by the Chinese partner in the partnership equity. The Chinese partnership will raise the
remaining $27-30 million of the investment through local bank financing and/or a shareholders'
loan. Following its investments and its increase in its partnership equity, Avgol's stake in the
partnership will rise to 83-84% of partnership equity and the Chinese partner's will hold 16-17%.
"We identified great opportunities in the China/Asia Pacific markets, which are considered markets
with high growth rates in the categories of disposable hygiene products and specifically
baby diapers," says Shlomo Liran, Avgol's CEO."The investment in a third production line in China
underscores our complete satisfaction with the investments we have made to date in China
within the scope of the partnership, and prepares the groundwork for driving the sales momentum
in response to the already high demands in China. This strategic decision is the outcome of the
continuing increase in the volume of purchases and the expression of trust in Avgol and in
its production lines by our major customers in China, as well as throughout the world. Increasing
our production capacity will enable us to give expression to our competitive advantages - global
presence, innovation, uncompromising quality and superb service to our customers, and to fortify
Avgol's positioning as a leading and preferred supplier for the long years ahead."
Beyond the already announced North American and Chinese investments, Durkin says Avgol
continues to look at other places in the world to help it improve its global footprint. Possible
locations for Avgol's next new line include southeast Asia or a second line in Russia."1 would think
Russia would have to be under heavy consideration for another line," he says."Ultimately, you
have to have two lines in a plant. You have to run two lines to make money."
Also driving Avgol's future investments will be the continued demand for lower and lower basis
weights, an area that has already received much buzz in recent years, as well as increased
flexibility. Five years ago, 13-15 gsm substrates were the gold standard, today 11 gsm is more the
average and weights as low as 8 gsm are already being made by Avgol whose capabilities also
include bicomponent technology, hydrotentanglement and different calendering patterns.
Durkin says as the industry moves closer to the lower possible grammages, attention will be paid to
machine flexibility as the next way to trim costs.
"What I see is there is going to be a need for more flexibility7 because the resins have already
showed how crazy things are. Polypropylene may not be the material of choice in hygiene
because people won't be able to afford to be held captive to it 10 vears from now,"he says.
12. Hollingsworth & Vose company
East Walpole, MA
Web: www.hollingsworth-vose.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $275 million

Key Personnel
Val Hollingsworth, president and CEO; David von Loesecke, vice president international; Mike
Clark, division president, high efficiency and specialty filtration; Mitch Bregman, division president
energy and industrial specialties; John Madej, division president, engine and industrial filtration;
Jochem Hofstetter, vice president and general manager, Europe, Middle East, Africa; Josh Ayer, vice
president and general manager, Asia-Pacific; Jeff Sherer, vice president and CFO; Mario Sandoval,
vice president and chief integrated supply chain officer; John Fitzgerald, vice president and chief
technology officer; Ken Fausnacht, vice president, human resources
Plants
Apizaco, Mexico; Corvallis, OR, USA; East Walpole, MA, USA; Easton, NY, USA; Floyd,VA, USA;
Greenwich, NY, USA; Hatzfeld, Germany; Hawkinsville, GA; Kentmere, UK; Suzhou, China; West
Groton, MA, USA; Winchcombe, UK
ISO Status
Apizaco, Mexico, ISO-9001.2008; Corvallis, OR, ISO 9001:2008; East Walpole, MA, ISO 9001:2008;
Easton, NY, ISO 9001:2008; Floyd, VA, ISO 9001-.2008; Greenwich, NY, ISO 9001:2008; Hatzfeld,
Germany ISO 9001:2008; Hawkinsville, GA, ISO 9001:2008 and AS 9100; Kentmere, UK, ISO
9001:2008; Suzhou, China ISO 9001:2008; West Groton, MA, lSO9001:2008; Winchcombe, UK, ISO
9001:2008.
Processes:
Wetlaid, meltblown, carded thermal bonded (point and flat calendered), latex bonded, thru-air
bonded, needlepunched, thermal lamination, aqueous and solvent-based saturation, nanofiberwebs, composites, webs incorporating functional particles
Brand Names:
AFM, AFN, AQF, AlphaPerm, AlphaSeal, AquaSure, BGO, Ca-paceon, Capofilter, Cyclcguard,
DynaSeal, EnergyGuard, Energy-Guard Plus, Fastock, HiPerm, Holltek, HiPerrn Plus, H2oudini,
HovoFuse, Hovoglas, Hovoliner, Hovolon, Hovomat, Hovopulse, Hovosorb, Hovotex,
Hovotherm, Hovotrim, Hovowipe, lnviscint, Magnaseal, NanoWave, Nanoweb, PerForm, PurePerm,
Saf'iY' Shielded, Soft'N, Stable, Stitchbackers, Technostat, Technosfal Plus, The Cat,
lufguard, Unisorb,ValPac,ViaMat, WallTek
Major Markets

Engine & industrial filtration; High efficiency &

specialty filtration; Energy & industrial
specialties
In 2010, Hollingsworth & Vose's global
nonwovens sales I reached $275 million, after
dropping 10% to reach $215 million in 2009. This
sharp turnaround has been attributed to growth
in Asia as well as recovery in North America and
Europe. Sales in Asia have increased since last
year driven by growth in Chinese domestic demand. The product areas that are driving growth
include engine filtration, face mask, HVAC and energy. H&V also saw strong demand for face masks
in the first half of 2010 due to the swine flu epidemic. That demand tapered off in the second half of
the year. HVAC demand returned to normal during 2010.
While markets tied to consumers have lagged, the overall business of H&V has recovered to 2009
levels. At the same time, markets in China (H&V has a site in Suzhou) and Southeast Asia have
witnessed a recover. In fact, Asian expansion helped tide H&V over during the last few years of
market weakness. H&V cu rren tly has operations in the US, Europe and China and continues to
expand globally with investments in China and India already underway.
"Global expansion, market diversification and a strong balance sheet have helped H&V prosper
during difficult times," comments John Madej, division president for engine and industrial
filtration. Even amidst challenging market conditions, H&V was able to maintain all of its
production capabilities while continuing to invest in product development and process
improvement. This enabled H&V to emerge from the recession in a strengthened position."
H&V's Engine and Industrial Filtration business has benefited from the expanding transportation
and energy market and the growth in demand from BRIC countries during the past three years.
In India, H&V announced in June it had formed a joint venture with Nath Group to construct a new
mill near Aurangabad, Maharashtra. The new mill will be able to produce engine filter media, as
well as selected products for HVAC filtration and battery separator applications. In announcing this
expansion, H&V executives said it was the next logical step in serving its customers in India, where
the demand for high quality engine and industrial filtration products is growing.
Meanwhile, in Suzhou, China, at its existing plant, H&V is adding a new paper machine capable of
producing filter media to serve engine and industrial filtration applications. The new machine will
be H&V's largest globally and is expected to come on line in the first half of 2012. It is being
designed with the hill capabilities needed to serve the growing China and Asia Pacific market with
high quality, performance-based products.
Commenting on the expansion plans, Josh Ayer, vice president and general manager, Asia Pacific,
says, "We have been pleased with the progress of our team in the Asia Pacific region and see this
investment as the logical next step in our long term growth plan. Since beginning commercial
production at our Suzhou mill in 2008, we have had good market acceptance of our products which
are produced at the highest global standards of quality and performance. H&V is committed
to further increasing our scope of products and services to meet the needs of this region."
The Engine and Industrial Filtration segment is also benefitting from a new product developed to

address market needs for fuel efficiency, energy efficiency and emissions requirements. This
new product, Inviscint, is a hydraulic and fuel filter media that responds to regulatory and
performance requirements in fuel and hydraulic segments. H&V plans to have a full-scale
commercial launch of this product this fall.
Meanwhile, H&V's High Efficiency and Specialty Filtration business continues to enjoy a full
recovery as new products contributed to positive performance.
Mike Clark, division president high efficiency and specialty filtration, points to Nanoweb as a
product that has been particularly well received by the market. Its applicability to both air and
liquid filtration segments has led to strong interest and adoption on the air side globally as well as
good progress in liquid applications.
Another interesting new product is Technostat Plus, a higher performance, lower pressure drop
version of the original Technostat. It is being widely adopted in face masks, medical filtration and
HVAC due to its high alpha (ratio of efficiency to pressure drop).Technostat Plus has the lowest
pressure drop in the market, according to the company.
H&V's Capaceon media was launched in the fourth quarter of 2010. This product line breaks the
link between basis weight and performance offering increased dust holding capacity for air fil
tration media at equal basis weights as well as excellent efficiency, water resistance and mold
resistance. Additional products within the Capaceon line will be offered in late 2011 for lube
applications.
In addition to new product development, H&V has made significant capital investment in facilities
worldwide. In Europe, H&V recently added a new meltblown line in I Iatzfeld, Germany and is
rebuilding a line in Winchcomb, UK. The new Hatzfeld line has allowed H&V to add capabilities
such as multilayer composites to its portfolio, positioning it well for growth in synthetics.
H&V's rebuild of a line in Winchcombe will be complete by the end of the third quarter of 2011.
This investment will result in step change performance improvements in the microglass media
produced at the site, and will more than double H&V's European microglass filtration and
microglass battery separator manufacturing capability. H&V currently manufactures microglass
media in the US, Europe and Asia. These capital investments help H&V's production stay in sync
with its efforts in developing technically advanced media for battery, air filtration, hydraulic and
coalescer applica tions.
In fact, it is the company's Energy and Industrial Specialties area that has seen many new areas of
product and market expansion such as laminates for home furnishings and specialty and
microglass materials. Among these new products is H&V's patented Cycleguard battery separator
material, which is used in automobile batteries. According to Mitch Bregman, division president
energy and industrial specialties, it will be products like these, both within and outside of filtration,
that are critical to H&V's global expansion plans and will help H&V position itself for growth. "The
new products have underscored our reputation of being a high quality supplier of innovative new
products,"he says."H&V's key initiatives include global growth, innovation and standardization of
global business processes to provide superior customer service."
13. Japan Vilene
Tokyo, Japan
www.vilene.co.jp

2010 nonwovens sales: $266 million

Key Personnel
Toshio Yoshida, president; Yoshiaki Mizutani, managing director, Yasufumi Matsumiya, director
Plants
Shiga, Tokyo
Processes
Resin bonded, needlepunched, thermal bonded, wetlaid, spunlaced, meltblown, tackspun
Major Markets
Apparel interlinings, apparel insulation, air filters, plast bases, automotive mats, automotive
headliners, batter electrode separators
Gross consolidated sales of Japan Vilene for the year ended in March 2011 was [yen]46 billion,
showing a 0.3% increase from the prior year. Apparel and medical material sales decreased 12.5%;
air filter materials increased 1.7%, industrial materials rose 4.1%, automotive materials sales
increased 9.2% and remaining sales decreased 53%.
While automotive materials showed favorable results domestically and internationally, industrial
materials and air conditioning materials were limited by a low growth rate. Also decreasing were
masks and medical garments. Straight nonwovens sales decreased from [yen] 20.7 billion to [yen]
20.5 billion.
Meanwhile, by region, Japanese sales comprised Y29.8 billion; North American sales were [yen]10.9
billion and Asia accounted for [yen]4.9 billion. In total, overseas sales accounted for 35.2% of total
sales compared to 31% the previous sales year. This was attributed to increases in the automotives
floor mat business in North America as well as overall automotive materials sales in Asia, led by
Chinese consumption. Also in Asia, apparel and air conditioning applications performed well.
At the same time, decreases were felt in automotive materials in Japan in the second half of the year
as well as in headliners and battery separators.
In investment news, Japan Vilene is moving forward with increasing production of floor mat
materials in Japan. Production is expected to double to 1.2 million sets per year by the end of the
year. Additionally, the company will start making recycled polyester fibers made from polyester
bottles in the US beginning in January 2012. Japan Vilene also makes recycled polyester fiber in
Japan through its subsidiary Oyama Chemical.
In research and development efforts, Japan Vilene has focused on developing new applications for
nanofiber-based separators for lithium ion batteries. The company makes these nonwovens through
an electrospinning method, hoping they can replace mi-crol'aul film which typically has been used.
14. Buckeye Technologies
International Top Company Report

