Sandler
Location: Saale, Germany
Sales: $112 Million
Description: Key Personnel
Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magier, managing directors
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale Germany
ISO Status
ISO 9001, ISO 14001 certified
Processes
Dry laid, resin bonded, thermal bonded, mechanically bonded, melt blown, parallel and crosslapped carded, air through bonded, spunlaced, laminated
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, Purina, sandler-unico, Thincontinent, sawadur, sawadry
Major Markets
Apparel, upholstery, technical nonwovens, civil engineering, hygiene, medical filtration, automotive
For Sandler, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany, 2001 can be classified as “the best ever” in terms of turnover. The company’s sales increased to E126 million compared to E119 million in 2000, on the heels of strong product innovation and increased exportation levels. “The basis of being successful is a good percentage of exports—especially if you are developing a lot of new products,” explained managing director C.H. Sandler. “You want to sell as much as possible of your newly developed products because they have a better chance in the market than more standard, commodity-type products.”
A focus on innovation has certainly paid off for Sandler. The company was awarded two innovation awards at the INDEX Exposition, held in Geneva, Switzerland in April, making it only the second company to ever win dual awards in the history of the INDEX show. One of the awards recognized sawasoft 8000, a multifunctional composite material that combines the distribution properties of an acquisition/distribution layer while retaining the function of a core material. It is distinguished by extraordinarily low rewet with a surface that dries up within a few seconds. The other product recognized was Sandler’s patented sawascreen air filtration material, made from 100% polypropylene. The interest in the product focuses around sawascreen pleatable media’s usage in filter classes G4-H10 air filtration.
In terms of end use markets, Sandler products target a range of applications including apparel, upholstery, filtration, automotives and hygiene. The apparel segment has thrived on the introduction of outdoor garments for skiing and other sporting activities that use sandler sports, functional nonwovens, to provide warmth and humidity transport. This area once again reinforces Sandler’s commitment to creating niche areas to grow its nonwovens business.
In the upholstery segment, where Sandler has its roots, the company remains a leader in the European market. Currently, most of the growth in this segment is being generated in Poland, an area that Sandler is geographically near, giving it easy access to this burgeoning market.
In the automotives segment, Sandler continues to focus its attention on creating recyclable components for interior applications in anticipation of a pending EED law that will require the automotive industry to produce a recyclable car by 2005. “We noticed a trend toward recyclable materials in the automotive industry several years ago and predicted that this would be necessary,” Dr. Sandler explained. “This idea was the right one and we continue to make breakthroughs in this area.”
In terms of niche areas, one market where Sandler is paying a great deal of attention is horticulture, where its sawagrow product is used in irrigation projects to lower salt concentrations and eliminate bacteria problems while maintaining water levels. Sawagrow is a blend of polyester fibers that provides an air through bonded nonwoven capillary function.
“An innovative company is always looking after new niches,” Dr. Sandler explained. “It’s a continuous process.”
In addition to innovation, Sandler has maintained its success by not being too dependent on its domestic market. More than 50% of its sales are conducted outside of Germany, chiefly in North America and Europe but also in the Far East and South America. Currently, the bulk of the company’s sales growth is being achieved in the U.S., particularly in the technical and hygiene markets. Despite this dependence on foreign business, Sandler continues to only operate facilities in Germany and has no plans to expand its manufacturing base outside of its native country. “I would never say never,” Dr. Sandler said. “But, in our current situation, basing all of our activity in one location is okay.”
Sandler produces 44,800 tons of dry laid, resin bonded, mechanically and thermally bonded, parallel and crosslapped carded, needlepunched, laminated and melt blown nonwovens, and this output has been increasing slightly during the past three years due to production modifications. The company has not made a significant capacity investment since December 1999 when it opened a centralized, 16,000 square meter facility in Schwarzenbach, but the steady growth of the company’s sales levels is expected to sooner or later make further expansion necessary. “Our target is to grow and, in the past five years, things have been very good,” Dr. Sandler predicted.
