Nonwovens by FDI

If you can believe it, 2016 is coming to a close. We’re rapidly approaching the last quarter but there is still time to get in some continuing education, do a little networking and get exposed to some of the best minds in the nonwoven business.

In business, as in life, there are many choices. Businesses choose vendors based on a variety of issues, including price, product quality, and even the ease of doing business with that company. However, sometimes it can become apparent that it’s time for a change.

At the end of 2016, the diaper market is expected to reach a value of $49 billion, according to a new report by Persistence Market Research, as reported in Nonwovens Industry.   According to that same report, diapers are expected to surpass $70.4 billion in about eight years.

According to Smithers Pira, the global nonwovens market is anticipated to grow to about $50.8 billion in 2020 with the hygiene market comprising the biggest portion of the market. Spunlaid nonwovens, which include spunbond and meltblown nonwoven fabrics, were almost 50% of the entire market in 2015
 

What is the TPP?

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement is a Free Trade Agreement between the United States and 11 countries, most of which are located in the Pacific Rim. Participating countries include: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.

 

Let’s face it, bathrooms don’t get a whole lot of the spotlight. But, when you think about it, we certainly spend some time of every day in the bathroom! Nonwoven products abound in the bathroom and there is always room for more.

 

 

There may have never been a child in the history of the world who has had this conversation:

Adult: “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Child: “I want to work with nonwoven fabrics!”

Adult: (puzzled)

It’s pretty funny that we describe what we do by basically saying what we are not. We work with nonwovens. Not wovens. The anti-wovens, if you will.

The tide is turning for American manufacturing. According to the Economic Policy Institute, the United States lost about 2.4 million manufacturing jobs just to China from 2001 to 2013.   However, due to rising labor costs in China and the high cost of international shipping, large manufacturers are beginning to bring production back to the US. As a matter of fact, companies like General Electric, Walmart, Ford and Boeing have re-shored approximately 22,000 manufacturing jobs in recent years.

Our industry has been plagued with the question of flushability since the dawn of the disposable wipe. Baby wipes, really the first type of disposable wipe to hit the mainstream market, are not flushable. However, there are many disposable wipes designed as flushable moist toilet tissue. As you can guess, the consumer confusion over these two seemingly identical wipes is extreme.