01.01.09
Location: DENVER, CO
Sales: $670 Million
Description: Key Personnel
Bob Wamboldt, vice president & general manager, Engineered Products North America (EPNA) Enno Henze, vice president & general manager, Engineered Products Europe/Asia (EPEA); Ken Forden, director of sales and marketing EPNA; Christian Hassmann, segment manager, filtration & separation and marketing manager, Nonwovens EPEA; Stefan Mohr, segment manager, Waterproofing EPEA; Anne Schäfer, segment manager, construction & industrial EPEA
Plants
Waterville, OH; Defiance, OH; Richland, MS; Spartanburg, SC; Etowah, TN; Bobingen, Berlin, Wertheim, Karlstein and Steinach, Germany; Shanghai and Louyang, China; Trnava, Slovakia;
ISO Status
Spartanburg, SC and Defiance, OH ISO 9002 certified; Bobingen and Berlin, Germany ISO 9001 certified; Waterville, OH ISO 9002 certified; Etowah, TN ISO 9002 certified; Richland, MS ISO 9001 certified
Processes
Airlaid (glass and synthetic), wetlaid, meltblown, spunlaid needling, composite
Brand Names
Assurance, Dura-Glass, Delta-Aire, DynaWick, DynaWeb, DynaTech, Micro-Aire, MicroLith, microlith, ecoMat, DuraGlass, DuraSpun, SpunFil, CombiFil, ComforTex, UniTex, ForTex, Illuma White, StabilStrand, DuraBase and Gorilla Wrap, StableGrip
Major Markets
Roofing substrates, air and liquid filtration, sorbents, battery separators, geotextiles, flooring substrates and facers for building products, wind energy, nonwovens for engineered wood composites
With a new regional structure in place, leading roll goods producer Johns Manville (JM) is focusing on keeping costs under control in a difficult economic environment. The company is organized into four regional segments—Insulation Systems, Roofing Systems and Engineered Products North America (EPNA) and Engineered Products Europe/Asia (EPEA). “The new regional structure has increased decision- making speed and keeps the focus on critical customer issues that drive continuous improvement,” explained Bob Wambodt vice president and general manager, Engineered Products North America, and Enno Henze, vice president and general manager, Engineered Products Europe/Asia.
Like most manufacturers, JM’s business has been impacted by tough economic conditions on both the North American and European fronts. After a very strong start into 2008 with record sales in the building and construction markets as well as in the filtration and separation segment, the company saw a significant slowdown in the fourth quarter caused by the global economic crisis, particularly in Europe. Due to its broad portfolio of products and markets, JM reports that its results have been pretty stable so far.
JM remains sharply focused on polyester spunbond and glass fiber nonwovens for building and industrial applications. According to Mr. Henze, the company is launching several new products and continues to concentrate on product and application development. “Many cost control cuts have been made, but reducing our focus on product innovation has not been considered,” he remarked.
In the area of filtration, JM has extended its polyester spunbond range to include a new “heavyweight“ variation of its SpunFil product. The 260 gsm filter media for industrial air applications increases the stiffness, stability and filter efficiency significantly. The filtration portfolio has also been enlarged with energy efficient media for air pollution control and gas turbines.
Also new is StabilStrand, an innovative product family composed of glass fiber nonwovens and unique binder systems such as b-stage melamine. StabilStrand is designed for use as a surface layer as well as an underlayer for engineered wood materials.
Other filtration products from JM include CombiFil Premium, SpunFil EasyPleat and Micro-Strand XP. CombiFil Premium combines the advantages of both polyester spunbond and microglass and provides a filtration product that has consistent mechanical filtration efficiency up to HEPA, low-pressure drop with high dust holding capacity and requires no additional reinforcements.
SpunFil EasyPleat is a calendered polyester spunbond made with JM's new BC-technology. It has high air permeability and features a high stiffness even at low area weights of between 60 and 120 gsm. The product enables high pleating machine speeds while continuing to achieve sharp and precise pleats.