One of the areas prime for growth is the spunlaced market. Sandler is currently in the final phase of planning the installation of a spunlaced production line and company executives expect that a move into the spunlaced wipes market should be helped by Sandler’s vast experience in carded thermal bonded materials, which is also broadly used in wipes.
In fact, Sandler’s entry into spunlacing is such an important step into the future, that the company already displayed its sawatex spunlaced nonwovens at INDEX. These engineered fabrics will not only be available for wet and dry wiper applications but will also help solve problems in other hygiene-related and technical areas. Sawatex will feature customized fiber blends and material structures, opening a wide field of uses as well as precise solutions, according to Dr. Sandler.
In terms of current business conditions, 2002 has so far been satisfactory for Sandler despite the difficult world economy. For the future, the company will continue to achieve growth through innovation as well as new emerging and growing markets. “I cannot say what these growing markets will be for sure,” Dr. Sandler said. “When you think about it, three or four years ago, there were no wet wipes and now they are everywhere. No one could have predicted that definitely. Some markets can disappear where others will thrive.”
Sales: $112 Million
Description: Key Personnel
Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magier, managing directors
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale Germany
ISO Status
ISO 9001, ISO 14001 certified
Processes
Dry laid, resin bonded, thermal bonded, mechanically bonded, melt blown, parallel and crosslapped carded, air through bonded, spunlaced, laminated
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, Purina, sandler-unico, Thincontinent, sawadur, sawadry
Major Markets
Apparel, upholstery, technical nonwovens, civil engineering, hygiene, medical filtration, automotive
For Sandler, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany, 2001 can be classified as “the best ever” in terms of turnover. The company’s sales increased to E126 million compared to E119 million in 2000, on the heels of strong product innovation and increased exportation levels. “The basis of being successful is a good percentage of exports—especially if you are developing a lot of new products,” explained managing director C.H. Sandler. “You want to sell as much as possible of your newly developed products because they have a better chance in the market than more standard, commodity-type products.”
A focus on innovation has certainly paid off for Sandler. The company was awarded two innovation awards at the INDEX Exposition, held in Geneva, Switzerland in April, making it only the second company to ever win dual awards in the history of the INDEX show. One of the awards recognized sawasoft 8000, a multifunctional composite material that combines the distribution properties of an acquisition/distribution layer while retaining the function of a core material. It is distinguished by extraordinarily low rewet with a surface that dries up within a few seconds. The other product recognized was Sandler’s patented sawascreen air filtration material, made from 100% polypropylene. The interest in the product focuses around sawascreen pleatable media’s usage in filter classes G4-H10 air filtration.
In terms of end use markets, Sandler products target a range of applications including apparel, upholstery, filtration, automotives and hygiene. The apparel segment has thrived on the introduction of outdoor garments for skiing and other sporting activities that use sandler sports, functional nonwovens, to provide warmth and humidity transport. This area once again reinforces Sandler’s commitment to creating niche areas to grow its nonwovens business.
In the upholstery segment, where Sandler has its roots, the company remains a leader in the European market. Currently, most of the growth in this segment is being generated in Poland, an area that Sandler is geographically near, giving it easy access to this burgeoning market.
In the automotives segment, Sandler continues to focus its attention on creating recyclable components for interior applications in anticipation of a pending EED law that will require the automotive industry to produce a recyclable car by 2005. “We noticed a trend toward recyclable materials in the automotive industry several years ago and predicted that this would be necessary,” Dr. Sandler explained. “This idea was the right one and we continue to make breakthroughs in this area.”
In terms of niche areas, one market where Sandler is paying a great deal of attention is horticulture, where its sawagrow product is used in irrigation projects to lower salt concentrations and eliminate bacteria problems while maintaining water levels. Sawagrow is a blend of polyester fibers that provides an air through bonded nonwoven capillary function.
