09.11.23
Aalborg, Denmark
www.fibertexnonwovens.com
2022 Nonwovens Sales: $303 million
Key Personnel
Jorgen Bech Madsen, CEO; Henrik Kjeldsen, CCO; Lars Bertelsen, COO; Steen Bach Svoldgaard, CFO; Lancelot Woolley, group R&D director; Bjarne Knudsen, managing director; Carlos Benatto, president, Fibertex North America; Randy Blasczyk, general manager North American Needlepunch; Jonathan Layer, director of Commercial Business Development
Plants
Denmark, Czech Republic, U.S., France, Turkey, South Africa, Brazil
Processes
Needlepunch, spunlace, impregnating, coating
Global investment continues to be a winning strategy for Fibertex Nonwovens. The Danish nonwovens producer recently completed work on a state-of-the-art spunlace line at its Grey Court, SC facility and is planning to finish work on a similar line in the Czech Republic some time next year. These two new lines were part of a global investment strategy, announced in early 2021, aimed at bringing the company’s sales above $400 million by 2026. In addition to the two spunlace lines, this plan includes the addition of finishing and coating lines at its site in Turkey, which specializes in spunlacing.
These investments will mainly help target growth in the disinfectant wipes and healthcare sectors while also allowing the company to offer new and sustainable product properties that will help meet demands in the future. The new lines will also free up capacity on some existing lines in Europe to allow room for exploring new opportunities in areas like acoustics for automotive and filtration media.
“The new lines offer a lot of new capabilities like the ability to process alternative materials,” says CEO Jorgen Bech Madsen. “Having more modern lines allows us to be more competitive.”
Also benefitting Fibertex is its presence in many business areas. The company’s capacity is split evenly between spunlace and needlepunch, which allows it to target a number of technical applications. “Because we are in so many areas, we are always busy somewhere,” Madsen says.
Looking back to 2022, Fibertex Nonwovens reported sales of $303 million, up from $275 million the 2021, despite sales imbalances, high raw material and energy costs and a slowdown in demand, which began in the second half of 2021 and continued during 2022, presenting challenges for the company.
“Last year for wipes was terrible but the market is coming back,” Madsen says. “We can process a lot of different types of fibers which has helped us meet increased demand for sustainability.”
Efforts to be more sustainable and help its customers in these efforts extend beyond wipes. For example, Fibertex’s E-Flow HVAC system can save a building 67% of its energy consumption, which is a major win because HVAC is a major energy consumer in building systems, Madsen says. Other key technical areas for Fibertex include acoustics, automotives, building and civil engineering.
“The business is now split evenly between needlepunch and spunlace but we are investing in both technologies,” Madsen adds. “Fibertex Nonwovens is a good combination of innovation and state-of-the-art lines that we have been investing in over the years.
www.fibertexnonwovens.com
2022 Nonwovens Sales: $303 million
Key Personnel
Jorgen Bech Madsen, CEO; Henrik Kjeldsen, CCO; Lars Bertelsen, COO; Steen Bach Svoldgaard, CFO; Lancelot Woolley, group R&D director; Bjarne Knudsen, managing director; Carlos Benatto, president, Fibertex North America; Randy Blasczyk, general manager North American Needlepunch; Jonathan Layer, director of Commercial Business Development
Plants
Denmark, Czech Republic, U.S., France, Turkey, South Africa, Brazil
Processes
Needlepunch, spunlace, impregnating, coating
Global investment continues to be a winning strategy for Fibertex Nonwovens. The Danish nonwovens producer recently completed work on a state-of-the-art spunlace line at its Grey Court, SC facility and is planning to finish work on a similar line in the Czech Republic some time next year. These two new lines were part of a global investment strategy, announced in early 2021, aimed at bringing the company’s sales above $400 million by 2026. In addition to the two spunlace lines, this plan includes the addition of finishing and coating lines at its site in Turkey, which specializes in spunlacing.
These investments will mainly help target growth in the disinfectant wipes and healthcare sectors while also allowing the company to offer new and sustainable product properties that will help meet demands in the future. The new lines will also free up capacity on some existing lines in Europe to allow room for exploring new opportunities in areas like acoustics for automotive and filtration media.
“The new lines offer a lot of new capabilities like the ability to process alternative materials,” says CEO Jorgen Bech Madsen. “Having more modern lines allows us to be more competitive.”
Also benefitting Fibertex is its presence in many business areas. The company’s capacity is split evenly between spunlace and needlepunch, which allows it to target a number of technical applications. “Because we are in so many areas, we are always busy somewhere,” Madsen says.
Looking back to 2022, Fibertex Nonwovens reported sales of $303 million, up from $275 million the 2021, despite sales imbalances, high raw material and energy costs and a slowdown in demand, which began in the second half of 2021 and continued during 2022, presenting challenges for the company.
“Last year for wipes was terrible but the market is coming back,” Madsen says. “We can process a lot of different types of fibers which has helped us meet increased demand for sustainability.”
Efforts to be more sustainable and help its customers in these efforts extend beyond wipes. For example, Fibertex’s E-Flow HVAC system can save a building 67% of its energy consumption, which is a major win because HVAC is a major energy consumer in building systems, Madsen says. Other key technical areas for Fibertex include acoustics, automotives, building and civil engineering.
“The business is now split evenly between needlepunch and spunlace but we are investing in both technologies,” Madsen adds. “Fibertex Nonwovens is a good combination of innovation and state-of-the-art lines that we have been investing in over the years.