Micro-Strand XP microfiber is used in manufacturing microglass papers used in HEPA, ULPA and ASHRAE filters. The glass microfiber meets the rigid health testing standards established by the European Union for fiber exoneration.
Another filtration-related innovation from JM is its Assurance nonwoven composite media made of natural and synthetic fibers.
Used to produce a superior mechanical airfilter, the media also enable production ofself-supporting air filters that reduce costs,increase manufacturing productivity andavoid safety liabilities associated with expanded-metal filter structures.
For building applications, JM offersDuraSpun XTR, a glass thread reinforcedspunbond composite providing best-in-classdimensional stability to bituminous waterproofingmembranes; Illuma White, a precoatedglass fiber nonwoven for high qualityceiling tiles and the glass fiber nonwovenDHY Forte an innovative product for impactsound attenuation.
In agricultural and landscape markets, JMsells its lightweight 100-120 gsm DuraSpunnonwovens and is underway with efforts tobecome a larger player in this sector. The fabricallows moisture to pass but reduces weedgrowth, and—like all of JM’s agricultural offerings—is 100% polyester spunbond.
“We are looking to increase our volumesin this area,” reported Mr. Wamboldt,“and are working on plant and process improvementsat our Spartanburg facility thatwill allow us to make DuraSpun lighterand thinner. The 120 gsm limit is not normallylight enough for landscape applicationsand we are producing some productsnow at about 90-95 gsm or 2.7 osy. Thiswill make us more competitive.”
In the area of crop protection, the companysells fabric to cover crops to preventdamage from frost; in the erosion controlfield, JM supplies a distributor that sells intothe golf course market where its 013140 fabrichas been accepted as the product ofchoice for use under sand traps.
JM’s Silt Fence offers high efficiency filtrationfor protecting rivers, creeks andstreams while reducing soil erosion on developmentprojects. The product was co-developedby JM and Silt-Saver and is beingdistributed by Silt-Saver. Currently, Silt-Saveris making state-by-state efforts to replace existingwoven polypropylene products inNorth America.
When it comes to capacity expansion, JMhas plans to significantly upgrade a specialtyglass mat line in Waterville, OH. “The globaleconomic slowdown has clearly impactedoverall market demand but JM continues toinvest to meet future needs,” added Mr.Wamboldt.
Also in North America, the company’sglass mat line in Etowah, TN is running 24hours per day/seven days a week and meetingits business case targets. The companydescribes the facility as an extremely cost-efficientoperation with two large furnaces and70% of its customers nearby.
In China, where JM operates two facilities,in Shanghai and Louyang respectively,the company continues to service roofing,specialty and geotextiles markets in Asia andthe Middle East from its state-of-the-artspunbond lines.
JM has five plants in Germany, where arecent highlight was its receipt of the prestigious“Top 100” seal by the WirtschaftsuniversitätWien (Vienna University ofEconomics and Business Administration).JM was ranked among the “Top 100” mostinnovative German mid-sized companies.During a ceremony in Königswinter’s“Gästehaus Petersberg,” Lothar Späth, formerprime minister of Baden-Württembergand mentor of the program, presented theprestigious “Top 100” seal to Johns Manvilleexecutives Werner Groh, technologyleader, and Christian Hassmann, marketingleader.
This is the first time JM has participated inthe 17-year-old program. To qualify for thishonor, JM participated in a strict two-stepprocess managed by the University that ultimatelyrecognized the company for its cultureof innovation that encompassed“innovation promoting top-management,”“innovation climate,” “innovation processesand organization,” “innovation marketing”and“innovation success.”
“Our innovation is supported by morethan 220 patents, 40 of which were awardedin the past three years,” explained Dr. Groh.“Our business team of 950 employees usesSix Sigma and Lean Manufacturing tools andprocesses, which strengthens our credibilityamong our customers and other partners. Wehave a well-established innovation processand we believe there is no better way to overcomethe challenges of a difficult economicenvironment.”