“An innovative company is always looking after new niches,” Dr. Sandler explained. “It’s a continuous process.”
In addition to innovation, Sandler has maintained its success by not being too dependent on its domestic market. More than 50% of its sales are conducted outside of Germany, chiefly in North America and Europe but also in the Far East and South America. Currently, the bulk of the company’s sales growth is being achieved in the U.S., particularly in the technical and hygiene markets. Despite this dependence on foreign business, Sandler continues to only operate facilities in Germany and has no plans to expand its manufacturing base outside of its native country. “I would never say never,” Dr. Sandler said. “But, in our current situation, basing all of our activity in one location is okay.”
Sandler produces 44,800 tons of dry laid, resin bonded, mechanically and thermally bonded, parallel and crosslapped carded, needlepunched, laminated and melt blown nonwovens, and this output has been increasing slightly during the past three years due to production modifications. The company has not made a significant capacity investment since December 1999 when it opened a centralized, 16,000 square meter facility in Schwarzenbach, but the steady growth of the company’s sales levels is expected to sooner or later make further expansion necessary. “Our target is to grow and, in the past five years, things have been very good,” Dr. Sandler predicted.
One of the areas prime for growth is the spunlaced market. Sandler is currently in the final phase of planning the installation of a spunlaced production line and company executives expect that a move into the spunlaced wipes market should be helped by Sandler’s vast experience in carded thermal bonded materials, which is also broadly used in wipes.
In fact, Sandler’s entry into spunlacing is such an important step into the future, that the company already displayed its sawatex spunlaced nonwovens at INDEX. These engineered fabrics will not only be available for wet and dry wiper applications but will also help solve problems in other hygiene-related and technical areas. Sawatex will feature customized fiber blends and material structures, opening a wide field of uses as well as precise solutions, according to Dr. Sandler.
In terms of current business conditions, 2002 has so far been satisfactory for Sandler despite the difficult world economy. For the future, the company will continue to achieve growth through innovation as well as new emerging and growing markets. “I cannot say what these growing markets will be for sure,” Dr. Sandler said. “When you think about it, three or four years ago, there were no wet wipes and now they are everywhere. No one could have predicted that definitely. Some markets can disappear where others will thrive.”
Location: Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sales: $119 million
Description: Key Personnel
Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magiera, members of the management board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
ISO Status
DIN EN ISO 9001:2000, DIN ISO 14001 certified
Processes
Drylaid, resin bonded, thermal bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, parallel and crosslapped carded, air through bonded, spunlaced, laminated
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, Purina, sandler-unico, Thincontinent, sawadur, sawadry
Major Markets
apparel, upholstery, technical nonwovens, civil engineering, hygiene, medical and industrial filtration, automotive, horticulture
With sales holding steady at E126 million, Sandler Nonwovens, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany, was pleased with its 2002 performance. “In this economy, when you look at the market, the turnover is all right,” stated C.H. Sandler. The company has relied on a range of innovative products, a strong export level and a clear strategic plan to fend off negative economic conditions and other problems affecting the nonwovens industry.
Currently 60% of Sandler’s nonwovens output is exported, mainly to European nations and the U.S. Key growth areas include the Far East and South America. Despite this dependence on foreign markets, Sandler operates facilities only in Germany and has no plans to expand beyond these borders in the near term.
While growth into new regions is an important part of Sandler’s growth strategy, so is proliferation into new markets. One area blazing brightly on Sandler’s radar screen is the wipes market. The company has recently installed its first-ever spunlace line, which will allow the company to produce a range of wipes as well as medical fabrics and hygiene products. Even though this new production line went onstream just a few weeks ago, it is already moving towards fully industrial production by September 2003. “Spunlace is a growing market in Europe and all over the world“, Mr. Sandler said. “There are still new applications appearing that will boost growth.”
