Helsinki-based Suominen has invested approximately 10 million euros ($10.7 million) to upgrade one of its production lines at its Bethune, S.C., facility. The project is expected to be complete within the first half of 2025.
“With this investment we strengthen our position as the leader in sustainable nonwovens in Americas market and respond to the increased demand of environmentally friendly products,” said Tommi Björnman, president and CEO of Suominen. “This investment also enhances our operational performance in terms of safety, quality and productivity.”
Germany-based Dilo Temafa reports it has sold a line extension for cleaning flax scutcher tow to France-based Eco-Technilin. The extension, comprising a Lin-Cleaner and
Lin-Comb Shaker, will be added to an existing flax fiber preparation line to improve fiber quality. The extension also will increase capacity and efficiency, according to Dilo Temafa.
Austria-based Andritz has received an order for a complete needlepunch line from Belgium-based Sioen Technical Felts, part of Sioen Industries. According to Andritz, the line will enable Sioen to product heavyweight fabrics of more than 3,500 grams per square meter in one single step. The line is compatible with multiple fiber types — including recycled polyester, OxPan and bicomponent — with varying fineness. The line also includes ProWin™, Andritz’s weight profiling technology, that ensures weight evenness is maximized. The new line is expected to start production during the first quarter of 2025.
In other company news, Andritz has supplied a third line to China-based Meisheng Group. The needlepunch line will be used to expand the company’s production of nonwoven synthetic leather to address the growing need for man-made suede by the automotive industry.
First Quality Baby Products LLC, has announced a $418 million investment to expand its footprint in Macon, Ga. The company, and its affiliates, make baby diapers, youth and training pants, adult incontinence, feminine hygiene and wipes products, among other products. The expansion will create 600 new jobs and the company will be hiring executive, administrative, supervisory and production personnel.
“In March, First Quality announced that we will be increasing our baby diaper and training
pant manufacturing capacity by 50 percent, and we are excited to announce our expansion will take place in Macon, Georgia,” said Allen Bodford, president of First Quality’s Absorbent Hygiene Division.
Textile World recently spoke with Dr. Andreas Raps, the newly appointed CEO of Freudenberg Performance Materials.
TW Special Report
The Germany-based Freudenberg Group originally began as a tannery in 1849. Over the past 175 years, the company has grown and evolved into a global technology company providing products, services and solutions to its customers. The company is celebrating this milestone birthday under the tagline “Curious Since 1849.”
Freudenberg comprises some 10 business groups— making products across 40 market segments for thousands of different applications — and among them is the Freudenberg Performance Materials group. The focus of Freudenberg Performance Materials is innovative technical textiles that are used in a myriad of markets including apparel, auto-motive, building materials, energy, filter media, healthcare, footwear and leather goods. The business group— with its 32 manufacturing sites in 14 countries employing 5,100 people —generated sales of more than 1.4 billion euros ($1.51 billion) in 2023.
Dr. Andreas Raps became the CEO of Freudenberg Performance Materials in January 2024. While he is new to this role, he is in his twentieth year with the company and joined the executive council back in 2020. Textile World recently had the chance to speak with Dr. Raps to learn more about the company as well as his thoughts about the current business environment and keys for success, among other topics. Dr. Raps said that while this is a new position for him, he is very familiar with the company after spending 20 years as an employee — although his 20 out of 175, he noted with a smile, is not so much.
TW: What makes Freudenberg unique in the textile/performance materials sector?
Dr. Raps: We are celebrating a special birthday this year — 175 years of Freudenberg, which is really a wow! I’m really happy to talk about why Freudenberg Performance Materials is unique. Our innovation strengths, research and development capabilities, our broad technology platform —one of the broadest in the industry — and our global footprint make the company unique. We are a full solutions provider. Then last, but not least, our outstanding teams. Our people really make the difference and I’m very proud to be the CEO of Freudenberg Performance Materials. I’m traveling a lot right now and I meet many new faces every single day. I receive very warm welcomes and we have very open and trusting discussions that underline our culture is a very special one.