Sales: $670 Million
Description: Key Personnel
Bob Wamboldt, vice president & general manager, Engineered Products North America (EPNA) Enno Henze, vice president & general manager, Engineered Products Europe/Asia (EPEA); Ken Forden, director of sales and marketing EPNA; Christian Hassmann, segment manager, filtration & separation and marketing manager, Nonwovens EPEA; Stefan Mohr, segment manager, Waterproofing EPEA; Anne Schäfer, segment manager, construction & industrial EPEA
Plants
Waterville, OH; Defiance, OH; Richland, MS; Spartanburg, SC; Etowah, TN; Bobingen, Berlin, Wertheim, Karlstein and Steinach, Germany; Shanghai and Louyang, China; Trnava, Slovakia;
ISO Status
Spartanburg, SC and Defiance, OH ISO 9002 certified; Bobingen and Berlin, Germany ISO 9001 certified; Waterville, OH ISO 9002 certified; Etowah, TN ISO 9002 certified; Richland, MS ISO 9001 certified
Processes
Airlaid (glass and synthetic), wetlaid, meltblown, spunlaid needling, composite
Brand Names
Assurance, Dura-Glass, Delta-Aire, DynaWick, DynaWeb, DynaTech, Micro-Aire, MicroLith, microlith, ecoMat, DuraGlass, DuraSpun, SpunFil, CombiFil, ComforTex, UniTex, ForTex, Illuma White, StabilStrand, DuraBase and Gorilla Wrap, StableGrip
Major Markets
Roofing substrates, air and liquid filtration, sorbents, battery separators, geotextiles, flooring substrates and facers for building products, wind energy, nonwovens for engineered wood composites
With a new regional structure in place, leading roll goods producer Johns Manville (JM) is focusing on keeping costs under control in a difficult economic environment. The company is organized into four regional segments—Insulation Systems, Roofing Systems and Engineered Products North America (EPNA) and Engineered Products Europe/Asia (EPEA). “The new regional structure has increased decision- making speed and keeps the focus on critical customer issues that drive continuous improvement,” explained Bob Wambodt vice president and general manager, Engineered Products North America, and Enno Henze, vice president and general manager, Engineered Products Europe/Asia.
Like most manufacturers, JM’s business has been impacted by tough economic conditions on both the North American and European fronts. After a very strong start into 2008 with record sales in the building and construction markets as well as in the filtration and separation segment, the company saw a significant slowdown in the fourth quarter caused by the global economic crisis, particularly in Europe. Due to its broad portfolio of products and markets, JM reports that its results have been pretty stable so far.
JM remains sharply focused on polyester spunbond and glass fiber nonwovens for building and industrial applications. According to Mr. Henze, the company is launching several new products and continues to concentrate on product and application development. “Many cost control cuts have been made, but reducing our focus on product innovation has not been considered,” he remarked.
In the area of filtration, JM has extended its polyester spunbond range to include a new “heavyweight“ variation of its SpunFil product. The 260 gsm filter media for industrial air applications increases the stiffness, stability and filter efficiency significantly. The filtration portfolio has also been enlarged with energy efficient media for air pollution control and gas turbines.
Also new is StabilStrand, an innovative product family composed of glass fiber nonwovens and unique binder systems such as b-stage melamine. StabilStrand is designed for use as a surface layer as well as an underlayer for engineered wood materials.
Other filtration products from JM include CombiFil Premium, SpunFil EasyPleat and Micro-Strand XP. CombiFil Premium combines the advantages of both polyester spunbond and microglass and provides a filtration product that has consistent mechanical filtration efficiency up to HEPA, low-pressure drop with high dust holding capacity and requires no additional reinforcements.
SpunFil EasyPleat is a calendered polyester spunbond made with JM's new BC-technology. It has high air permeability and features a high stiffness even at low area weights of between 60 and 120 gsm. The product enables high pleating machine speeds while continuing to achieve sharp and precise pleats.
