Global leader in nonwovens TWE

Floor covering material for temporary protection

GLOBAL LEADER GLOBAL LEADER IN NONWOVENS IN NONWOVENS

For German nonwovens specialist TWE, a series of acquisitions and new product launches have resulted in its most successful year to date. Victoria Hattersley talks to CCO and Member of the Executive Board Ralf Berens to find out how this highly innovative company continues to dominate the market and win new clients.

When Industry Europe spoke to the TWE Group a year ago, it had recently acquired the US company Vita Nonwovens and thus taken an important step further in its plans for international expansion. Move forward to the present day, and the company has made two more acquisitions: the first, in July 2015, was of the German company Isowood, a producer of nonwovens for application in the automotive industry, amongst others; the second was another German nonwovens producer focused on the building & construction market, Höschele Nonwoven GmbH.

And this is a strategy that is clearly paying off: last year was TWE’s most successful so far, both in terms of turnover and result. It succeeded in increasing its top line by more than 20 per cent, achieving a turnover of more than USD 420 million.

Mr Berens explains the significance of this continued acquisition strategy, both for TWE’s geographical expansion and the extension of its product range: “The acquisition of Vita Nonwovens meant we were able to acquire significant customers in the US, so acquisitions are an important part of our future growth. Global customers need global partners. When it comes to suppliers, we work with some of the world’s leading raw material suppliers to ensure we meet the needs of our clients wherever they are. The Isowood acquisition means we now have 14 production plants in total.”

Three pillars of growth

The applications for TWE’s products fall into seven core divisions: Medical, Filtration, Mobiltech, Hygiene, Building & Construction, Wipes and Comfort. However, the Isowood and Höschele acquisitions fit into the group’s plans to grow its business in three areas in particular: Mobiltech but also Hygiene and Building & Construction. “Although we want to grow our business in all seven divisions, it is in these three that we expect to see the most dynamic growth,” says Mr Berens.

He goes on: “Isowood provides mainly nonwovens of natural fibre as well as of glass fibre for the automotive industry. Before this, we didn’t have such a strong presence in this sector but we feel it has strong potential for the future so it’s something we want to expand in. This acquisition means we can provide, among other things, door panel insulation materials that offer many advantages to automotive OEMs, such as lighter weight, better sound absorption and so on.”

One product developed by TWE in recent years for its automotive clients is Quiet Web, a lightweight, sound-absorbing material made from 100 per cent polyester fibres for use in engine compartments. To give just some of the many advantages of this product, it is easily mouldable and weldable, is totally recyclable, odour-free and does not support bacterial growth. Furthermore, it is self-extinguishing and thus meets the strict fire safety standards of the automotive industry.

When it comes to Hygiene, another of the three main growth areas, the focus for TWE is on ultra-thin absorbent products. For example, the recently introduced Amphibia concept utilises the ADL (Acquisition Distribution Layer) technology, in which TWE is an undisputed world market leader. An ADL has three core functions: liquid acquisition, liquid distribution and surface dryness, and the make-up of the layers can come in several different ratios depending on the requirements of the individual product.

Amphibia can be used for femcare, baby and adult incontinence products and is available in two main variations: a completely fluff-free concept using ADL as a technical SAP carrier; and an enhanced version with additional ADL combined. It is able to function in both wet and dry environments, offers an alternative to a fluff pulp/SAP core and is, essentially, an ‘all-in-one’ solution for super thin products.

Entrance area TWE headquarter in Emsdetten, Germany

According to Mr Berens, this product is already proving a hit with clients: “Amphibia has multiple layers for quick absorption. It is a concept which allows us to offer customers a lower overall cost coupled with higher performance. We are seeing very strong interest and growth rates for this product since its launch on the market.”

More generally, TWE’s R&D team is working on the creation of nonwovens for top-sheet applications to increase softness levels. The reason for this, says Mr Berens, is that “Today’s spunbond technologies do not reach the softness targets demanded by customers so we are working on our innovative air-through bonding materials. These could be used, for example, for baby diapers or adult incontinence products.”

As for Building & Construction, Mr Berens is keen to highlight another new product, Home-Iso, that offers exciting prospects for growth in this market.

“This is an internal insulation product for the Building & Construction unit. There are many benefits of this, one of which is ultra-low pollution to meet the high demand for more sustainable building products. Absolutely no toxic bonding agents are used in this material.”

Home-Iso consists of several layers of polyester fibres that are thermally bonded at 170°C – the result of 100 per cent polyester nonwoven fabric. It was developed specifically for the thermal and acoustic insulation of pitched roofs, attics, well hung ceilings and partitions in interior design. With this product, TWE is able to provide solutions for effective thermal and acoustic insulation as ‘the basis for a healthy and ecological home’. Other key product areas

However, as mentioned earlier, TWE will not be neglecting its other four divisions in this increased drive to take advantage of the three growing market areas. In the area of Medical nonwovens, for instance, it will continue to lead the way in OCP (Orthopaedic Cast Padding) bandages, wound care products and disposable gloves for hospital use.

The Filtration division offers customised solutions for air filtration and wet filtration using high quality nonwovens in many applications areas, including spray booths, and vacuum cleaner bags and filters. Meanwhile the products from the Wipes division offer everything customers require when it comes to antibacterial properties with many coating and refining processes available. Finally, the products from the Comfort division fall into three main areas – furniture, bedding and apparel – with a broad spectrum of durable and sustainable insulation and a high performance in areas such as weight, coating, layer structure and fibre strength.

With each of these key divisions, the focus will of course continue to be solely on nonwoven materials, mainly using the drylaid web formation method, as Mr Berens explains.

Looking ahead

Aside from continuing to grow all its divisions, TWE will be looking to expand its presence in both existing and newer markets. According to Mr Berens: “In terms of future growth markets, Europe still is and will remain the most important for us in terms of sales. However, we are also growing faster outside Europe with an increasing presence

TWE is market leader for ADLs in hygiene products e.g. baby diapers Nonwovens used as door panel in cars

in Asia and the US. In the future we will expect to see more of a balance between Europe and the rest of the world.”

Sustainability will also play a key role. Last year we reported that the group was rolling out the 50001 Energy Management Certificate across all its plants and this is still ongoing. When it comes to any further acquisitions, there is nothing in the pipeline as yet but Mr Berens is not ruling this out: “In the coming years we will continue to expand both organically and through acquisitions. From a business perspective, it’s the three areas I’ve already mentioned – Automotive, Hygiene and Building & Construction – in which future acquisitions are likely to fall.” n

For further information on TWE’s products and services visit: www.twe-group.com