Memphis, TN, USA

www.bkitech.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $265 million
Key Personnel
Marko Rajamaa, senior vice president, Nonwovens; Michael Brown, Nonwovens sales manager-Americas and Far Fast; Nor-bert Busch, Nonwovens sales manager--Europe and Middle East
Plants
British Columbia, Canada, North Carolina, Steinfurt, Germany
Processes
Airlaid
This year airlaid maker Buckeye Technologies decided to close its Delta, B.C., Canada facility by the
end of 2012.The Memphis, TN-based company said in June it no longer made sense to operate the
facility because of its unfavorable location relative to customers and raw material suppliers as well
as low capacity utilization. In 2010, the company had consolidated the site, which had been open
since 1997, from a two-line operation to one, but this measure failed to make the facility cost
effective.
Buckeye expects to incur a non-cash asset impairment charge of about $15 million and $5 million in
restructuring expenses between now and the end of 2012. The closure is expected to generate
about $30 million in cash over the next 18 months, primarily through the sale of land and buildings
and a net reduction in working capital.
"It's a great plant with exceptional quality but it's just difficult for that location to be competitive
when most of your customers are thousands of miles away," says nonwovens sales manager
Michael Brown.
Over the next 18 months, some of the output from Delta will go to Steinfurt, Germany but the bulk
will go to Buckeye's plant near Charlotte, NC.
Meanwhile, Buckeye continues to grow its overall airlaid sales. For the year ended June 30,2011,
sales increased to $264.9 million from $246.8 million the year before as company-wide sales
increased 20% to $905 million to hit a new record, due largely to more favorable selling prices.
"We were pleased with our fourth quarter and our record fiscal year 2011 financial results. Fourth
quarter revenue was significantly improved over the same quarter a year ago, surpassing the old
record delivered in the preceding quarter. We indicated on our last quarter's earnings conference
call that we expected fourth quarter earnings to be similar to the third quarter, which is
the case,"says chairman and CEO John Crowe.
While pricing in its core raw material, fluff pulp, has been high it has not faced the same
skyrocketing prices of synthetic fibers. "We are seeing quite a lot of people trying to avoid the
volatility (of synthetics) and moving toward airlaid nonwovens,"Brown says."Pricing is a little more

stable."
Buckeye's main markets continue to be wipes and hygiene applications, in April, the company
decided to expand its scope in wipes by launching a flushable wipe substrate. Launched at INDHX,
AIRspun Flushable is a new airlaid nonwoven substrate for use in moist toilet tissue applications, a
market Buckeye views as a strong growth prospect. According to the company, it adds a new
dimension to its range of products for wiping applications.
"AIRspun Flushable was designed to meet the performance criteria of our customers including the
flushability guidelines set forth by the nonwovens industries associations in North America
and Europe,"Crowe says."Additionally, the product is made predominantly with our own fluff pulp
cellulose from renewable materials, so it fits well with our continued sustainability efforts."
15. TWE Group
Dierdorf, Germany
www.twe.de
2010 nonwovens Sales: $260 million
Key Personnel
Michael Haddon Plants
Emsdettern, Germany, Dierdorf, Germany; Hangzhou, China
Processes
Drylaid, chemical bonded, thermal bonded, needlepunched, air through bonded
Applications
Hygiene, household, automotives, geotextiles, building, filtration
Describing 2010 as"not an easy year,"was Michael 1 laddon, managing director of the TWE Group,
Dierdorf, Germany. Attributing a turnover reduction largely to a substantial drop in sales to the
automotives market and related areas, the company also saw reductions in many of its other
markets, which include hygiene, household, geotextiles, building and filtration.
He added that the company started seeing conditions improve in 2010 and is confident for the
future, due to new business and contracts secured over the last couple of years which are now
coming onstream.
To help secure itself for the future, TWE continued with its sub stantial investment plans and built
two more new proprietary lines in its German sites of Dierdorf and Emsdetten to expand capacity in
its existing technology. Additionally, TWE has finalized plans to add another new line, featuring
what Haddon would only call existing TWE technology, which will come onstream in the first
quarter of next year.
Beyond Germany, the TWE Group opened a Chinese facility in Hangzhou in 2007 and added a

second line there in 2008. Two years later, Haddon describes its Chinese operation--which like
Germany serves automotive, hygiene and technical applications--as in a consolidation phase.
16. First Quality Nonwovens
Great Neck, NY, USA
www.firstquality.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $250 million
Plants
Hazleton, PA, USA; McElhattan, PA, USA, Wuxi, China (planned)
Processes
Spunmelt, spunlace
Applications
Hygiene, medical
Recent news for forward integrated nonwovens supplier First Quality is a Chinese investment
plan.The company is moving forward with an ambitious Chinese expansion plan--a two-line facility
in Wuxi, China, its first operation outside the US According to executives at the tight-lipped
nonwovens producer, which also makes diapers, femininine hygiene items and other consumer
goods for the private label market, the company's investment in China is a clear demonstration of
its commitment to the global nonwovens industry and its dedication to satisfying the needs of the
domestic Chinese market by providing innovative and high quality products, executives said.
The first line is scheduled to be operational next year. It will be a multi-beam Reifenhauser machine
incorporating the latest technology and enabling First Quality to provide premium non-woven
material to the hygiene and medical markets throughout Asia. Details on the second line will be
announced in 2011.
Meanwhile, in the US, the Great Neck, NY-based company is said to make about 100,000 tons of
spunmelt nonwovens at two plants in Pennsylvania and is rumored to have recently added two
spunlace lines to its operation to fuel growth in the private label wipes segment. Much of this
output supplies First Quality's massive private label business, which includes the former
Covidien/Tyco diaper business purchased by the company in 2008 as well as its own interests in
the private label feminine hygiene and adult incontinence market.
As First Quality continues to vie for a top spot in the disposable diaper market, it is unclear how
much of its new Chinese investment will feed an expansion of its consumer products into Asia.
In other news, First Quality began making spunlaced nonwovens last year on a 3.6-meter wide
Rieter hydroentanglement line, which will reportedly feed its private label baby wipes business. The
company is said to already be adding a second line to this operation. First Quality had previously
concentrated its nonwovens business only on spunmelt technology. The company's eighth spunmelt
line was added in late 2008.

Beyond nonwovens, in August 2010, the company's baby care arm, First Quality Baby Products, LLC
said it would modernize its absorbent hygiene manufacturing facilities in Macon, GA, which was
acquired with the Covidien deal.
17. Fibertex
Aalborg, Denmark
www.fibertex.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $235 million
Key Personnel
Mikael Staal Axelsen, CEO, Fibertex personal care; Jorgen Bech Madsen, CEO, Fibertex Industrial
Nonwovens; Ole Houmann, CFO; Kenneth Mynster Dolmer, purchasing director
Plants
Two in Aalborg; one in Malaysia, two in the Czech Republic, one in Germany, one in South Africa
Processes
Drylaid, carded, needlcpunched, thermal bonded, spun-bond/meltblown, technical air-lay
Brand Names
Fibertex, Fibertex Nonwovens, Flexback, Formtex, Compoflex, Multigeo, Weedseal, Fibergreen,
Fibertex Patio, Fibertex Universal Fiberacoustic, TWO-in-ONE, Comfortback, Weedseal Wood-back,
Q-Match, Making the perfect match, FibertexCOMFORT, FibertexFlite,
FibertexDual, FibertexPRINT
Major Markets
Industrial textiles--primary and secondary carpet backings, auto-motives, acoustics, furniture and
bedding filtration, nanotechnol-ogy; technical textiles--building and construction, composites, do-i-yourself, horticulture; hygiene--applications within baby diapers, femcare and adult incontinence
This is the last time Fibertex will appear on the annual top company report in this form. In January
the company's par ent Schouw & Co. split the company into two separate companies-Fibertex Personal Care, encompassing the spunmelt business, and Fibertex Nonwovens, which
includes the company's industrial operations.
Mikael Staal Axelsen, CEO of Fibertex Personal Care, gives two reasons for the split-communication and focus--which have not impacted the day to day operations of the company.
"We were already operating very independently as you can say as two separate divisions,"he says."lt
was getting difficult for them to communicate what the two companies were doing."
In 2010, Fibertex's total business achieved sales of DKK 1.650 million thanks to sales increases in
the personal care business. Fibertex Nonwovens, meanwhile, where markets are much more

cyclical, reported results in line with 2009.

According to Axelsen, spunmelt continues to be strong but the final measurement of how strong this
business really is will come when all of the planned capacity installations come online in the next
couple of years. Fibertex currently operates three spunmelt lines in Denmark and two in Malaysia
where a third line is currently being completed.
The third Malaysian line was announced in March 2010. It will increase the site's output by
approximately 22,000 tons of spunmelt. The line is expected to be complete by the end of this
year. Fibertex opened the Malaysian facility in 2003 and added a second line to the site in 2005. In
September, Fibertex announced it would invest $7.5 million in adding a new beam on one of the
lines. The new beam will be operational in the second half of the year.
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Also benefiting its hygiene business is its joint venture company Innowo Print, which operates a
factory in Germany with Christiansen Print for direct printing onto nonwoven materials. Among
the developments made through this partnership, which was formed in early 2008, are the ability to
print patterns on lightweight nonwoven materials that are completely harmless, do not rub off and
have every conceivable health and safety approval to add fragrance to a color or add print to a
color that changes color. Already, the venture prints on 1000 of the roughly 75,000 tons of
nonwovens that Fibertex Personal Care makes each year.
According to Axelsen, investment is never out of the question for this leg of the business and while
executives wait for the dust to settle on spunmelt investments around the world, they will be
mapping out their next strategy. One of these areas is Southeast Asia, where its Malaysian
operation has already been so successful."There is a lot of potential there and it's a fast growing
region," Axelsen explains.
In terms of technologies, efforts will focus on downgauging weights, lessening raw material costs
and creating softer nonwovens. Additionally, expanding capabilities in Innowo will allow
Fibertex customers to offer more differentiated products.
With sales of DKK 413 million last year, Fibertex Nonwovens is set to receive a boost from the
recent acquisition of Tharreau Industries as well as investment in South Africa. Additionally, as
many of this company's core markets--automotives, gcotextiles, construction--continue to recover,
organic sales are expected to climb as well.
In March, the company said it would acquire a 65% stake in Tharreau Industries, a nonwovens
producer based in Chemille, France. With needlepunched and spunlaced nonwoven capabilities,
Tharreau reported sales of [euro]53 million last year. Core markets include automotive, wipes,
medical, construction and industrial applications.
In other expansion efforts, Fibertex announced in January 2010 it has started a new operation,
including a state-of-the-art needlepunch line, in South Africa. The new facility makes and mar kets
needlepunch nonwovens, primarily gcotextiles for road construction as well as products for the
growing South African automotives industry, which is moving toward more sophisticated, lower
weight products.
"There are currently a lot of nonwovens being sold in Africa but thev are heavier weights, made on
older machines, and this investment will serve infrastructural programs in South Africa

and neighboring countries," Madsen says.

By creating this subsidiary, Fibertex hopes to capitalize on growth in South Africa where plans are
in place to invest more than $96 billion in infrastructure improvements during the next five
years.These include large road and bridge construction proj ects, which will require large amounts
of geotextile fabrics. Fven with the great potential the market holds, it took Fibertex three years to
decide to invest in South Africa because it can be difficult to do business there, Madsen adds.
The new, high-tech, state-of-the-art factory will initially employ just over 40 people. Annual turnover
is expected to be approximately $'12-$15 million with decent profit in the coming years. From
a long-term strategic perspective, the project is expected to serve as a gateway--not only to
southern Africa but eventually also to other markets in the Southern Hemisphere such as
Australasia, India, the Middle Fast and South America.
The South African company is jointly owned by Fibertex, the Danish Industrialization Fund for
Developing Countries (1FU) and the South African company Satyr, which is owned partly by local
industry specialists and partly by Industrial Development Corporation (IDC)--South Africa's
equivalent to the Danish State investment fund Va?kstfonden. Fibertex will invest approximately $5
million in the company acquiring a 26% ownership share. 1FU has previously participated in a
similar Fibertex project in Malaysia, and Fibertex has the option of acquiring IFU's 25.8% in the
future.
17. Asahi Kasei
Osaka, Japan
www.asahi-kasei.co.jp
2010 nonwovens sales: $235 million
Key Personnel
Toshio Takanashi, general manager, nonwoven fabrics division; Katsuhiko Hinamolo, general
manager, spunbond fabric; Tetsuya Xakamura, general manager, spunbond fabric
Plants
Moriyama, Nobeoka
Processes
Spunbond, meltblown Brand Names
Eltas, Bemliese, Microweb, Smash, Precise
Major Markets
Coverstock, wipes, gauze, packings, white blood corpuscle-removing filters
Asahi Kasei is underway with a plan to make polypropylene spunbond nonwovens for diapers in
Thailand. In partnership with Thailand-based SAHA group, Asahi Kasei has begun construction on a

20,000-ton-pcr-year plant, which is going to begin operation in September 2012.