Micro-Strand XP microfiber is used in manufacturing microglass papers used in HEPA, ULPA and ASHRAE filters. The glass microfiber meets the rigid health testing standards established by the European Union for fiber exoneration.
Another filtration-related innovation from JM is its Assurance nonwoven composite media made of natural and synthetic fibers.
Used to produce a superior mechanical airfilter, the media also enable production ofself-supporting air filters that reduce costs,increase manufacturing productivity andavoid safety liabilities associated with expanded-metal filter structures.
For building applications, JM offersDuraSpun XTR, a glass thread reinforcedspunbond composite providing best-in-classdimensional stability to bituminous waterproofingmembranes; Illuma White, a precoatedglass fiber nonwoven for high qualityceiling tiles and the glass fiber nonwovenDHY Forte an innovative product for impactsound attenuation.
In agricultural and landscape markets, JMsells its lightweight 100-120 gsm DuraSpunnonwovens and is underway with efforts tobecome a larger player in this sector. The fabricallows moisture to pass but reduces weedgrowth, and—like all of JM’s agricultural offerings—is 100% polyester spunbond.
“We are looking to increase our volumesin this area,” reported Mr. Wamboldt,“and are working on plant and process improvementsat our Spartanburg facility thatwill allow us to make DuraSpun lighterand thinner. The 120 gsm limit is not normallylight enough for landscape applicationsand we are producing some productsnow at about 90-95 gsm or 2.7 osy. Thiswill make us more competitive.”
In the area of crop protection, the companysells fabric to cover crops to preventdamage from frost; in the erosion controlfield, JM supplies a distributor that sells intothe golf course market where its 013140 fabrichas been accepted as the product ofchoice for use under sand traps.
JM’s Silt Fence offers high efficiency filtrationfor protecting rivers, creeks andstreams while reducing soil erosion on developmentprojects. The product was co-developedby JM and Silt-Saver and is beingdistributed by Silt-Saver. Currently, Silt-Saveris making state-by-state efforts to replace existingwoven polypropylene products inNorth America.
When it comes to capacity expansion, JMhas plans to significantly upgrade a specialtyglass mat line in Waterville, OH. “The globaleconomic slowdown has clearly impactedoverall market demand but JM continues toinvest to meet future needs,” added Mr.Wamboldt.
Also in North America, the company’sglass mat line in Etowah, TN is running 24hours per day/seven days a week and meetingits business case targets. The companydescribes the facility as an extremely cost-efficientoperation with two large furnaces and70% of its customers nearby.
In China, where JM operates two facilities,in Shanghai and Louyang respectively,the company continues to service roofing,specialty and geotextiles markets in Asia andthe Middle East from its state-of-the-artspunbond lines.
JM has five plants in Germany, where arecent highlight was its receipt of the prestigious“Top 100” seal by the WirtschaftsuniversitätWien (Vienna University ofEconomics and Business Administration).JM was ranked among the “Top 100” mostinnovative German mid-sized companies.During a ceremony in Königswinter’s“Gästehaus Petersberg,” Lothar Späth, formerprime minister of Baden-Württembergand mentor of the program, presented theprestigious “Top 100” seal to Johns Manvilleexecutives Werner Groh, technologyleader, and Christian Hassmann, marketingleader.
This is the first time JM has participated inthe 17-year-old program. To qualify for thishonor, JM participated in a strict two-stepprocess managed by the University that ultimatelyrecognized the company for its cultureof innovation that encompassed“innovation promoting top-management,”“innovation climate,” “innovation processesand organization,” “innovation marketing”and“innovation success.”
“Our innovation is supported by morethan 220 patents, 40 of which were awardedin the past three years,” explained Dr. Groh.“Our business team of 950 employees usesSix Sigma and Lean Manufacturing tools andprocesses, which strengthens our credibilityamong our customers and other partners. Wehave a well-established innovation processand we believe there is no better way to overcomethe challenges of a difficult economicenvironment.”