Mr. Sandler explained that it would produce high-quality fabrics in multiple shapes and sizes with the ability to handle special treatments to differentiate themselves from other spunlaced materials. “Product differentiation is the key to success, and you have to keep working to remain differentiated. The specialty of today will be the commodity product of the future, “Mr. Sandler predicted. “It is a market with a very interesting future.”
Spunlaced will join other nonwovens technologies including dry laid, resin bonded, mechanical and thermal bonded, parallel and crosslapped carded, needlepunched, laminated and meltblown, already in Sandler’s staple of offerings.
These technologies target the apparel, upholstery, technical, civil engineering, hygiene, medical and industrial filtration as well as automotive industries. Of particular importance to Sandler’s strategic plan is the automotive industry. This effort began 10 years ago when Sandler introduced a 100% needle-punched polyester media allowing thermal moulding into new products for example headliners. This innovation earned the company both an INDEX Award and a Techtextil Award. Sales of this product are just now beginning to take off rapidly as European automotive suppliers prepare the industry’s conversion to recyclable cars, as mandated by European authorities.
As Sandler’s headliner business continues to gain momentum, acoustical applications are another segment of the automotives industry of interest to the industry. As the automotives industry demands less weight (to reduce energy costs), it will rely more on lighter, nonwoven fabrics. In fact, penetration into the acoustical areas is so important to Sandler’s growth that the company plans to start up a production line in the next five years that will be dedicated solely to this area. Products developed on the line will mainly be interior trim parts featuring lower weights and higher acoustics. This new investment will add another asset to the Schwarzenbach production site and moreover will create about 50 new qualified jobs.
In the filtration segment, Sandler products continue to garner interest. One noteworthy product, sawascreen a polypropylene meltblown received one of two innovation awards granted to Sandler at INDEX 2002. This product, made from 100% polypropylene, is a pleatable media for air filtration applications. Introduced last year, the product joined a range of nonwoven products in Sandler’s filtration business.
“Filtration is another interesting market because synthetic fiber media are becoming more important to companies as they are destined to replace glass fiber products,” Mr. Sandler explained.
Sandler credits its success in a wide range of markets to a focus on market research and product development. In fact, sawascreen was not the only Sandler product to be recognized at last year’s INDEX exhibition. Sawasoft 8000, a multifunctional composite material combines the distribution properties of an acquisition/distribution layer while retaining the function of core material. It is distinguished by extraordinary low rewet with a surface that dries up within a few seconds.
“The result of our efforts has been that market needs are coinciding nicely with products offered by Sandler,“ Dr. Sandler explained. “These products are developed with consumer needs in mind.”
Looking ahead, Sandler will continue to focus on innovation to achieve success in the future, Fully aware of how quickly a new idea can become blasé, the company sponsors an employee-recognition program whereby employees are given monetary compensation for creative ideas that contribute to the bottom line. “One of the main points in our strategy of innovation is to train our employees to continue our tradition on their own,” Dr. Sandler explained.
Sales: $119 million
Description: Key Personnel
Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magiera, members of the management board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
ISO Status
DIN EN ISO 9001:2000, DIN ISO 14001 certified
Processes
Drylaid, resin bonded, thermal bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, parallel and crosslapped carded, air through bonded, spunlaced, laminated
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, Purina, sandler-unico, Thincontinent, sawadur, sawadry
Major Markets
apparel, upholstery, technical nonwovens, civil engineering, hygiene, medical and industrial filtration, automotive, horticulture
With sales holding steady at E126 million, Sandler Nonwovens, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany, was pleased with its 2002 performance. “In this economy, when you look at the market, the turnover is all right,” stated C.H. Sandler. The company has relied on a range of innovative products, a strong export level and a clear strategic plan to fend off negative economic conditions and other problems affecting the nonwovens industry.
Currently 60% of Sandler’s nonwovens output is exported, mainly to European nations and the U.S. Key growth areas include the Far East and South America. Despite this dependence on foreign markets, Sandler operates facilities only in Germany and has no plans to expand beyond these borders in the near term.
