US demand to increase 5% annually through 2013 Demand for nonwoven roll goods is projected to increase 5.0 percent per year through 2013, driven by gains in key markets such as filtration, construction, wipes, medical disposables and adult incontinence. In area terms, nonwovens demand will advance 4.2 percent per year. Spunbonded nonwovens will remain the largest product segment, accounting for roughly half of total area in 2013, o...
More »
Search ReportLinker
The Largest Collection of Market Research Reports
» 1.2 Million Industry Reports
» 450,000 Company Profiles
» 850,000 Market Briefings
» 40,000 Country Guides
From +200,000 authoritative sources
US demand to increase 5% annually through 2013
Demand for nonwoven roll goods is projected to increase 5.0 percent per year through 2013, driven by gains in key markets such as filtration, construction, wipes, medical disposables and adult incontinence. In area terms, nonwovens demand will advance 4.2 percent per year. Spunbonded nonwovens will remain the largest product segment, accounting for roughly half of total area in 2013, owing to their position as the material of choice in major markets such as baby diapers. Gains in spunbonded nonwovens will be driven by strong growth in the use of disposable medical garments and textiles, rising demand for composite spunbonded/meltblown nonwovens that combine the performance advantages of each; and increased penetration of markets now served by competitive products. Meltblown nonwovens will benefit from greater use in the filtration market. Demand for nonwoven fabrics bonded by the spunlacing process, almost all of which are web-bonded carded nonwovens, will increase at an above-average rate through 2013. These types of nonwovens are finding greater use in markets such as personal care wipes and medical products, where consumer comfort is of primary importance. Gains in airlaid nonwovens will benefit from increased use in absorbent food pads, adult incontinence products, filters, various disposable medical supplies and wipes. However, sales gains will be restrained somewhat by competition from other nonwoven fabrics. Wetlaid nonwoven fabrics will also be subject to stiff competition from other materials. However, heightened demand for better performing nonwoven materials in battery separators, filters and roofing, all of which use wetlaid glass nonwovens for higher-end applications, will provide some impetus to future market gains.
Filtration to be fastest growing disposables market
Among disposables markets, consumer products will continue to account for the largest portion of nonwovens sales, though growth will be restricted by below-average advances in baby diaper and feminine hygiene markets. Somewhat offsetting this sluggishness in the consumer market will be above-average gains in adult incontinence markets, buoyed by a greater incidence of incontinence, primarily due to the aging US population. Demand in the filtration market will see the most rapid gains, as nonwovens continue to take market share from other materials such as paper and woven fabrics. Although the medical market for nonwovens is relatively mature, demand will benefit from the strengthening of surgical infection control safeguards, which will promote growth by boosting the demand for such single use nonwoven products as surgical and patient gowns, surgical drapes and face masks.
Construction uses to pace nondisposables segment
Nondisposables comprised one-third of nonwovens sales in 2008. The largest nondisposable market, construction, will post above-average gains, fueled by robust growth in residential construction. Other smaller markets, such as agriculture, will also see excellent gains as new applications for nonwoven products continue to be developed. However, weaker prospects for clothing and furniture will have a negative effect on the nondisposables segment, as manufacturing of these products continues to move outside the US.
Study coverage
The report presents historical demand data (1998, 2003 and 2008) plus forecasts for 2013 and 2018 by material, product and market. The study also considers market environment factors, assesses the industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles 42 competitors in the US industry.
