It's no secret that Procter & Gamble is a powerhouse in the nonwovens industry, particularly on the disposable side, so a few months ago when a member of its purchasing group invited me to speak on supply and demand issues facing the global nonwovens industry, naturally I jumped at the chance. Of course, the task of discussing nonwovens with a group of people whose job it is to know nonwovens was daunting, but I could not pass up the opportunity to not only up the profile of this magazine but also to broaden my contacts within one of this industry's most important players.

My audience was an impressive one, filled with top Procter & Gamble executives across its nonwovens-related business units and from across the globe. Even more impressive was the fact that these purchasers of nonwoven materials—your customers—were most interested in how they could remain competitive going forward. Yes, the makers of some of the most sophisticated consumer products in the world, employed by the top sell of diapers—and dozens of other products—were interested in how to be competitive.

To succeed in nonwovens—or really any business today—staying at the top of your game is absolutely necessary. In nonwovens this could mean examining new producers or machinery technologies or working with the final end user to determine what they want or need. With companies working harder than ever to stand out from their competition, achieving this could just mean keeping tabs on what is new in the industry. Take this month's edition of Nonwovens Industry, for example. Our International Buyers' Guide features hundred of nonwovens producers, raw material providers, machinery and equipment suppliers and contract service companies eager to help you take your business into the future. I think it's time to take a lesson from Procter & Gamble and work on keeping your company competitive moving forward.

Karen Bitz McIntyre
Editor
karenb@rodpub.com