This [yen]5 billion investment is based in Asahi Kasei's unique technology. The new line will make
thin fiber nonwovens for the diaper backsheets and a hvdrophilic material for topsheets.
According to reports, Asahi Kasei, which makes a number of types of nonwovens in Japan, delayed
its international expansion because it was difficult to maintain a competitive edge; however, the
company ultimately decided that investment in Thailand could prove effective to its expansion.
Meanwhile, in Japan, Asahi Kasei makes 13,000 tons of SMS nonwovens, 13,000 tons polypropylene
spunbond nonwovens, 5500 tons of polyester spunbond nonwovens, 3500 tons of nylon spunbond
nonwovens, 4500 tons of cupra spunbond nonwovens, 2000 tons of compound spunbond nonwovens
(under the Precise brand name) and 200 tons of meltblown nonwovens.
Asahi Kasei has made a number of efforts to strengthen its nonwovens production, developing
unusual nonwovens. These include polyester spunbond nonwovens under the brand name Smash,
SMS made with polyester under the Precise brand name and SMS made with PPS for electronic
equipment. Currenty, the company is underway with an expansion of its Precise polyester SMS
nonwovens, which will bring its capacity to 4000 tons per year next year.
19. Mitsui Chemicals
Tokyo, Japan
www.mitsui.co.jp
2010 nonwovens sales: $203 million
Key Personnel
Haruhiko Uesugi, general manager spunbond fabrics division Plants
Japan, Thailand
Processes
Spunbond, meltblown, needlepunch, thermal bond
Brand Names
Tafnel, Syntex
Major Markets
Coverstock, geotextiles, oil absorbing materials, air filters, wipes, agriculture materials, household
materials
While many of its Japanese cohorts are looking to mainland Asia for expansion, Mitsui Chemicals
announced this year it would add to its Japanese operation. The company is scheduled to complete a
15,000 ton line in April 2012. The Y5 billion investment will target diapers and other hygiene
applications in Asia. Mitsui already makes 25,000 tons of spunbond and 9000 tons of SMMS

nonwovens in Japan.
In addition to its Japanese operation, Mitsui operates a wholly owned Thailand operation (MHM)
where it makes 30,000 tons of SMMS nonwovens on two lines. According to industry reports, Mitsui
considered expanding its Thailand operation or even establishing a Chinese operation but decided
that Japanese expansion made the most sense for its operation. It is hoped that this investment,
aided by the free trade agreement established between China and ASKAN countries in January
2010, would decrease exports from Thailand to Japan and increase exports from Thailand to
China.
In new product news, Mitsui Chemicals has developed a new nonwoven material with a 0.5-1 micron
diameter made on a reconfigured meltblown line and sold under the brand name Syntex
nonwovens.
Additionally, the company's hollow fiber polypropylene spunbond nonwovens are being used for oil
absorption mats for oil spills in seas and rivers.The fiber diameter of the nonwoven is 43 microns
and the hollow rate is about 20%.
Check out the top 40 Dynamic History online at nonwovens-industry.com/top_40
20. Pegas Nonwovens
Znojmo, Czech Republic
www.pegas.cz
2010 nonwovens sales: $196 million
Key Personnel
Frantisek Rezac, chief executive officer; Frantisek Klaska/Technical director; Marian Rasik, chief
financial officer; RostislavVrbacky, production director
Plants
Znojmo, Bucovice, Czech Republic
ISO Status
ISO-9001: 2000, ISO-14001: 2004, ISO-9004: 2004
Nonwovens Processes
Spunbond, meltblown, SMS, BiCo
Major Markets
Hygiene, agriculture, healthcare, ecology, furniture, building, protective apparel, industrial
Its first foreign investment is the big news at Czech Republic based Pegas Nonwovens. After
keeping its first nine lines in its native country, the company announced in June it would likely build

a nonwovens manufacturing site in Egypt through a new, wholly-owned subsidiary

Pegas Nonwovens Egypt.
"The establishment of the company is the result of successful negotiations with a major customer
who expressed interest in supply arrangements for our products to its production plants in the
Middle East. We have received a preliminary award letter for long-term deliveries to these plants,"
says CEO krantisek Rezac at the time of the announcement.
The plant, which will represent an investment of C55-M) mil lion, will likely be located in an
industrial zone not far from Cairo. Construction will begin once a definitive contract with the
customer is closed. Beyond the existing customer, executives expect the plant will open up a
number of new opportunities in the promising markets of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Pegas'plans include building two nonwovens lines in Egypt. The first will be able to make 20,000
tons of material when it is up and running in the second half of 2013. The second will have a
similar output and will come online in 2015-2016, provided market conditions are favorable, Rezac
continues.
"Within the scope of its strategy, Pegas has long been monitoring investment opportunities, which
could lead to the growth of the company and its expansion outside the Czech Republic. The aim of
the company is to follow its key customers to areas of their production facilities expansion. The
construction of a manufacturing facility in Egypt fits perfectly into this strategy,"concludes
Rezac."For Pegas, this investment also represents a historical watershed moment, which moves the
company forward from its current position as a major European nonwoven textile manufacturer to
that of becoming a company with a more global scope of operation and with a focus on fast
growing developing markets. We see this as a significant first step on the road to further
international expansion in the future."
Meanwhile, conditions at its existing two sites in the Czech Republic are being affected by rapidly
rising raw material prices, which skyrocketed by almost 50% in 2010. This situation helped drive
sales revenues up 20% but EBITDA down 9.2%."The year on year comparison in EBITDA was
affected by positive one-off items, which improved the financial results of 2009 and which could not
be repeated in subsequent periods. On the other hand, profitability in 2010 was
negatively impacted by the growth in raw material prices. Nonetheless, this impact was largely
compensated by the company's solid operating and sales performance and the optimization of raw
material inventories," Rezac says, adding that without these factors earnings would not have shown
substantial changes.
Because nearly 90% of sales are related to hygiene, a proven non-cyclical market, other economic
factors did not impact Pegas' performance. Happy with the ratio between the hygiene and
technical segments, Pegas is now focusing on developing more advanced materials, such as
lightweight, bicomponent materials for the hygiene segment to meet its customers' needs.
"With respect to customer needs, there have been no major shifts recently, however, in the future
we could expect additional movement toward advanced products,"Rezac says. "Customers
seek lighter materials due to raw materials cost reduction. Also, our partners cooperate with us on
improvements of material properties, such as softness, elasticity, extensibility etc.
These developments will surely be made with the help of new investments including the
forthcoming Egyptian line as well as the company's ninth Czech line, set to start production this fall.
The new line--a Reicofil 4 Special--will add as many as 20,000 tons of capacity to the operation, all

of which are expected to be used immediately based on current demand levels.

"The line, which will be Pegas'most technologically advanced yet, will strengthen the position of the
company as one of the technological leaders in the field of nonwoven textile production and enable
Pegas to be even more focused on ultralight materials, new bicomponent applications and other
advanced materials that are planned to go into commercial production between 2012 and
2014,"Rezac says.
From a regional perspective, Pcgas'safes are steadily focused on the broader European area. Sales
to Western Europe represented a 58% share, sales to CEE and Russia reached a 38.3% share and
sales to other territories represented a 3.7% share in 2010.The fact that all of Pegas'existing
production lines are located in the Czech Republic account for the high European ratios but sales in
the Middle East and Africa are expected to grow in line with the company's Egyptian investment.
"Indeed the new localization of a production facility outside the Czech Republic will bring new
challenges/'Rezac admits, and he adds:"However, secured sales of a large part of expected
production capacity significantly reduce the risk of the investment. The ongoing focus on the
execution of an expansion strategy is one of the key prerequisites for the company's future success
and we are confident that this investment will strengthen Pegas'posi-tion in the global nonwovens
market."
21. Colbond
Arnhem, the Netherlands
www.colbond.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $190 million
Colbond Inc. Enka, NC, USA
Key Personnel
Jan van Boldrik, CEO; Rob van derValk, CFO; Bart Austin, president Colbond Inc.; Blair Rawes,
director sales and marketing, construction; Randy Cook, director sales and marketing, NAFTA
Plants
Emmen and Arnhem, the Netherlands; Obernburg, Germany; Asheville, NC, USA
Processes
Extruded, spunbond, thermal bonded and specialties
Brand Names
Colback, Enkamat, Enkadrain, Colbonddrain, Enkagrid, Enka-Spacer, Enka-Channel, EnkaRetain &
Drain
Major Markets

Flooring, automotive, filtration, construction, civil engineering, building and various industrial
applications
Colback sales jumped an impressive 20% last year at Dutch nonwovens maker Colbond. While the
company does not report its nonwovens results, industry sources put sales at the supplier of
geotextile and flooring solutions around $190 million.
Contributing to the increase was the macroeconomic recover)' of most of Colbond's core target
markets as well as flooring trends benefitting Colback's tufted carpet tile materials and Colbond's
success in automotives and filtration applications.
To continue this growth, Colback has committed to a new Colback yarn line in its Emmen, the
Netherlands plant while in the US preparations for additional nonwovens production capacity are
underway with an investment project scheduled to be complete early next year. A second US
expansion has already been approved for the end of 2012.
"On both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, we have been selling out our nonwoven production capacity
which has led to new capacity investments at all our manufacturing locations in 2011 and more
planned for 2012,"says CEO Jan van Boldrik."Growth could be realized in China and in North
America--our carpet tile business has been strong. Carpet tiles were enjoying an increasing
popularity among architects, designers and end users. Meanwhile the bad weather in Europe has
given a boost for dust control mat sales resulting in a substantial increase in demand for our
primary backings."
Like the rest of the nonwovens industry, Colbond's recovery has not been without its problems. Key
among them are sharp increases in raw material prices. Since the end of 2009, prices of key
ingredients such as polyester, poIyamide-6 and polypropylene have increased as much as 60%.
While some of these increases have been mitigated by increased manufacturing and organizational
efficiency improvements, the company has had to levy a number of pricing increases in late 2010
and into 2011.
A market which has been exceeding expectations is the waterproof bituminous roofing membrane
market.
"To maximize supply volumes, major initiatives were launched to stretch machine output and
optimize our Colfors product portfolio," van Boldric says/Throughout the year, close communication
with our customers has been vital in safeguarding the reliable delivery of Colfors and of our Colback
premium roofing membrane reinforcements."
Meanwhile, in the automotives market, sales of primary and secondary backings to the automotive
industry significantly exceeded the last two years as Colbond stabilized its leadership position in
Europe and achieved growth in China where demand for premium German car brands has been
strong. In North America, light vehicle production has seen double-digit growth in 2010, a trend
that is continuing into 2011.
Helping Colbond in the automotives market is its ability to make highly stable, low weight
nonwovens. "Pre-stretching of Colback before molding in tufted car carpeting is a common practice
to reduce both the weight of tufted carpet and the consumption of nonwovens," van Boldrik
explains."A lot of focus of our research and development resources have been and will continue to
be on reducing the mass of Colback further while retaining its molding and tuft hold performance
on the same high level. Progress in this field not only is an answer to the industry's drive for

environmental sustainability. It is also addressing the constant pressure that our