Medical Equipment And Supply Industry in the United States
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1
II. MARKET ENVIRONMENT 4
General 4
Macroeconomic Environment 4
Manufacturing Outlook 9
Demographic Trends 12
Retail Sales 16
Textiles Outlook 18
Competitive Materials 21
Environmental & Regulatory Considerations 23
Historical Market Trends 26
Pricing Trends 29
World Market 31
Foreign Trade 33
Exports 35
Imports 36
III. MATERIALS 38
General 38
Fibers 38
Polypropylene 42
Polyester 45
Rayon 49
Polyethylene 52
Wood Pulp 54
Cotton 56
Other Fibers 60
Glass 61
Nylon 63
All Other 64
Other Materials 68
Binder Resins 69
Additives & Other 71
IV. PRODUCTS 74
General 74
Demand by Web Formation Process 76
Spunmelt 78
Spunbonded 80
Meltblown 85
Carded 90
Characteristics 92
Markets & Manufacturers 94
Wetlaid 96
Characteristics 97
Markets & Manufacturers 98
Airlaid 100
Characteristics 102
Markets & Manufacturers 104
Web Bonding Processes 105
Thermal 105
Heating Processes 106
Manufacturers 107
Chemical 108
Mechanical 110
Needlepunching 110
Spunlacing 112
Stitchbonding 114
V. MARKET OVERVIEW 116
VI. DISPOSABLES MARKETS 120
General 120
Consumer 122
Personal Hygiene Products 123
Personal Hygiene Products Outlook 124
Nonwoven Fabric Demand 126
Infant Diapers & Training Pants 129
Feminine Hygiene Products 133
Adult Incontinence Products 136
Wipes 139
Consumer Wipes Outlook 140
Nonwoven Fabric Demand 142
Other Consumer 151
Filtration 152
Filters Outlook 153
Nonwoven Fabric Demand 155
Air Filters 160
Fluid Filters 163
Medical 166
Nonwoven Medical Garments & Textiles Outlook 166
Nonwoven Fabric Demand 167
Applications & Manufacturers 170
Types 171
Other 173
Industrial Wipes 174
Protective Apparel 176
All Other Disposables 178
VII. NONDISPOSABLES MARKETS 180
General 180
Construction 182
Construction Outlook 182
Nonwoven Fabric Demand 187
Building Construction 189
Geotextiles 194
Electrical & Electronics 199
Batteries Outlook 199
Nonwoven Fabric Demand 201
Battery Separators 203
Other 205
Furnishings 205
Furniture Outlook 206
Nonwoven Fabric Demand 208
Applications 211
Manufacturers 213
Carpets & Rugs 213
Carpet & Rug Outlook 213
Nonwoven Fabric Demand 214
Applications 215
Materials & Manufacturers 217
Motor Vehicles 217
Motor Vehicles Outlook 218
Nonwoven Fabric Demand 220
Other Nondisposables 224
Coated & Laminated Substrates 226
Agriculture 228
Clothing 229
Footwear 232
All Other Nondisposables 233
VIII. INDUSTRY STRUCTURE 235
General 235
Market Share 239
Kimberly-Clark 240
DuPont 241
Polymer Group 242
Johns Manville 242
Fiberweb 243
Ahlstrom 243
Freudenberg 244
Other Companies 245
Competitive Strategies 245
Research & Development 250
Manufacturing 253
Marketing & Distribution 257
Company Profiles 259
Ahlstrom Corporation 260
Albis SpA 263
American Felt & Filter Company Incorporated 265
Andrew Industries Limited 267
Avgol Industries 269
Barnhardt Manufacturing Company 270
Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated 272
BMP, see Andrew Industries Limited
Buckeye Technologies Incorporated 274
Building Materials Corporation of America 276
Carolina Absorbent Cotton, see Barnhardt Manufacturing
Carpenter Company 278
Colbond Incorporated, see Low & Bonar plc
Color-Fi Incorporated, see Formed Fiber Technologies
Companhia Providencia Industria e Comercio 279
Concert Industries Corporation 280
DuPont (EI) de Nemours 281
Emtex Incorporated 285
Fiberweb plc 286
First Quality Enterprises Incorporated 290
Fitesa SA, see Petropar SA
FitesaFiberweb, see Fiberweb plc and Petropar SA
Formed Fiber Technologies Incorporated 292
Foss Manufacturing Company LLC 294
Freudenberg & Company 296
GAF-Elk Corporation, see Building Materials Corporation
of America
Georgia-Pacific LLC, see Koch Industries Incorporated
Hof Textiles Incorporated, see Textilgruppe Hof AG
Hollingsworth & Vose Company 300
Holm (Jacob) & Sons AG 303
Intrinsics, see Barnhardt Manufacturing Company
INVISTA Sarl, see Koch Industries Incorporated
Johns Manville Corporation, see Berkshire Hathaway
Kimberly-Clark Corporation 304
Koch Industries Incorporated 308