While growth into new regions is an important part of Sandler’s growth strategy, so is proliferation into new markets. One area blazing brightly on Sandler’s radar screen is the wipes market. The company has recently installed its first-ever spunlace line, which will allow the company to produce a range of wipes as well as medical fabrics and hygiene products. Even though this new production line went onstream just a few weeks ago, it is already moving towards fully industrial production by September 2003. “Spunlace is a growing market in Europe and all over the world“, Mr. Sandler said. “There are still new applications appearing that will boost growth.”
Mr. Sandler explained that it would produce high-quality fabrics in multiple shapes and sizes with the ability to handle special treatments to differentiate themselves from other spunlaced materials. “Product differentiation is the key to success, and you have to keep working to remain differentiated. The specialty of today will be the commodity product of the future, “Mr. Sandler predicted. “It is a market with a very interesting future.”
Spunlaced will join other nonwovens technologies including dry laid, resin bonded, mechanical and thermal bonded, parallel and crosslapped carded, needlepunched, laminated and meltblown, already in Sandler’s staple of offerings.
These technologies target the apparel, upholstery, technical, civil engineering, hygiene, medical and industrial filtration as well as automotive industries. Of particular importance to Sandler’s strategic plan is the automotive industry. This effort began 10 years ago when Sandler introduced a 100% needle-punched polyester media allowing thermal moulding into new products for example headliners. This innovation earned the company both an INDEX Award and a Techtextil Award. Sales of this product are just now beginning to take off rapidly as European automotive suppliers prepare the industry’s conversion to recyclable cars, as mandated by European authorities.
As Sandler’s headliner business continues to gain momentum, acoustical applications are another segment of the automotives industry of interest to the industry. As the automotives industry demands less weight (to reduce energy costs), it will rely more on lighter, nonwoven fabrics. In fact, penetration into the acoustical areas is so important to Sandler’s growth that the company plans to start up a production line in the next five years that will be dedicated solely to this area. Products developed on the line will mainly be interior trim parts featuring lower weights and higher acoustics. This new investment will add another asset to the Schwarzenbach production site and moreover will create about 50 new qualified jobs.
In the filtration segment, Sandler products continue to garner interest. One noteworthy product, sawascreen a polypropylene meltblown received one of two innovation awards granted to Sandler at INDEX 2002. This product, made from 100% polypropylene, is a pleatable media for air filtration applications. Introduced last year, the product joined a range of nonwoven products in Sandler’s filtration business.
“Filtration is another interesting market because synthetic fiber media are becoming more important to companies as they are destined to replace glass fiber products,” Mr. Sandler explained.
Sandler credits its success in a wide range of markets to a focus on market research and product development. In fact, sawascreen was not the only Sandler product to be recognized at last year’s INDEX exhibition. Sawasoft 8000, a multifunctional composite material combines the distribution properties of an acquisition/distribution layer while retaining the function of core material. It is distinguished by extraordinary low rewet with a surface that dries up within a few seconds.
“The result of our efforts has been that market needs are coinciding nicely with products offered by Sandler,“ Dr. Sandler explained. “These products are developed with consumer needs in mind.”
Looking ahead, Sandler will continue to focus on innovation to achieve success in the future, Fully aware of how quickly a new idea can become blasé, the company sponsors an employee-recognition program whereby employees are given monetary compensation for creative ideas that contribute to the bottom line. “One of the main points in our strategy of innovation is to train our employees to continue our tradition on their own,” Dr. Sandler explained.
Location: Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sales: $132 MILLION
Description: Key Personnel
Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magiera, Members of the management Board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
ISO Status
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 certified
Processes
Drylaid, resin bonded, thermal bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, parallel and crosslapped carded, air through bonded, spunlaced, lamination
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, Purina, sandler-unico, Thincontinent, sawadur, sawadry
Major Markets
Apparel, upholstery, technical nonwovens, civil engineering, hygiene, medical, wipes, filtration, automotive
A reconfiguration of a large thermal bonding line led to a temporary decline in sales for Sandler AG. The Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany-based company reported its sales decreased to E117 million compared to E126 million in 2003 after this highly efficient thermal bond line was shut down early in the year. Sandler expects to recoup this decrease and grow sales this year as the line comes onstream and it begins to benefit from a recent entry into the spunlace market.