automotive customers arc facing to cut costs further."
Colback Pro is playing a significant role in maximizing product perfonnance while helping reduce
the carbon footprint of the automotives industry.The product's bicomponent composition of a
polyester filament core in a polypropylene skin allows a reduction in molding temperatures
resulting in substantially lower energy usage.
This product is an example of how Colbond is working on innovative nonwovens and contributing to
the automotive industry's environmental sustainable initiatives, according to the company.
Colbond expects to launch new products to further contribute to this effort in 2012.
Colback is also offering green alternatives for the carpet backings market. Its Colback Green, a new
range of environmentally friendly primary carpet backings made of 100% recycled and sustainable
materials, was launched in January 2011.
"Colbond launched the industry's first nonwoven carpet backing made of post-consumer recycled
polyester in 2007,"van Boldrik says."Following intense research and development work and
a strategic partnership with carpet yam manufacturer and polymer engineer Aquafil, we are now
producing a range of nonwovens comprising bi-component filaments with a post-consumer recycled
bottle flake PET core and rPA6-skin generated from carpet waste. Colback Green has been well
received by leading carpet manufacturers and generated a lot of interest across the industry."
In the roofing market, Colbond is using recycled polypropylene for the manufacture of the
multifunctional green roof solution EnkaRetain & Drain, specifically designed to comply with the
demands of the North American market. This LEED credited concept has been fully embraced by
the industry, according to van Boldrik who adds that the use of recycled material is not the only way
Colbond is focusing on sustainability.
"We want to become an exemplar 7 member of the technical textiles industry in our pursuit of
environmental sustainability and ecological balance,"he says."Programs launched in this
scope therefore are not limited to the use of recycled content alone. We have also launched major
initiatives to optimize manufacturing technologies in order to reduce energy consumption and
redirect waste streams into reuse and recycling alternatives with the elimination of waste as
our ultimate goal."
Looking back at market results, Colbond saw civil engineering markets pick up again after the
economic crisis, however not all segments have fully recovered yet. Especially in North America,
the market still is somewhat slow. In many European countries, however, demand for the
company's geosynthetics has been strong, maxing out capacity for certain products especially
during the peak season.
Meanwhile, in filtration, Colbond continues to see growth. Products specifically designed for this
industry serve as a support layer for filter media or activated carbon layers. These nonwovens are
also widely applied as pre-filter and spacer materials/A lot of focus on this market and close
cooperation with existing customers as well as with new prospects has generated substantial sales
growth in 2010 and into the current year,"van Boldrik explains.
In fact, it is product leadership and customer relationships seen in the filtration market that
permeate Colbond's entire business. Long-term industry partnerships will continue to contribute to
the growth of Colbond's nonwoven and other businesses."With many product innovations launched

recently and more in the pipeline, we will retain and grow our market share in our key markets and
move into new ones already on our radar,"van Boldrik concludes.
22. Toray advanced materials Korea.
Seoul, Korea
www.toraysachan.com/www.torayamk.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $180 million
Plants
Gumi, Kyungsang-Bukdo, South Korea; Nantong, Jiangsu, Province, China; Indonesia
Key Personnel
Y.K. Lee, president and CEO; W.S. Chun, vice president/head of fiber division; Y.K. Kim, Vice
president/head of fiber division; Ya-suhikoTanabe, senior director/fiber division
W.S. Chun, Senior vice president/spunbond division; J.N. Kim, president of TPN; W.C. Hwang,
director of TPN
Processes
Spunbond PP (SS, SSS, SMS, SSMMS, bicomponent), PET (embossed and needlcpunched)
Brand names
Livsen
Major Markets
Hygiene, medical, protective markets, industrial specialties, agricultural, upholstery, filtration,
PP/PE bicomponents, construction, geotextiles
Expansion plans in China and Indonesia made headlines this year for Toray Advanced Materials
(TAK), Korea's largest nonwovens maker. The company, once known as Toray Sae-han, reported
sales of $180 million for 2010, a figure that is set to go higher as ambitious Asian expansion plans
bear fruit during the next couple of years.
Included in these plans are a second and third line in Nantong, China--one that began ramping up in
March 2011 and the other set to start in July 2012, as well as a 20,000-ton line planned for
Tangerang, Indonesia, which will start operations in June 2013. These investments are being driven
by demand for disposable baby diapers, which is expected to grow at a rapid pace in the ASEAN
countries on the back of high economic growth and changes to lifestyle brought about by
rising national incomes. Particularly in Indonesia, the market for disposable baby diapers is
estimated to grow at double digit growth from 2010 to 2015, according toTAK's survey. This has
prompted major hygiene product manufacturers to build new production facilities and
expand existing facilities, according to the company.

Toray Group established its Chinese operation in 2006 with an 18,000 ton line and added a second
line in 20II with another 20,000 tons to the operation.The third line was announced in early
2011 ."Compared to the US and European market, the Asian market is still underdeveloped and has
much potential due to more population and recent rapid economic growth,"says the company. "In
this kind of demand background, we think we have more in formation for Asia than US and Europe
competitors.Therefore we try to get the initiative in this market and still have favorable reply and
feedback from the big customers in Asia."
In addition to its Chinese operations,TAK makes 43,000 tons of spunbond polypropylene nonwovens
in Korea.These nonwovens are sold to a number of countries in the Asian market including Japan,
Korea and China. Additionally, hygiene investment in Korea is not likely in the near term because of
that market's maturity and a low growth rate for polypropylene spunbond nonwovens. However, due
to increased demand for polyester-based industrial products, TAK makes 4400 tons of a polyester
spunbond in Korea and expects a second line to start there next year, executives add.These new
lines are targeting geotextile, construction, filtration and other industrial markets.
Moving back to hygiene, TAK's recent investment announcements show how confident the company
is of the company's growth in Asia."After the Chinese market, ASEAN has the most potential
market before India,"executives say."Among the ASEAN countries, Indonesia has the biggest
population and the strongest economic growth. Toray has had other subsidiaries in Indonesia which
helped in our decision to invest there."
The new Indonesia line is set to come onstream in 2013.The new site will operate as PT. Polytech
Jakarta (TPJ) and will be headquartered in Tangerang.The new line will have an annual ca pacity of
about 20,000 tons.
According to the company, investment in Asia is tricky because of the key differences between the
main regions in terms of economic development levels, developing businesses, incomes and
consumer behaviors."Considering this market situation, we establish sales strategies for each
customer with a different product, service and supply area."
That said, India, one of the key markets for growth in Asia, has not been targeted by TAK, but this
country is reportedlv under in vestigation and could likely be the location of the company's
next major investment.
For now, however, TAK has its hands full, with one new line up and ainningand two more in the
constmction phase.This new capacity will be a lot to introduce to the market, but TAK feels the
market is ready for it.
23. Toyobo
Osaka, Japan
www.toyobo.co.jp
2010 nonwovens sales: $174 million
Key Personnel
Yukio Kawasaki, general manger spunbond division of Toyobo, Akio Oda, president of Kureha

Plants
Tsuruga, Iwakuni, Shiga Processes
Spunbond, needlepunch, resin bonded, spunlaced. thermal bonded, stitch bonded
Brand names
Volans, Ecule, Bonden, Kurelock, Kurehalock, Dynac
Major markets
Geotextiles, roofing sheets, carpet backings, automotive interiors, automotive filters, needlepunch
carpets, hotmelt bonding sheets, plaster bases
Annual production of PET spunbond nonwovens in Toyobo is 12,000 tons per year, Its Kureha
subsidiary makes resin bonded, needlepunch, thermal bonded and spunbonded with the capacity of
about 7000 tons per year. Meanwhile, theYuho subsidiary produces nonwovens with
needlepunch, spunlaced and stitchbonded.
Toyobo makes spunbonded nonwovens by bio-PET bicomponent liber under the brand name Bio
Volans. Kev ingredients are derived from sugar cane and other plants. Because the characteristics
of these materials so closely resemble oil-based polymers, they can be processed in the
same manner.
The development of these bio-based nonwovens follows Toy obo's efforts in the films market where
it has been making greener options since 2010.The company hopes to be making 500 tons of its
green nonwovens by 2015.
In other news, Kureha is is focusing on new applications outside of the automotives industry in
japan and overseas. In Thailand, Kureha has a joint venture with Shinih for the manufacture of air
filters for mobile engines, which are sold in China. Due to increased demand in this market, the two
companies are expecting demand to reach 1.2 billion meters per year and is examining the
possibility of establishing manufacturing operations in China to ease demand on its Thailand site.
24. Propex holdings
Chattanooga, GA, USA
www.propexinc.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $165 million
Key Personnel
Michael Gorey, president and CEO, Martin deVries, executive vice president and chief financial
officer
Plants
Ringgold, GA Process Needlepunch

Major Markets
Geosynthetics, flooring, furniture and bedding, automotive, agriculture, laminates, vinyl substrates,
sorbents
Needlepunch maker Propex Holdings made a number of personnel changes this year. Leading them
was the appointment of Michael Gorey, as president and CEO in April. Gorey is a proven leader with
experience as a chief executive, most recently serving as the president of Bridgestone, North
American Consumer Tire Business. With more than 25 years experience in the automotive and
building products industries, Gorey has the know-how to drive innovations and strategies that
produce growth, profit and market leadership, even in volatile markets. A global leader in
technology and innovation, Propex is owned by a private investment fund managed by Wayzata
Investment Partners LLC, a Minneapolis-based private equity firm. "I am excited about
the opportunity to work with Wayzata and the Propex leadership team,"he says/'Propex brands
represent some of the most innovative solutions in the geotextile, building products, concrete and
flooring markets. I look forward to working with the team to increase our growth and leadership
position for the company worldwide."
Propex was purchased by Wayzata in 2009 after a restructuring process. Since then, the company
has continued its strategy' of aggressively pursuing business opportunities in existing markets,
the company has launched a steady stream of new products and innovations.
In other personnel news, Propex named Craig Martin vice president and business unit lead for its
Geotextile Systems. He brings to Propex more than 29 years of sales, marketing and management
experience. His experience includes expertise in sales management, marketing, branding, channel
strategies, as well as product and business development. He has held management positions with
Scott Paper, Kimberly-Clark and most recently with Intertape Polymers Group.
Propex's offerings to the geosynthetics market include highly innovative erosion control systems.
The Geotextile Systems business has set the benchmark for performance in transportation,
environmental, site development, stormwater and erosion control applications.
"I look forward to working with the team in the Geotextile Systems business,"says Martin."With
such a strong foundation of innovation, Propex has developed the broadest portfolio of
products that the world uses and needs every day."
In July, Propex's Geotextile Laboratory at its Ringgold manufacturing facility achieved the American
Association for Laboratory-Accreditation (A2LA) lab accreditation for Quality Control MechanicalTesting. A2LAaccreditation demonstrates technical competence for a defined scope and
operation of a laboratory quality management system.
According to Steve Thaxton, engineering sendees manager, A2LA accreditation assures customers
that common performance and hydraulic properties of nonwoven geotextile products are tested in
compliance with current ASTM, ISO, Australian or Canadian standard test methodologies and that
the quality control test equipment is properly calibrated and maintained.
Thaxton underscores the importance of accreditation by pointing out that destructive product test
results are not universal or bias-free and designs can fail if reported test results do not accurately
reflect actual performance. "Since geotextile labs generate critical data used in civil and
environmental engineering designs, testing standards and accreditation are absolutely necessary to

protect public safety and the environment,"he added.