Kureha Limited, see Toyobo Company Limited
Lantor Advanced Materials Group 310
Low & Bonar plc 311
Lydall Incorporated 313
McAirlaid’s Vliesstoffe GmbH & Company KG 316
Milliken & Company 317
National Nonwovens 319
OCV Non-Woven Technologies, see Owens Corning
Owens Corning 321
Petropar SA 323
Polymer Group Incorporated 325
Precision Custom Coatings LLC 327
Precision Fabrics Group Incorporated 329
Propex Holding LLC 331
Richmond Dental, see Barnhardt Manufacturing
Royal Ten Cate NV 333
Sabee (R.) Company LLC 334
Shaw Industries Incorporated, see Berkshire Hathaway
Southern Felt Company Incorporated, see Andrew
Industries
TenCate Geosynthetics North America Incorporated, see
Royal Ten Cate NV
Textilgruppe Hof AG 336
Toyobo Company Limited 337
US Nonwovens Corporation 339
Vita Group 340
Other Companies Mentioned in Study 342
LIST OF TABLES
SECTION I -- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Summary Table 3
SECTION II -- MARKET ENVIRONMENT
1 Macroeconomic Indicators 9
2 Manufacturers’ Shipments 12
3 Population & Households 15
4 Retail Sales 18
5 Textile Mill Product Shipments 21
6 Nonwovens Market, 1998-2008 28
7 Nonwovens Pricing 30
8 Foreign Trade in Nonwovens 34
SECTION III – MATERIALS
1 Fiber Consumption in Nonwoven Fabrics 41
2 Polypropylene Consumption in Nonwoven Fabrics 45
3 Polyester Consumption in Nonwoven Fabrics 48
4 Rayon Consumption in Nonwoven Fabrics 52
5 Polyethylene Consumption in Nonwoven Fabrics 54
6 Wood Pulp Consumption in Nonwoven Fabrics 56
7 Cotton Consumption in Nonwoven Fabrics 60
8 Other Fiber Consumption in Nonwoven Fabrics 61
9 Other Material Consumption in Nonwoven Fabrics 69
SECTION IV – PRODUCTS
1 Nonwoven Fabric Demand by Web Formation Process 78
2 Spunmelt Nonwoven Fabric Demand 80
3 Spunbonded Nonwoven Fabric Demand 82
4 Meltblown Nonwoven Fabric Demand 87
5 Carded Nonwoven Fabric Demand 92
6 Wetlaid Nonwoven Fabric Demand 97
7 Airlaid Nonwoven Fabric Demand 102
SECTION V -- MARKET OVERVIEW
1 Nonwoven Fabric Demand by Market 119
2 Growth Rates for Selected Nonwovens Markets, 2008-2013 119
SECTION VI -- DISPOSABLES MARKETS
1 Disposables Markets for Nonwoven Fabrics 121
LIST OF TABLES
2 Consumer Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 123
3 Personal Hygiene Product Demand 126
4 Personal Hygiene Product Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 129
5 Infant Diapers & Training Pants Demand
for Nonwoven Fabrics 133
6 Feminine Hygiene Product Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 136
7 Adult Incontinence Product Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 139
8 Consumer Wipes Demand 142
9 Consumer Wipes Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 145
10 Other Consumer Disposables Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 152
11 Filter Supply & Demand 155
12 Filtration Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 159
13 Air Filter Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 163
14 Fluid Filter Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 165
15 Nonwoven Disposable Medical Garment & Textile Demand 167
16 Medical Garment & Textile Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 169
17 Other Disposables Markets for Nonwoven Fabrics 174
SECTION VII -- NONDISPOSABLES MARKETS
1 Nondisposables Markets for Nonwoven Fabrics 181
2 Construction Expenditures 187
3 Construction Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 189
4 Building Construction Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 190
5 Geotextiles Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 196
6 Battery Supply & Demand 201
7 Electrical & Electronics Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 203
8 Furniture Shipments 208
9 Furnishings Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 210
10 Carpet & Rug Supply & Demand 214
11 Carpet & Rug Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 215
12 Motor Vehicle Production 220
13 Motor Vehicle Demand for Nonwoven Fabrics 224
14 Other Nondisposables Markets for Nonwoven Fabrics 226
SECTION VIII -- INDUSTRY STRUCTURE
1 US Nonwoven Fabric Sales by Company, 2008 237