The company’s spunlace line came onstream in mid 2003. While it is too soon for executives to comment on the results of this new business, they would confirm that demand is still trending upward for these types of nonwovens which are mainly used for a variety of cleaning applications. Particularly, wet wipes are seeing a global growth rate of at least 20% annually.
Sandler’s tradition of innovation has been applied to this new business. The company has combined its knowledge of carded technology with spunlaced technology to develop sawatex TriLace. This wipe reportedly has a good dust and dirt absorption rate and dries very fast. It is also distinguished by good liquid absorption and storage capacity. “Particularly for household applications, this ‘Daily Wipe’ is a new generation of cleaning wipes,” said Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, member of the management board. “The apparently contradictory characteristics (dust and liquid absorption) of the daily wipe make it possible to use one wipe for all daily work.”
While the end use markets for spunlaced nonwovens, particularly wipes, continue to grow, excessive investment in the technology could result in overcapacity. Therefore, while many of its key European competitors have announced plans to enter the U.S., Sandler has no plans to set up a facility outside of Germany.
Despite its centralized production, Sandler’s export levels continue to grow with 60% of last year’s sales generated beyond Germany. Key markets include Europe, Japan and the Americas for Sandler, which has made no secret of the importance foreign markets have on its secure future.
Diversified geography is not the only key to Sandler’s success. The company also operates a technologically diverse business. Beyond the aforementioned thermal bonded and spunlaced business, Sandler also produces drylaid, resin bonded, mechanically bonded, parallel and crosslapped carded, needlepunched, laminated and meltblown nonwovens. These technologies target the apparel, upholstery, technical, civil engineering, hygiene, medical filtration and automotives businesses.
Recently making headlines has been Sandler’s nonwovens production for the automotives market. As the automotives industry demands less weight (to reduce energy costs) and more recyclable materials (as mandated by EU legislation), Sandler has predicted great opportunity for light-weight nonwoven fabrics. In fact, Sandler is so certain of the future importance of automotives that it has pledged to open up a production facility dedicated solely to this segment within the next five years. Until then, research and development efforts have focused on how highly efficient fiber absorbers such as Sandler’s own sawasorb plus and sawasorb shadow can be used in door panels, dash board insulators or pillars.
Other key interests within automotives include adapting some types of nonwovens to the needs of different interior parts and calculating other nonwovens styles to meet different acoustical needs of vehicles.
Beyond automotives, another technical market gaining momentum is filtration where Sandler is currently able to produce filter nonwovens for all HVAC applications in filter classes EU3 to EU10.
Turning away from technical, hygiene, a market entered by Sandler 15 years ago, has emerged as one of its most important. Down the road, the company will continue to expand its activities in this market—but executives would not be specific about these plans. Meanwhile, a similar market, medical nonwovens, while smaller than hygiene, is also important.
“Diversification takes place in nearly each area we operate in,” Dr. Sandler explained. “We are very thoroughly observing and thinking about in which other markets nonwovens can be used in the future so that we can pick up trends and invest money for developments.”
Sales: $132 MILLION
Description: Key Personnel
Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magiera, Members of the management Board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
ISO Status
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 certified
Processes
Drylaid, resin bonded, thermal bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, parallel and crosslapped carded, air through bonded, spunlaced, lamination
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, Purina, sandler-unico, Thincontinent, sawadur, sawadry
Major Markets
Apparel, upholstery, technical nonwovens, civil engineering, hygiene, medical, wipes, filtration, automotive
A reconfiguration of a large thermal bonding line led to a temporary decline in sales for Sandler AG. The Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany-based company reported its sales decreased to E117 million compared to E126 million in 2003 after this highly efficient thermal bond line was shut down early in the year. Sandler expects to recoup this decrease and grow sales this year as the line comes onstream and it begins to benefit from a recent entry into the spunlace market.