Freudenberg Comfortemp® HO 80xR circular thermal insulation product is made using 70-percent recycled polyamide that comes from discarded fishing nets, carpet flooring and industrial plastic.
TW: What are the company’s greatest strengths and how do you differentiate from competitors?
Dr. Raps: When we talk about differentiation from our competitors, I would say we start with customer centricity. Freudenberg would not have survived 175 years without listening to and anticipating the customer’s voice. My philosophy is to start with the pain points of customers and develop valuable solutions that meet their needs. I really think when we talk about innovation capabilities, we have a very good value proposition.
Also, our global footprint allows us to follow a local-for-local strategy. Our approach is always to serve local markets with local footprint. In addition, the Performance Materials group is part of the family-owned, long-term-oriented and financially solid Freudenberg Group. This presents us with a lot of opportunities. We are in a safe harbor. We are not looking into quarterly developments, but more long-term topics.
TW: Recently the Freudenberg Group shared that it had achieved record profits in 2023. What do you believe were the keys to this success? How did the textile segments con-tribute to the company’s overall success?
Dr. Raps: As a member of the executive council of Freudenberg Group, I can tell you that we are a diverse technology-driven company that transforms in-depth expertise into added value solutions for our customers, who appreciate those partnerships. I repeat myself, but those partnerships are for the long run. We are not looking into single points of supply. We are in partnerships for decades and I think this makes a difference.
I would say Freudenberg Performance Materials had a reasonable year overall. We saw strong performance in some segments such as gas diffusion layers for fuel cells, condensation control and healthcare.
In 2024, we have faced severe headwinds due to geopolitical circumstances and rising interest rates that lead to hesitation, for instance. As we all know, the global building and construction industry was particularly affected. But as a diverse company, we remain a strong, reliable partner. We need to be cautious, but we can also use this time to work on our homework and prepare the company for the future.
Evolon® durable packing solutions are made using up to 85-percent recycled PET.
TW: As Freudenberg grows its manufacturing capability for medical products, does this provide an opportunity also for the textile segment?
Dr. Raps: Freudenberg Medical is one of 10 business groups within the Freudenberg Group, just like Freudenberg Performance Materials. Our colleagues have strong expertise in extrusion and shaping thermoplastic and silicone components.
In our case, it’s about performance materials — basic, high-performance nonwovens and polyurethane foams. We began some 20 years ago in basic wound care and today are active in advanced wound care where we offer highly technical and sophisticated solutions. We have some exclusive partnerships with customers where we have very interesting development projects. For instance, when you talk about chronic wounds, a certain environment is needed to manage the wound, such as humidity. Products from Freudenberg Performance Materials support applications like that. It’s a very exciting area and we have a very highly dedicated and passionate team happy to add value in this arena.
TW: How does the company determine its global manufacturing footprint and where to make investments?
Dr. Raps: I already mentioned that one of our basic philosophies is local-for-local, which has been our approach for decades. For instance, we entered our first partnership in Japan in the 1960s. We are active on most of the major continents with a significant footprint. Today, we operate 32 production sites around the world. The majority still are based in Europe, but North America and Asia are exciting markets as well. We consider North America an exciting market with reasonable growth. We currently are building a new line in Vietnam for recyclable wadding products, and also a new line in India. We have a duplication of our technologies across the globe enabling us to offer the same technologies from different regions. This makes us a valuable partner for global businesses.
“We can bring positive change through our handprint — by using recycled materials, being energy efficient or by helping customers to reduce their own resource consumption.” — Dr. Andreas Raps
TW: As a leading company in the nonwovens sector, what developments are key to the future of the business?
Dr. Raps: We think that joint innovations with our customers will be a key success factor for the future. Also, when talking about the future, I think if we can make our customers successful, especially in the arena of sustainability, then it’s more than a justification for us to be committed in this area. We see sustainability and commercial aspects not as a contradiction, but things that go hand in hand with each other.
I also want you to know that when we talk about sustainability, in Freudenberg’s case, it’s not just a buzzword. We started the sustainability journey decades ago and have real stories to tell. In the early 1990s, we were a pioneer in recycling PET bottles that we turned into flake to reuse in our processes. Today, we have recycling lines in almost all of our major production locations and blend virgin materials with recycled inputs. As a company, we have retained, internalized and improved the idea of upcycling.