This latest accreditation further distinguishes Propex's Ringgold laboratory. Additional lab
accreditations and certifications held by Propex - Ringgold, include CE, BNQ, and the gold standard
for geosynthetic testing, GAI-LAP. In addition, the plant's quality system is maintained under ISO
9001:2008 certification and it is ISO 14001 certified as a result of documented procedures and
efforts to improve and protect the environment.
"Strict manufacturing specifications, quality control monitoring and laboratory testing ensure our
products consistently meet or exceed the most demanding customer specifications,"
says Thaxton."Like any quality-driven manufacturer, we will continue to invest in testing and
accreditations to keep us sharp and to keep our infrastructure safe."
Roofing is another important market for Propex. Its Opus Roof Blanket was launched at the 2010
International Roofing Expo in New Orleans, LA in February. This blanket, which was in development
and testing for the last six years with constant feedback from roofing contractors, creates an
entirely new category in roofing underlayment.
"Unlike felt paper and plastic sheeting underlayment, Opus Roof Blanket was developed with
roofing contractors in mind,"says executive vice president Ralph Bruno."The unique composition
of Opus gives it the most slip-resistant surface technology, meeting a top concern for roofing
contractors. Additionally, the one-of-a-kind "blanket"surface makes it easy for roofers to snap a
chalk line."
In addition to these benefits, Bruno says roofers can expect to see many more advantages versus
felt paper and plastic sheeting underlayment when they use Opus on their next job. "Opus is
lightweight and easier to work with, cleaner with less wasted material, provides more coverage per
roll and is faster to install," said Bruno.
"I'm looking forward to launching Opus at the IRE," he added."When roofers get this product in
their hands, they'll quickly realize it is vastly different and a far superior product than both felt
paper and plastic sheeting underlayment. Opus truly is in a category of its own."
The product is being distributed by Wolf, York, PA.
Meanwhile, in the carpet backing area, Propex was awarded a US patent in March 2010, showing
that its latest technology provides improved performance, a plush feel and many other advantages
that offer value to both its customers and the consumer."
With the market-leading brands Actionbac and Polybac carpet backing products, Propex is the
largest independent backing producer in the industry. Polybac primary backing provides a
dimensionally stable foundation for superior tuftability, pattern definition and versatility. Actionbac
carpet backing effectively provides long-term stability in almost any carpet installation and is
crucial in extending the life of the carpet. Innovation remains the anchor of Propex's success
in providing high performance materials and solutions for the flooring industry.
24. Jacob Holm industries
Basel, Switzerland www.jacob-holm.com 2010 nonwovens sales: $165 million
Key Personnel

Poul Mikkelsen, chairman; Stephen Landon, president and COO; Finn Schoning, group controller;
Ginny Casstevens, vice president, sales development--Americas; Jean Francois De Gruttola, key
account director--USA; Richard Knowlson--global product development director; Alexis Porcher-global commercial manager; Chip Holton, vice president--operations--USA; Gilles Hourlier,
vice president--operations--France
Plants
Asheville, NC, USA and Soultz, France
Processes
Hydroentangling
Brand Names
Lidro, Rough N Soft, TAU
Major Markets
Personal care, home care, hygiene, packaging, specialty & technical industrial applications
An increase in sales value and volumes helped Jacob Holm's sales increase slightly between 20W
and 2010 as all three of the company's production lines--two in Europe and one in the US-continued to run at maximum capacity 24 hours a day seven days a week.
By region, sales were split nearly evenly between its US and European operations, but the company
does not disclose where these products land. Executives would, however site Latin America as
an important growth market in the premium wipes market.
Meanwhile, the US--where Jacob Holm operates a large spunlace line near Asheville, NC--remains
strong with all results in line with strategic plans."We remain well positioned in the premium
wipe segment with a proven capability to engineer products to changing market needs (alternate
fibers, sustainable options at competitive prices, value added enhancements),"explains president
and COO Stephen Landon.
At the same time, Europe saw continued investment in line upgrades to support both critical new
product development and productivity improvements.This in turn delivered improved profitability.
In Europe the product development focus has been split between specialty wipes and general
hygiene with feminine care and diaper components prominent.
While wipes, particularly premium varieties, are certainly important to Jacob Holm, the company
continues to investigate alternative uses for its spunlace materials. In fact, a recent
internal analvsis identified that Jacob Holm has 25-30% of its combined product/sales volumes
outside of wipes. Success in non-wipe markets can be attributed to Jacob Holm's ability to make
extremely lightweight spunlace materials, now down as low as 15 gsm.This has opened up
new markets in absorbent hygiene products such as baby and adult diapers and feminine hygiene
items. "This is one of the key focus areas that Jacob Holm expects to expand further over the next
two years/'Landon explains.
Other areas of interest include a number of key industrial applications where again the ability to

produce lightweight webs is valued, he adds. "While the number of applications remains small, the
potential volume in each of these applications could be very significant."
These efforts have so far been met with considerable success. One recent winner is a premium 35
gsm product with physical property characteristics that mirror those of standard 45 50 gsm
products currently sold in the marketplace.This has allowed Jacob Holm customers to drive down
costs without compromising their product. Additionally, the company has optimized its ability to
manufacture lightweight substrates and has developed a new portfolio of lightweight
products ranging from 15gsm - 25gsm which are ideal for hygiene and various composite
applications.
Meanwhile, in wipes, which are still very much a focus for the company, Jacob Holm has
successfully commercialized alternate fibers in premium wipes. These alternative feedstocks include
100% cellulosic, regenerated cotton fiber, recycled polvester fiber, extruded soy fiber and PLA
fiber. Additionally, Jacob Holm is working with development partners to develop additional sources
of alternative cellulosics.
"Jacob Holm has, with its partner customers, been at the tore-front of developing greener, more
sustainable products for the wipes market for over two years," Landon says."Much of the company's
activity has focused on the overall development of the supply chain for these new or alternate
sustainable raw materials. In some cases Jacob Holm has had to be involved in establishing the
whole background supply chain to ensure it is both viable and auditable."
In addition to new product development efforts, growth will come from future investment. While the
company has not yet an nounced firm plans for additional North American investment, executives
have made no secret of the need for additional capacity.
"Jacob Holm America had a successful 2010, during which detailed plans were considered for a
further investment in a second high capacity'spunlace line - these plans will continue to be
evaluated as economic conditions/raw material pricing trends / customer next generation programs
evolve--Jacob Holm definitely wants to grow in North America," Landon says."Jacob Holm is
considering three different variations, but we will not say more on this as final solution will be
influenced by targeted market and customer requirements."
Meanwhile, Jacob Holm's two-line European operation conducts more than 30% of its sales outside
of wipes and expects to sec this percentage exceed 40% by next year on the heels of growth in
hygiene and industrial applications."Jacob Holm sees a brighter future in Europe for "differentiated
wipes" where we can engineer value for customers and leverage our capabilities with obvious
targets to be less exposed to commodity and Standard wipe markets."
As the product portfolio expands, Jacob Holm France plans for specified investments of [euro]4-5
million over the next three years, to build new generation capabilities for spunlace, Landon
explains.
These investments, when they occur, will surely be inline with Jacob Holm's newly adopted strategy
of focusing on a wide range of fiber inputs and a narrow range of products."For the last twoplus years, a different strategy has been adopted with success, namely, a much wider range of fiber
inputs is being utilized to produce a narrower range of targeted products that best meet the latest
demands of specific end markets. To this end Jacob Holm is focused on the following critical end
use markets,"Landon concludes.

Check out the Top 40 Dynamics History online at nonwovens-industry.com/top_40

26. Vita Nonwovens
International Top Company Report
Manchester, UK
www.vitanonwovens.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $158 million
Key Personnel
Joe Menendez,Vita Group CHO; Wim Warnier,Vita Nonwovens, CEO
Plants
Belgium, France, Sweden, US
Processes
Drylaid, chemical bonded, drylaid thermal bonded, needlefelt, through air bonded, impregnation
Sales continued to decrease marginally for UK-based Vita Nonwovens last year due to exchange
rate movements. Market demand recovered strongly early in the year with solid growth and cost
control measures resulting in performance close to pre-recession levels. According to the company,
market-share was gained in the hygiene and medical sectors--which are core segments in Europe-while share was stable in Vita's core US business, the bedding industry.
Meanwhile, the second quarter was characterized by rising raw-material prices and supply
shortages."Raw material prices ended the year at a historic high,"explains company spokeswoman
Alison Vesey.'The raw material cost impact diluted the beneficial impact from the beginning of the
year and the business closed 2010 with iittle change from the prior year."
The nonwovens producer with plants in the US, France, Belgium and Sweden, reported that its wide
range of products and markets as well as its focus on new product development allowed it to
withstand the impact of the general economic downturn. In fact, a number of its markets continue
to hold their demand, helped by new products in healthcare in Europe, home insulation in Europe
and the US and automotives in the US as well as several new filter products with improved dust
holding capabilities, which will positively impact growth in 2011.
Vita Nonwovens continues to operate three facilities in North America--Fort Wayne, IN, San
Antonio, TX and Fligh Point, NC, which are all running well. Business here received a boost in 2009
when a new production line was added to allow the company to diversify from bedding and
furniture into automotives and building and construction. While North America continues to be
considered fragile, Vita considers this market, particularly furniture and bedding, a core market to
its operation and has strengthened its position there through innovation, supply chain excellence
and improved qualitv management and processes.
"We have completed the necessary investments at all plants to grow our business with more

differentiated and value-add products with an important focus on automotive and insulation,"Vesey
says.
In the insulation segment, in late 2010Vita launched EnGuard insulation, an environmentally
friendly material providing long lasting superior thermal and acoustic insulating properties, and in
2011 it formed a distribution agreement with Pacific Insulation to sell the product in the Western
US and Canada.
EnGuard's low impact manufacturing process implements recycled plastic, PET bottle flake,
providing a sustainable alternative to traditional insulations. Unlike other comparable materials, the
process eliminates the need to add harmful chemicals resulting in a product that is free of
formaldehydes, Borates, VOCs and glass fiber irritants. The product is reportedly made at all three
ofVita's US sites.
Meanwhile, in Europe, Vita Group continues to operate sites in France, Belgium and Sweden
through its Libeltex subsidiary, which serves novelty healthcare applications and focuses on
innovative product development in hygiene, filtration, automotive, furniture and building and
construction.The group closed its UK sites a few years ago to focus on North America and Europe.
In addition to this closure,Vita has focused on a lean management program, waste reduction efforts
and improved supply chain efficiency to contain the impact of raw material prices. These efforts led
to a number of changes made to the senior commercial and research and development personnel to
support market share growth ambition, according to Vesey.
"We expect raw material prices not to come back to pre-recession levels due to the growing demand
from emerging markets," she says."As such Vita will constantly search for adding value to its
products and services through customer focused innovation, supply chain optimization and lean
manufacturing."
27. Georgia-Pacific
Atlanta, GA, USA
www.gp.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $152 million
Plants
Green Bay, Wl, USA (two facilities); Glen, France; Avigliano, Italy
Processes
Airlaid, carded
Brand Names
Airtex, Dritex
Major Markets

Baby wipes, industrial and food service wipes, feminine hygiene, absorbent cores, tabletop, medical,
moist toilet tissue, meat packaging
While best known for its paper and tissue businesses in both the retail and away-from-home sectors,
Atlanta, GA-based Georgia-Pacific is one of the world's most successful users of airlaid technology.
Its output targets both its own end product business as well as external businesses in the baby
wipes, industrial and food service wipes, feminine hygiene, absorbent core, tabletop, medical, moist
toilet tissue and meat packaging segments.
Meanwhile, G-P's nonwovens business, which centers on airlaid technology, has continued to
perform well by focusing on improving its production and reducing costs despite challenging raw
material prices.
Benefiting G-P were existing contracts, put in place before raw material prices escalated, which
kept their impact to G-P under check. Additionally, G-P has been successful in unearthing new
market segments for its airlaid technology that had been using other materials. These markets
were typically using technology that was more expensive than airlaid but G-P was able to show how
pulp can perform just as well at a lower cost, according to executives.
G-P has also been hard at work improving its environmental profile, an effort it was rewarded for
this year through its Environmental Excellence Awards.
"Across Georgia-Pacific, employees are using innovative approaches to help reduce our
environmental impact and become a more sustainable business,"says Jim I lannan, chief executive
officer and president."By continuously improving environmental performance in our operations, we
are creating more value for the company and the communities where we operate. Our
Environmental Excellence Awards help us recognize projects and programs that are leading the
way."
Among the successful efforts were reduction in emissions, improved wastewater treatment systems
and improved energy efficiency.
28. Andrew industries
Manchester, UK
www.andrewindustries.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $140 million
Key Personnel
John Lewis, president, Southern Felt; Mike Konesky, vice president, Southern Felt
Plants
South Carolina, China, UK, India Processes
Needlepunch, thermal bonded, chemical finishes
Brand Names

Fiberlox, Microtek, Checkstatic, Powertech, Powerlox

Major Markets
Filtration, technical felts, laundry products
Sales increased from $130 to $140 million at Andrew Industries as conditions in the baghouse
market returned to 2008-2009 levels. Andrew has remained a leader in this industry due to the
constant development of new products and continued investment in state-of-the-art e quipment in
strategic locations, according to John Lewis, president of subsidiary Southern Felt. The Manchester,
UK-based company, with subsidiaries in the US and China, continues to invest in its Asian business
and this year diversified its filtration business with the acquisition of Ahlstrom's dust filtration
business in Bethune, SC and Wuxi, China and has embarked upon an expansion into India.
In the US, Andrew's Southern Felt business remains a leader in the North American baghouse
market where it has made significant capital investments during the past few years. In 2010,
Southern Felt diversified its product line when it purchased Ahlstrom's dust filtration assets in
Bethunc, SC, which will be moved to Augusta, GA in the next 12 months. Additionally the company
added a new needlepunch line which will contribute an additional 7.5 million square vards
of capacity annually to its operation.
In new product news, Southern Felt has developed a new line of plealable needlepunch media, an
area the company expects to grow dramatically in coming vears, and is working hard promoting its
line of high temperature PPS felts, Powertech, to the power generation markets.
Meanwhile, the company's Chinese operation, known as China Felt, has experienced solid growth in
the past year with its latest state-of-the-art needlepunch line now fully operational and running
24 hours per day.
"We do expect a continued growth in the Chinese market at a rate of 10 -15%, however competition
in that market is fierce," Lewis says/The demand for dust filtration products continues to grow
and new competitors have entered the market the past few years."
Also in China is its newly acquired Wuxi facility, which not only adds capacity for Andrew but will
also allow it to venture into some liquid filtration markets. Andrew already has plans to add
needlepunch capacity to this site to make PTFE fells this fall.This additional capacity will also be
used to support a new operation in Chennai, India, a bag fabricating and distribution facility7
expected to be operational by the end of 2011.
"India is currently and will be for the foreseeable future a region of great potential and growth,"
Lewis says. "As India develops its infrastructure, demand for filtration products will
grow substantially. Our facility there will begin with filler bag making and roll good distribution but
will become vertical within a few-years by adding needlepunching."
In addition to the US and Asia, Andrew continues to operate its UK operation, Andrew Webron Ltd.,
which has been consolidated in recent vears. In 2010, the market in PTFF felt in Europe has
rebounded nicely since the recession of 2008."It continues to be a veiy competitive market but long
term growth looks very good with some new products being offered in Europe,"Lewis says. "Andrew
Webron recently announced to the European market their offering of ePTFE
laminated needlepunched felts. These products will be marketed and sold in Europe and India
exclusively.''

With most of its nonwovens output clearly centered on needlepunch, Andrew's next step will be
exploration and investment in complementary technologies including spunbond, meltblown
and hvdroentangling. Other goals include distribution of products made in Asia into Europe and
North America and increased focus on research and development. "Our investment in research and
development will he increased to broaden our product range especiallv where our existing products
are under threat to alternative products which we do not manufacture at this time but are likely to
become the products for the future," Lewis concluded.
29. Union industries
Masserano, Italy 2010 nonwovens sales: $135 million
Key Personnel
Matteo Moltrasio, vice president; Luigi Cassano, managing director; AlessandroTaramasso,
commercial director
Plant
Masserano, Biella, Italy
Processes
Spunbond, spunmelt, carded thermal bonded, apertured
Brand names Spundouce
Major Markets
Hygiene, wipes, medical, agriculture, industrial
Sales increased 25% to [euro]106 million ($143 million) for Masserano, Italy-based Union Industries
due mainly to the partial allocation of a new production line, which came on-stream as planned
in the third quarter of 2010 and started making nonwovens for hygiene applications during the
fourth quarter.
The new line, a brand new, state-of-the-art Rcicofil spunmelt line added 24,000 tons per year to
Union's operation, bringing its total output to 84,000 tons per year.
As it increases the size of its operation, Union has also been focused on widening its scope/'During
the year, our product port folio has been further widened. Besides the standard weights and
the range of three-dimensional apertured materials by now already consolidated, our trend is more
and more focused on specialties and ultralight weights," says vice president Matteo Moltrasio.
In addition to expansion, Union Industries has focused on improving the environmental footprint of
its operation. In fact, one major goal achieved by the company from January 2011 is sourcing 100%
of the energy consumed from renewable sources, Moltrasio adds.
29. Textilgruppe Hof
International Top 40

Textilgruppe Hof AG Hof/Saale, Germany

www.textilgruppehof.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $135 million
*including$22 million from Indian joint venture
eswegee Vliesstoff GmbH
Hof/Saale, Germany
www.eswegee.com
Techtex GmbH Vliesstoffe
Mittweida, Germany
www.textilgruppehof.com
Hof Textiles, Inc. Lincoln ton, NC
www.textilgruppehof.com
Key Personnel
Harald Stini, managing director; Detlev Kappel, managing director--Techtex and global sales
director eswegee, technical nonwovens; Lothar Hackler, president--Hof Textiles, Inc.
Plants
Hof/Saale, Germany; Reichenbach, Germany, Mittweida, Germany; Lincoln ton, NC, USA
Processes
Drylaid, thermal bonded, needlepunched, saturate bonded, stitch-bonded, spunlace
Brand Names
Variopoint, Unipoint, Unisoft, Zetafelt, Zctastitch, Zetafil, Zctawatt, Florbond, Zetabond, Zetajet,
Zetatherm, Zetamold, Maliwatt, Malivlies, Kunit, Multiknit eswegee 2000 series, Bassopoint
Major Markets
Acoustics, automotive, filtration, roofing, industrial, interlinings
Aresurgence in demand from the automotives market has contributed to a turnaround in sales for
Hof/Saale, Germany-based Textilgruppe Hof. After dropping dramatically in 2009, sales reached
$113 million at the company.
"In 2009, we lost nearly 50% of sales in the industrial market but in 2010, we got it all back plus an

increase,"says Detlev Kappel, managing director of Techtex and Global sales director for technical
nonwovens."All of our plants are very busy at the moment and have been over the last four or five
quarters."
Recycling is the world's responsibility, but at USFibers, it is our way of life. USFibers produces
regenerated polyester staple fiber for a wide variety of applications. Whether it is commodity or
specialty fiber, we have the capabilities to produce a wide range of products that ensures effective
and cost saving processability for our customers. USFibers recycles all forms of PET and then
converts it into a high quality, regenerated staple fiber. We are more than just a
manufacturing company; we are a company that makes a difference every day. Our goal is to make
the world a little more green in our pursuit of Excellence through Innovation. USFibers is an
excellent domestic polyester staple fiber option for the automotive, filtration, construction,nonwoven, home furnishings, and geo-textile industries. Our years of experience with various polymers
have earned us our outstanding reputation. We have a proud history of consistently providing high
qualify recycled staple fiber to our customers.
Hof supplies Europe through three plants in Germany and North America through its site in
Lincolnton, NC.The group has a fairly large marketshare with German automobile makers tjat
export vehicles around the world.These automakers favor Hof's location near to Central
and Eastern Europe, where demand is great.
Growth in automotives and other industrial markets has led Hof to increase its capacity by moving
and improving existing equipment, which will benefit the business beginning next year. Additionally,
Hof is adding to its stitchhonding capacity in Mittweida, Germany to improve its position in the
decorative head-liner business and other segments, also in 2012.
Also benefitting Hof's business in the automotives realm is MultiKnit, a foam replacement material
for car seats, which is being used by BMW and a couple of other automakers."We see more
potential for this and we have also developed a new grade for leather seats because the original
product was designed for woven seat cloths,"Kappel says.
Meanwhile, Hof's spunlace plant in Reichenbach, Germany is running at full capacity. Described as
completely different from what is traditionally considered spunlace, output from this line features
great sound absorption, making it ideal for the automotives industry. In addition to automotives
applications, Hof has been targeting roofing applications with this new generation, tailor made
spunlace nonwovens, Kappel adds.
Hof's US arm, Hof Textiles Inc. (HTI), based in Lincolnton, NC, continues to be a leading supplier to
the North American automotive markets where it supplies automotive thermal and acoustic parts
that provide effective noise reduction for a wide frequency range, superior appearance and
excellent process capability when used in a wide array of different molding processes and when
combined with various other materials."Innovation and growth are supported by
numerous investments in new technology and capacity to constantly increase the value of Hof
nonwovens for our customers and the North American automotives industry supporting our
ambitious goals for further growth,"says Lothar Hackler, president HTI. "New innovative products,
continued investment in new production capacity and capability with our excellent customer service
and technical expertise supported a significant and ongoing growth in sales and market share in
2010"
The other side of Hof's business, apparel, is finally stabilizing after decreasing for years due to the
market's migration to China. "Business has stabilized after years of declining. Moreover, we were

able to generate growth in sales,"says Harald Stini, managing director."One reason for this was that
some customers were coming back from Asia to Europe as they need much'quicker response' to
serve the market better. So interlinings is still a strategic market segment for Hof's nonwovens
business and we are committed to it for the future."
Also propping it for future growth is a joint venture agreement with Supreme Nonwovens in India.
All market segments--filtration, automotive and interlinings--showed upward trends throughout
most of the year. Fortunately, the business was only slightlv impacted by global financial troubles, a
situation that mirrors the overall economv in India."Again we have seen double digit growth last
year mainly for industrial products related to automobiles and filtration,"Stini says."Also for
interlinings, we were able to gain significant market share as we have domestic production now."
Looking ahead, Hot expects to continue to grow as new investments come onstream and it expands
its role on both sides of its business."Our business is still going toward industrial applications but
interlinings is still there," Kappel says."We are still dedicated to that market and we will look for
new strategies to grow there."
31. Precision Custom Coatings
Totowa, XJ, USA
www.pcc-usa.com
2010 nonwovens sales: SI25 million
Key Personnel
Peter Longo, chairman and COO, ScottTesser, president and CEO; Rich Noble, CKO and treasurer;
Dan Kamat, vice president, Industrial Textile division; Shaile Dusaj, director industrial marketing
and sales; Keith Martin, industrial business manager; Cerry Welkley, national sales manager; Dave
Reaman, director filtration services
Processes
Needlepunch, thermal bonded, chemical bonded, high lofts, heat activated adhesive coatings,
specialty finishes and composites
Major Markets
Apparel interlinings, automotive fabrics, medical, fabric softener substrates, furniture and bedding,
filtration, vinyl substrates, home furnishings, wipes, hygiene, footwear, roofing and
construction, filtration
Filtration sales continue to benefit Precision Custom Coatings. The company added a new line to
help supply this business earlier this year and is already in talks to add capacity again. The only
problem is deciding where to put it as years of constant investment have left the nonwovens
manufacturer space-poor at its Totowa, NJ headquarters.
In 2010, PCC reported sales increased from $115 million to $125 million thanks to continued
growth in its technical area and a leveling off of its apparel-related business. Of particular note is
the company's filtration business. Although it is a relatively new business for PCC--the company

only entered it two years ago--it is already making a substantial impact, comprising about 18% of
total sales.
"We are really concentrating on expanding beyond the commodity dry filtration areas into higher
rated MERV products,"explains Scott Tesser, president and COO."We've already established a good
customer base in lower MERV ratings and have expanded into higher areas. What we are focusing
on is more technical, less commoditized.This is where the growth will come."
In just two years, PCC has sold out two lines and is quickly filling up a third in this market."lt has
been difficult to learn the market but we have adapted quickly," Tesser says.
PCC currently has three lines dedicated to filtration. Two of these are older apparel-related lines,
modified to meet the needs of filtration; the third is a brand new line which came onstream
in January. This third line is allowing the company to expand its focus beyond HVAC into other
filtration markets.
In addition to filtration, mattress and bedding continues to grow for the company thanks to its
strong growth in the Northeast. The company is getting into composites instead of just offering
highloft tops. New products include filler cloths and panels. Another market, automotive, has
certainly had its challenges during the past year but luckily for PCC, it has avoided many of the
commodity markets and instead, most of its products are premium level. "There are tremendous
price pressures everywhere you look in that market but we have been able to put through some
prices increases. We have found that customers are more understanding than ever before."
PCC's traditional market apparel still comprises about 50% of its business with nearly all, about
90%, of it is conducted in Asia where PCC operates three manufacturing facilities in China.
As production costs have escalated in China, PCC has begun to look elsewhere in Asia to
manufacture their apparel interlining needs.
Following in the success of its entry into the filtration market, PCC has begun to penetrate the same
market in China. According to the company there is tremendous potential in this developing market
within China and Asia.
In fact, it is filtration growth in general that is at the top of PCC's radar moving forward/The last
year has been all about building this new business and there are still tremendous
growth opportunities in filtration/'Tesser adds."It's not anywhere near a mature business for us."
31. Unitika
Osaka, Japan
www.unitika.co.jp
2010 nonwovens sales: $125 million
Key Personnel
HiroshiYoshihara, general manager, nonwoven fabrics; Tetsuya Yoshimura, general manager,
spunbond fabric sales
Plants