We also like to differentiate and talk about handprint and footprint when we talk about sustainability.
The ecological footprint shows the extent to which production impacts the environment by measuring the consumption of energy and raw materials as well as the resulting carbon dioxide emissions; while the ecological handprint questions how sustainable and environmentally friendly our product is.
This means we focus not only on our own consumption and emissions, but also on whether and how our products and services can help our customers to be more sustainable. We can bring positive change through our handprint — by using recycled materials, being energy efficient or by helping customers to reduce their own resource consumption.
Enka Bio Carrier, made from renewable resources, is a sustainable carrier material for green roofs on urban buildings.
Using pioneering technologies, the company manufactures products for a wide range of applications from clothing, roofing and cars to highly complex wound care. We offer innovative solutions for all these and many other areas and are constantly developing them further. In doing so, we ensure that our products are developed, produced and distributed as sustainably as possible. After all, the future of our industry can only be secured in the long term with a resource-conserving, hands-on approach.
I believe that if you want to remain competitive in the long term, you have to ask yourself the same questions. There are alternatives to the materials you have been using — you just have to use them!
TW: Are there any factors that concern you with regards to successfully maintaining and growing Freudenberg’s future?
Dr. Raps: Increasing regulation and bureaucracy are an issue. But our approach is to focus on the things we can influence. When we have threats such as this, we can also make them into an opportunity. I think the industry in general is not in very good shape right now, but we do think there are some positive silver linings on the horizon.
TW: Can you tell readers a little more about Freudenberg Performance Materials in the United States?
Dr. Raps: We have some good footprints in the United States. We have good footprints in Durham and Asheville in North Carolina, and also in Macon, Ga. We have some minor sales offices as well. Our main customer base is in the Atlanta area.
We are looking for M&A opportunities because we are committed to grow in the United States. We have a great team there and we can digest more business and we are ready for that. And you know with our technology portfolio, I think we have a good technology offering for the market. We see high loyalty from U.S. customers as well, so we have a good match with our let’s say technology driven approach and our technical expertise. We feel highly appreciated by the U.S. customers.
ISOLA DOVARESE, Italy — July 18, 2024 — Geogreen and RadiciGroup are speeding up their photovoltaic development with the inauguration of a new solar plant in the Municipality of Isola Dovarese in the Province of Cremona. Participating at the official ribbon cutting were the Geogreen shareholders including President Angelo Radici, the mayor of the Municipality of Isola Dovarese and other local officials.
The photovoltaic plant is located in an area previously occupied by a RadiciGroup production site inactive since 2005. After demolition and requalification work, the land was sold to Geogreen, the sole renewable energy supplier for RadiciGroup.
The solar plant, which has been built taking into account environmental and landscape requirements without using any additional land, extends over a surface area of 40 thousand square meters and consists of over 5,000 photovoltaic panels with installed power of about 4 MW and estimated annual production of about 5.5 million kWh, corresponding to the annual consumption of about 2,000 families. One hundred percent of the energy produced will be used by RadiciGroup, thus preventing the potential emission to the atmosphere of over 2,500 metric tons of CO2 per year that would be generated by the procurement of a comparable amount of energy from non-renewable sources.
Geogreen, which until yesterday was focused on producing renewable hydroelectric energy at its 6 power stations, has now implemented its diversification plan with the production of solar energy at its new plant in Isola Dovarese. Therefore, Geogreen has confirmed its growth strategy in renewable energies backed by a 10-million euro three-year investment plan, already approved by its Board of Directors.
Angelo Radici, president of Geogreen, stated: “The inauguration of this photovoltaic plant is an important step in our commitment to sustainability and energy transition. Investing in renewable energies is essential to reduce environmental impact and ensure a more sustainable future for our companies, our region and local communities, which we are proud to be part of.”
The photovoltaic panels in our new plant use solar tracking technology and are bifacial, so as to increase productivity by 20 percent compared to traditional solar systems.
“Our investment in the construction of the Isola Dovarese plant was EUR 4 million,” Massimo De Petro, CEO of Geogreen, said. “As part of the project, Geogreen has included certain work for the benefit of the Municipality di Isola Dovarese: the donation of a portion of the former industrial site to the municipality as a storage area for various materials, the installation of a wall charging unit for electric vehicles and the installation of a 16-kilowatt photovoltaic system on the roof of the municipal warehouse to cover a portion of the municipal government’s energy consumption. What’s more, a 25,000-square metre area adjacent to the solar plant will be retained as a green space, a ‘green lung’ for the local community.”
The energy produced by the Geogreen Isola Doverese system will be used by a RadiciGroup company based in the Province of Bergamo, which will sign a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Geogreen to guarantee that it will have renewable energy to run its plants and thus contribute to the Group decarbonization plan.
“In keeping with Goal 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and Goal 13 (Climate Action) of the United Nations Agenda 2030,” concluded Angelo Radici, in his role as president of RadiciGroup, “the reduction of emissions and adoption of renewable energy are the pillars of the strategy implemented by the Group to tackle climate change. Already today, RadiciGroup uses 59 percent renewable energy and, through its plan “From Earth to Earth”, it has set a special target of a 20 percent increase and diversification in renewable sources compared to its 2021 scenario.”
Tokyo-based Teijin Frontier Co. Ltd. recently introduced Octa®sf, a polyester spun yarn featuring an ultrafine staple fiber that has a hollow, eight-fin modified cross-section.This modified fiber creates a full and fluffy yarn with a soft, gentle feel, according to the company. The yarn also is lightweight and absorbs moisture when used in sportswear applications.
The fibers also may be blended with other natural and synthetic fibers.
In conjunction,Teijin Frontier is developing a variety of base-layer, midlayer and outwear fabrics featuring Octa sf yarn, which will be available for sportswear applications for the fall/winter 2025 season.The company is targeting sales of 100,000 meters in fiscal 2025 growing to 500,000 meters by fiscal 2028.
Ambercycle, Los Angeles, has partnered with South Korea-based Hyosung TNC to support the integration of Ambercycle’s cycora® into brand supply chains. The textile-to-textile circular polyester is a regenerated polyester chip that meets the spinnability standards of virgin products according to testing conducted by the European Center for Innovative Textiles.
“Our collaboration with Ambercycle is another important step we are taking to help our customers meet their sustainability goals and scale solutions that both present and future generations can enjoy,”said Chi Hyung Kim, CEO, Hyosung TNC.“We’re impressed with cycora for its quality, but also for its potential to divert tons of textile waste from landfills and incinerators and reduce the extraction of raw materials used in the production of virgin polyester.”
In other company news, Ambercycle has struck a three-year polyester offtake agreement with Sri Lanka-based MAS Holdings. Under the partnership, MAS can reserve capacity for cycora for its customers, which will help Ambercycle expedite commercial-scale production as fast as possible.
Brazil-based pulp producer Suzano S/A has signed a long-term partnership with B&C Group —the main shareholder of Austria-based Lenzing Group — to take over a 15-percent stake in Lenzing from B&C Group.
“Lenzing and Suzano are two companies that have come to know and appreciate each other in recent years as relevant players on the international pulp market,”said Stephan Sielaff, CEO, Lenzing Group.“Based on the core competencies in the area of pulp production and operational excellence, Suzano can make a valuable contribution to the successful implementation of our strategy.
For us, the constellation of the two strong core shareholders B&C Group and Suzano S/A is definitely a win.”
To accelerate its growth strategy in the sustainable polymers market, Stein Fibers LLC, Albany, N.Y., has acquired recycled materials distributor Banyan Plastics LLC, West Palm Beach, Fla.
“We are excited to onboard the team from Banyan Plastics LLC,”said Jaren Edwards, president of Stein Fibers.“Together, we are better equipped to help our customers meet their published sustainability goals within the recycled plastics marketplace. Even more important is the value and efficiency we provide to recycling facilities around the world. Our combined expertise and scale will provide solutions that have never been offered on a consistent basis to both our suppliers and customers.”