Okazaki, Tarui
Processes
Spunbond, spunlaced
Brand names
Marix, Eleves, Appeal, Wiwi, Alcima, Terramac, Cottoace
Major markets
Agriculture materials, carpet backings, geotextiles, cable wraps, wipes, storing bags, coverstock
roofing sheets
The nonwovens production capacity of Unitika includes 22,000 tons of polyester-based spunbond
nonwovens and 5000 tons of spunlaced nonwovens. Additionally, Thai Tusco, Unitika's Thai
subsidiary makes 4000 tons of spunbonded nonwovens.
In the past year, Unitika has benefitted from restored demand for its polyester based spunbond
nonwovens, particularly in Thailand. In fact, according to reports, demand is so strong that the
company is looking into expanding its operation in Thailand to help it improve its position in the
carpet backings, roofing and geotextile markets.
Meanwhile, Unitika's spunlace business is part of a joint venture established with Marusan Industry.
This partnership began making cotton spunlaced nonwovens on one 5000-ton-per-year line in April
2011. Marusan, which has a 65% share, uses the nonwovens in powder puffs and feminine hygiene
products while Unitika sells them to end users.
33. Lydall
Manchester, CT, USA
www.lydall.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $123 million
Key Personnel
W. Leslie Duffy, Lydall chairman of the board; Dale Barnhart, Lydall president and CEO; Erika
Turner, Lydall vice president, CFO and Treasurer; Mona Estey, Lydall vice president--human
resources; Paul Igoe, Lydall vice president, general counsel and cor porate secretary; Ian Grieves,
performance materials senior vice president filtration engineering materials; Michael Barnes,
Performance Materials senior vice president Operations; Peter Kurto, Performance Materials senior
vice president life sciences
Plants
Rochester, NH, USA; Saint Rivalain, France; Green Island, NY, USA; Heerlen, the Netherlands
Major Markets

Specialty insulation, high-efficiency air and liquid filtration media Major Brand Names Apply Mat,
Arioso, Biotherm, CRS Wrap, Cryo-Lite, LydAir MG, LydAir MB, LydAir SC, LyPore Defender,
LyPore MB, LyPore SC, LyPore XL, Lythcrm, ManniGlas, Solupor Membrane
Nonwovens sales in Lydall Performance Materials increased sharply from $98 million in 2009 to
$123 million in 2010 thanks to its ability to react to a sudden uptick in demand once the economy
recovered.
"We saw a recovery in all of our served markets in 2010; however, all industries remained relatively
cautious compared to pre-recessionary times,"CEO Dale Barnhart says."Markets showing particular
strength included power generation, commercial applications and industrial applications.
Cryogenics, meanwhile, was relatively weak early in 2010 but showed strong signs of improvemcnt
in the second half of the year."
Opportunities for Lydall are mainly driven by markets engaged in product and technology
development that are demanding higher levels of filtration performance. Additionally, opportunities
exist for geographic expansion in filtration and insulation in regions including Eastern Europe,
South America, India and China. These regions continue to invest in infrastructure improvements
and demand more from their filtration and insulation applications.
In new product news, Lydall's Arioso high performance air filtration composite media was chosen as
the premium filter media in a range of high efficiency fume extraction filters being produced by
a prominent filter manufacturer in the UK. Fume extraction filters are used to remove fine
particulate matter, which is contained in smoke and fumes generated by laser/plasma cutting and
welding operations.The filters engineered with Arioso are designed to remove even the
finest particles to provide cleaner air discharge in the workplace and the environment.
"Lydall Performance Materials is continuously investing in new product development. Currently,
several wide-ranging and exciting new technologies are in the pipeline, all specifically targeted at
unique applications and requirements in the marketplace. Lydall will continue to launch new
products based on evolving technologies to meet the changing market requirements," Barnhart
says.
Recent investments like a new needled line and an upgrade to a wetlaid line in Green Island, NY, as
well as a capacity increase in France, have helped Lydall expand its offerings to its customers
in terms of size and scope."Both new products and increased capacity have allowed us to react
quickly to the sudden change in market requirements after the economic crisis and allow us to
support our customers on a global basis going forward,"Barnhart adds.
34. The Jofo Group
Guanzhou, Guang Dong China
www.jofo.com
2010 nonwovens sales: $118 million
Plants
Guanzhou, Weifang, Shandong, China

Processes
Spunbond, meltblown, SMS
Markets
Hygiene, medical, industrial
China's The Jofo Croup announced in January it would invest more than $60 million in a new 3.2
meter wide, multi-beam Reicofil-4 spunmelt line and a separate finishing line in its Weifang plant
in Shandong, China. The line will be delivered in April 2012 and is scheduled to start up in the
fourth quarter of 2012. Currently, there is an existing 4.2 meter Reicofil-IV multi-beam line at the
Weifang plant, which will be able to make more than 30,000 tons of material after the second line is
complete. Jofo will target the rapidly growing disposable hygiene and medical application areas in
Asia with the new capacity.
Perhaps the largest nonwovens producer in China, Jofo's current nonwovens capacitv is more than
55,000 tons, and the company has production facilities in Guangdong, Shandong and some other
areas in China. The second Weifang line and other ongoing projects will bring the company's total
capacity above 100,000 tons by the end of 2012.
Jofo plans to continue investing in adding new capacity as well as research and development in the
nonwoven areas to forge core competence in supplying premium nonwovens to disposable hygiene,
medical, geotextile, industrial and other application areas, according to executives.
The Jofo Group was established in 2000 with the goal of becoming one of the world's largest
nonwovens producers.The company currentlv owns 10 subsidiary' companies in Guangdong,
Shandong, Hubei, Sichuan and Hong Kong and has annual sales of about RMB800 million ($118
million).
Based in China, Jofo sells its nonwovens all over the world. Processes include composite, meltblown,
SMS and spunbond for hygiene, industrial and geotextile applications.
Through a joint venture agreement with Weifang Investment Corporation, established in 2007, Jofo
spent a reported $50 million on a 4.2-meter Reicofil 4 SS line capable of making 16,000 tons of
nonwovens per year.
According to the companies, Jofo Weifang plans to ultimately operate at least eight advanced
spunmelt lines with a total production capacity of more than 150,000 tons, making it one of the
largest nonwovens producers in Asia for the hygiene, medical and protective apparel markets.
Additionally, the venture plans to set up a research and development center for hygiene and medical
applications in Weifang with financial support from the Chinese government.
Since 2000, the company has last operated Shandong Jofo Nonwoven Co., a maker of spunbond,
meltblown and SMS composite nonwovens located in the New & High Technology Industrial
Development Zone in Dongying, Shandong Province.
In 2001, the company introduced the STP third-generation improved twin-engined production line
from Italy and the matching Kusters hot rolling mill from Germany. Its annual production capacitv
for spunbonded polypropylene silk nonwoven fabrics is 7000 tons; in 2004 Shandong
Jofo introduced Reifenhouser meltblown nonwoven fabric production line with an annual output of

3000 tons of IT or PET. Meanwhile, it introduced Kusters hot rolling mill compound facilities and
adopted the unique one-step-and-a-half processing techniques so as to provide world-class SMS
compound nonwoven fabrics to its clients.
In addition to the hygiene market, where Jofo offers lightweight, soft spunmelt nonwovens, other
core markets include medical and industrial protective apparel, automotives, furniture and
bedding materials, filtraation media, agricultural and horticultural and geotextiles.
Jofo was established in 2000 with the goal of becoming one of the world's largest nonwovens
producers.
35. Kuraray
Tokyo, Japan
2010 nonwovens sales: $117 million
Key personnel
Takashi Nakajima, president, Kuraray Kuraflex
Plants
Okayama, Saijo, Ibaragi
Processes
Resin bonded, thermal bonded, spunlaced,m meltblown, steam jet
Brand names
Kuraflex, Microflex, Flextar
Major Markets
Coverstock, wipes, medical, household materials
Kuraray is comprised of three companies--Kuraray Kuraflex, Kuraray Saijo and Kuraflex. Kuraflex
has products thermal bonded, spunlaced and resin bonded nonwovens with an. annual capacity of
10,400 tons per year as well as 1000 tons of steam jet nonwovens (under the brand name Flextar).
Kuraray Saijo has made meltblown nonwovens with a capacity of 1800 tons per year and Kuraflex
Ibaragi has made spunlaced nonwovens with a capacity of 3500 tons per year.
Applications for the steam jet nonwovens made by Kuraray include medical dressing or construction
materials. These have advanced steadily but the company has not yet made plans to expand
production in this area. In meltblown, the company operates only at about 50% capacity
but Kuraray is examining the face mask or filtration market as possible new interest areas. In
spunlace, the main market is home care wipes and wet windshield wiper material. While this
market, particularly in restaurant settings, has suffered, Kuraray is hoping to further penetrate the
food processing setting, where nonwovens are not commonly used in Japan.

Kuraray is also working on a technique to develop nonwovens using meltblown technology for a new
generation of meltblown nonwovens.
While export levels have increased at Kuraray it is still low, less than 10%, showing that the
company has faced challenges increasing its overseas market. However, the company remains
interested in penetrating China and Southeast Asia. In China, the company is Lipping its exports of
windshield wipers and medical dressings, which are starting to represent a significant amount of
sales. Other areas of interest in China include the rapidly growing food service area.
36. Spuntech
Upper Tiberias, Israel www.spuntech.com 2010 nonwovens sales: $112 million
Key Personnel
Rob Stollar, vice president, global sales and marketing; Ron Broshi, vice president, new product
development; John Rank, director sales and marketing
Plants
Tiberias, Israel; Shamir, Israel; Roxboro, NC, USA Processes
Hydroentangled spunlace Major Markets
Wipes, hygiene, medical, industrial, filtration
Sales received a nice boost in 2010 for Israeli spunlace producer Spuntech Industries. The
company, which was profiled two years ago for the first time in Nonwovens Industry's top
companies report, reported sales increased about 8% from $104 million to $112 million on growth
in specialty engineered and value-added spunlace fabrics as well as growth in the company's global
capacity.
This growth is a continuation of a trend achieved yearly since the company opened its US plant in
2006. In addition to a one-line plant in Roxboro, NC, Spuntech operates three lines--two in Galilee
and one in Shamir--in Israel. It was founded in 1996 and is traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
"Spuntech operates three state-of-the-art production facilities with a total of four production lines
using sophisticated equipment with proprietary capabilities,"says John Rank, director of sales and
marketing."The company's highly skilled engineers and technological staff, supported by a
professional team of marketing, logistics, quality control and management personnel, have the
ability to mass produce a variety of unique added-value products in accordance with stringent
quality control guidelines, while meticulously adhering to delivery dates."
Currently, Spuntech's sales are split between North America, South America, Europe and Asia
where it serves wet and dry wipes, medical, technical, filtration and engineered fabrics
markets. Describing spunlace nonwovens as the fabric of choice for most of its customers, Rank
reports that demand remained strong for high quality spunlace nonwovens throughout 2010.
37. Foss Manufacturing
Hampton, NH, USA www.fossmfg.com 2010 nonwovens sales: $90 million

Key Personnel
A.J. Nassar, CEO, Mike DeGrace, president
Plants
Hampton, NH
Processes
Needlepunch
Brand Names
Eco-fi, Fosscloth, Fosshield, FossFibre, Ozite, TopGuard, Kunin Felt, Kreative Kanvas
Major Markets
Specialty syntehtic fiber (solution dyed PET, bicomponent fibers, antimicrobial fibers, fire retardant
fibers, acrylic fibers); automotives (headliners, package trays, floor carpets, interior trim fabrics);
Ozicte decorative (wall coverings, marine, RV, speaker coverings); retail (Kunin craft felt, autoaftermarket, indoor/outdoor carpeting, construction, technical (vinyl substrate, filtration, footwear,
healthcare and car wash)
Sales were up about 15% last year at Foss Manufacturing on improved volumes mainly to the
automotives business which grew by 40% for the year, according to vice president of sales David
Rowell. This growth has continued into 2011. On the strength of new programs in automotives,
the New Hampshire needlepunch manufacturer expects growth in this segment to be in the 15-20%
range this year.
While much of this growth can be attributed to rebounds in the automotives segment where builds
have increased from 10.4 million builds in 2008 to an anticipated 12.4 million builds this year, Foss
has also been extremely aggressive in this business during the past several years.
"Automotives is one of the areas where you need a three- or four- year plan because you are
developing colors and fabrics in advance,"Rowell says."Right now we are working on 2013 colors so
what: we are doing today won't impact our sales until the end of next year. You have to have a long
term vision to really grow."
Most of Foss's automotive products exist in the interior of the cars--carpeting, headliners and
trunkliners--but wheel well acoustic material is fast becoming a core area for the company.
Within nonwovens, the other key area for Foss is in the supply of indoor/outdoor carpeting material
for home centers and big box stores like Home Depot, Lowes and Costo. New contracts with a
number of major retailers are expected to boost sales in this segment as high as 10% this year as
efforts in needling patterns and more structured carpets have added appeal to the products.
"Another reason we are picking up new business is we've done a great job servicing
these retailers," Rowell says."A contract with just one major retailer can mean big things because
they have so many locations."
Growth in these two core nonwovens markets led to the addition of a new needlepunch line that

begaun operation in June. Representing the second new line in three years, this new line is more
efficient and produces higher quality fabrics with less waste than previous generations.
The company's latest needlepunch line has been running for about three months and Rowell says
another new line will likely be added in the next three years."The latest line is similar to first
line only larger,"he says."It's more efficient, the quality is better and there is less waste."
As it ramps up the new line and begin the beginning planning stages for another one, Foss will
focus on increasing its use of recycled polyester bottles, which Foss processes into nonwovens and
markets under the Ecofi brand name. This leg of the business has become so important to Foss,
establishing an in-house operation could be an option in the near future.
Already 60% of its total needlepunch output is made from recycled bottles but sourcing has been
chaIlenging."The material can be hard to come by," Rowell says. "We just don't have good recycling
operations in this country but if we started recycling them here, it could be a better situation for
us."
37. KNH Enterprises
Taipei, Taiwan www.knh.com.tw 2010 nonwovens sales: $90 million
Key Personnel
J.C.Tai, chairman and owner; Kirk Hwang, board member; George Wang, general manager China
operations; Alvin Hu, wastewater business unit officer; Y.S. Chiu, technical vice president
Plants
Taipei, Taiwan, Shanghai, China
Processes
Air through bonding, thermal bonding, meltblown, airlaid, needlepunch, spunlace
Brand Names
Carnation brand for hygiene; Co-Fifbe for industrial specialty
products
Major Markets
Hygiene, industrial, agriculture, geotextiles
Continued movement into the spunlace market as well as expansion in China have added up to a
sales increase in 2010, a trend that has continued into this year, according to former president Kirk
Hwang.
The company is set to start up its third spunlace line later this month, which will help ease supply
on its first two lines, which are running at maximum capacity and add new patterning options and
other benefits for the wipes market/The ability to add a pattern can make the spunlace actually look

like a fabric, which is good for beauty applications and even in feminine hygiene pads,"
Hwang says."This will help us increase our sales because the pricing is better in these areas."
KNH is also adding pulp capabilities to its spunlace operation, which will help it become less
dependent on volatility in the rayon market.
The medical market is also on KNH's radar with its spunlace operation. Because of this market's
strong growth prospects in Asia, where a lot of the garment converting takes place, Hwang sees
this as a winning situation. Other areas of interest in medical nonwovens include wound care and
blood filtration as well as as an operating room pad to absorb fluids underneath a patient.
In late 2009, KNH added another factory.' in the western part of China. Originally just a converting
operation, the facility will house an air-through bonding line, an airlaid line and a spunlace line by
the end of the year. Nonwovens made at this site will target the Chinese hygiene markets while
Taiwan will continue to service the rest of Asia and beyond, Hwang adds.
Additionally, KNH is examining other parts of China as well as other parts of Asia, like India and
Southeast Asia where increased demand for disposable diapers and wipes is driving
nonwovens demand."All of this investment in China and Asia is supporting the diaper
market/'Hwang says."They are necessary for growth and I don't think there will be an overcapacity
situation in the short-term."
KNH holds the advantage of being a truly global player with its plants in Taiwan and China." We
supply our materials made in Taiwan all over the world but we are also looking for strategic
alliances or joint ventures in other areas," Hwang says. "We are doing this very carefully not to
overlap what is already there."
Another key market for KNH continues to be filtration; however, the company has spun off the
converting operation and focuses only on roll goods production."By having a roll goods and a
converting operation in the same company, we were basically-distancing some of the
potential buyers who saw us as their com-petition." Hwang says.
With most of its sales in Asia and Australia, KNH's operations are centered solely in Asia but that's
not to say a US site isn't a possibility. The development of a proven process of converting recycled
materials into nonwovens would open the door into this market as the U.S government is strongly
promoting this type of technology.
39. Rexcell.
Bengtsfors, Sweden www.rexcell.se 2010 nonwovens ales: $80 million
Key Personnel
Frank Nordberg, vice president of sales and marketing
Plants
Skapafors and Dais Lange, Sweden
Applications

Tabletop, wipes, feminine hygiene, adult incontinence

Owned by the Duni Group, Sweden's Rexcell is Europe's oldest maker of commercialized airlaid. It
launched its first line--a small one--in Sweden in 1982 and added a 1.6-meter line
featuring flexibility in bonding choices in 1986. A 2.6-meter airlaid line (TM2) was added in 1996 at
which time the original pilot line was shut down. While investment in new lines has slowed since
then--as the global airlaid market has sought to balance supply and demand levels--Rexcell is
continuously making efforts to improve its existing assets. In 2008, this was a $7 million bioboiler to
help improve energy efficiency throughout its processes.
The company continuously works with energy efficiency and other green projects under the idea
that going more green is beneficial to all and the costs as well.
Rexcell's airlaid capacity' is currently about 30,000+ tons, which executives said is under great
demand, a situation that will likely force the company to make an investment decision in the
near term. For now, the company is looking to see how Concert Industries' latest European
investment--an airlaid line in Ger-many--will affect supply.
In terms of market penetration, Rexcell targets feminine care and light incontinence and wipes and
tabletop markets with its airlaid nonwovens. In feminine hygiene and light incontinence,
the company's acquisition layers offer increased comfort with quick absorbency; in wipes, the
company offers a range of materials for personal care applications as well as customized solutions
for medical items, floor wipes and food pads.

Currently about 98% of Rexcell's airlaid business exists in Europe, where it has a reported 20%
marketshare. Its business is split evenly between airlaid and tissue and airlaid markets
including tabletop, which is partially fueled by supply to its parent company as well as wipes,
feminine hygiene and adult incontinence. All of its airlaid output is based on natural fibers and,
unlike some of its competitors, Rexcell has no capabilities in the synthetic realm.
Looking forward, executives say Rexcell's main focus will be keeping up with market demands in

terms of both capacity and quality."We will continue to develop ourselves as a company-the process and the product in close relationship with our customers and other stakeholders, with
a big focus on minimizing our energy usage and the impact on the environment," executives say.
40. Suominen
Tampere, Finland www.suominen.fi/nonwovens 2010 nonwovens sales: $77 million
Key Personnel
Petri Rolig, president and CEO of Suominen Corporation; Juha Jokinen, general manager of
Suominen Nonwovens; Margareta Hulden, director quality, technology & Sustainability of
Suominen Nonwovens; Mads Kiilerich, director operations of Suominen Nonwovens; Erik
van Deursen, general manager Suominen Codi Wipes.
Plants
Nakkila, Finland
ISO Status
ISO 9001, ISO 14001 environmental certification
Processes
Hydroentangled, thermal bonded, PP fiber.
Brand Names
Fibrella, Biolace, Novelin, Karelin
The big news at Suominen this year is the planned acquisition of Ahlstrom's wipes business, which
will make it the largest wipes maker in the world with assets in Italy, Brazil, the US and Spain,
in addition to its existing operations in Brazil. Under the agreement, announced last month,
Ahlstrom is selling the operations of its Home and Personal business area to Suominen for a total of
[euro]170 million in cash, of which Ahlstrom has committed to use a total of [euro]30 million to
subscribe for shares in Suominen. In 2010, Ahlstrom's Home and Personal business area generated
net sales of about [euro]291 million, which will significantly bump up Suominen's sales from their
2010 level of [euro]59.1 million, which represented a 4% sales increase for the year. Sales in the
company's thermal bonded segment fell to half the level of the previous year while the spunlace
business grew. At the same time, sales in the US and Russia increased, as did sales in
the healthcare market.
"Needless to say that we are truly excited about the acquisition. Together with the assets, products
and technologies purchased our ability to serve our current and future customers on global basis
has improved significantly," says Juka Jokinen, general manager of Suominen Nonwovens.
Turning back to 2010, the year was a mixed bag for Finland's Suominen Nonwovens, which
reported a 4% sales increase for the year. Sales in the company's thermal bonded segment fell to
half the level of the previous year while the spuniace business-grew. At the same time, sales in the
US and Russia increased, as did sales in the healthcare market.

"Raw material prices rose by a clear margin during the year. Due to the tight competitive situation,
it was challenging to implement sales price increases matching the increases in the raw material
prices in full," says Jokinen.
In response to the challenges, Suominen has worked to improve its operations, increasing the
efficiency of its main production lines as well as modernizing two existing lines into one new
production line." This modernized line can be used to manufacture products using more versatile
raw materials and also gives us possibilities to enter new application segments with new products,"
Jokinen says."The modernization program has also been increasing the total production capacity of
our plant. The program has recently been continued by upgrading one of the thermal bonded
lines."
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
While its thermal bond business was down significantly in 2010, Suominen reports a rebound in this
business segment as demand for value added products for disposable hygiene products has
increased. Suominen's Karelin is a versatile thermal bonded nonwoven, that satisfies the need for
active skin care performance on top of fulfilling the basic needs. The company's soft thenual bonded
nonwovens are also used in selected wipes segments as a cost efficient alternative for the low
grammage spunlace substrates.
Turning back to Suominen's spunlace business, the company continues to supply the market with an
emphasis on added value products, and these have clearly performed better compared with low
price bulk products. For example, the Biolace range of sustainable products is attracting constant
interest and demand in the market. In addition to this, Suominen has a large range of value add
capabilities, such as embossing, in its portfolio." In general we can supply a wide variety of
alternative blends of raw materials and our pilot plant is in constant use developing new substrates
for our customers," Jokinen says. "Our own fiber production assets can be used not only to develop
novel polypropylene-fibers, but also fibers based on other raw materials than polypropylene. Our
close cooperation with customers, catering to their needs via specialty products, is one of the
key elements in developing Suominen's nonwovens business further."
These capabilities have helped Suominen remain strong in the European spunlace market where the
overcapacity situation is expected to continue as new capacitv comes onstream in Europe and
Turkey in the next couple of months, putting further pressures on prices of standard nonwoven
grades.
Calling this situation temporary, Jokinen said: "Spunlace is a favored product due to its excellent
properties, and the demand for it will further increase in the wiping segment. The spunlace market
will keep on growing, but the Western European market will see slower growth, when compared to
new growth regions in Eastern Europe, South America and China."
Also benefiting the company is its long-standing customer base and a deep cooperation and
partnership with both European and global customers, as well as experience as a major supplier of
nonwovens to the industry. Other recent efforts have been introducing lower grammages and more
affordable fiber mixes to its customer base. Another strong focus has been sustainability.
"We continuously develop our operations to reduce environmental impacts and minimize our
products' ecological footprint during their life cycle,"Jokinen says."We have implemented several
sustainability programs to reduce water and energy usage as well as raw material usage, waste
volumes and emissions. At the same time, we are increasing the number of biodegradable

alternatives in our Biolace product range. Our operations have been certified to the ISO 14001
standard, and all our products have an Oko-Tex Standard 100 Class I certificate."
A good example of sustainability efforts is in Suominen's wastewater treatment project. Since
autumn 2010, wastewater is led through a wastewater pipeline to the regional treatment facility.
The pipeline was built in cooperation with the neighboring municipalities and the project is
regarded as the major environmental investment in Suominen's province this decade.
Amidst all of these efforts, customers remain king at Suominen Nonwovens and serving them
remains the company's first priority. "We have improved our cost base, invested in machine
upgrades and increased our sales and new business development efforts considerably. All of this
has been done in order to acquire new business, and the results of this will be visible during 2011.
Furthermore, we have successfully used a lot of effort to increase the general competence of our
employees."