The company’s spunlace line came onstream in mid 2003. While it is too soon for executives to comment on the results of this new business, they would confirm that demand is still trending upward for these types of nonwovens which are mainly used for a variety of cleaning applications. Particularly, wet wipes are seeing a global growth rate of at least 20% annually.
Sandler’s tradition of innovation has been applied to this new business. The company has combined its knowledge of carded technology with spunlaced technology to develop sawatex TriLace. This wipe reportedly has a good dust and dirt absorption rate and dries very fast. It is also distinguished by good liquid absorption and storage capacity. “Particularly for household applications, this ‘Daily Wipe’ is a new generation of cleaning wipes,” said Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, member of the management board. “The apparently contradictory characteristics (dust and liquid absorption) of the daily wipe make it possible to use one wipe for all daily work.”
While the end use markets for spunlaced nonwovens, particularly wipes, continue to grow, excessive investment in the technology could result in overcapacity. Therefore, while many of its key European competitors have announced plans to enter the U.S., Sandler has no plans to set up a facility outside of Germany.
Despite its centralized production, Sandler’s export levels continue to grow with 60% of last year’s sales generated beyond Germany. Key markets include Europe, Japan and the Americas for Sandler, which has made no secret of the importance foreign markets have on its secure future.
Diversified geography is not the only key to Sandler’s success. The company also operates a technologically diverse business. Beyond the aforementioned thermal bonded and spunlaced business, Sandler also produces drylaid, resin bonded, mechanically bonded, parallel and crosslapped carded, needlepunched, laminated and meltblown nonwovens. These technologies target the apparel, upholstery, technical, civil engineering, hygiene, medical filtration and automotives businesses.
Recently making headlines has been Sandler’s nonwovens production for the automotives market. As the automotives industry demands less weight (to reduce energy costs) and more recyclable materials (as mandated by EU legislation), Sandler has predicted great opportunity for light-weight nonwoven fabrics. In fact, Sandler is so certain of the future importance of automotives that it has pledged to open up a production facility dedicated solely to this segment within the next five years. Until then, research and development efforts have focused on how highly efficient fiber absorbers such as Sandler’s own sawasorb plus and sawasorb shadow can be used in door panels, dash board insulators or pillars.
Other key interests within automotives include adapting some types of nonwovens to the needs of different interior parts and calculating other nonwovens styles to meet different acoustical needs of vehicles.
Beyond automotives, another technical market gaining momentum is filtration where Sandler is currently able to produce filter nonwovens for all HVAC applications in filter classes EU3 to EU10.
Turning away from technical, hygiene, a market entered by Sandler 15 years ago, has emerged as one of its most important. Down the road, the company will continue to expand its activities in this market—but executives would not be specific about these plans. Meanwhile, a similar market, medical nonwovens, while smaller than hygiene, is also important.
“Diversification takes place in nearly each area we operate in,” Dr. Sandler explained. “We are very thoroughly observing and thinking about in which other markets nonwovens can be used in the future so that we can pick up trends and invest money for developments.”
Location: Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sales: $162 million
Description: Key Personnel
Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magiera, members of the management Board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
ISO Status
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 certified
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, resin bonded, thermal bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air through bonded, spunlaced, hot melt lamination and coating
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, Purina, sandler-unico, Thincontinent, sawadur, sawadry
Major Markets
Fashion, home furnishing, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, automotive, filtration, horticulture), hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, oil)
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany-based Sandler AG was able to grow its sales in 2004 thanks to the start-up of a new spunlace line mainly targeting the wipes market as well as increased sales to dollar-based economies. The company’s sales increased from €117 million in 2003 to €131 million in 2004. The increase follows a slight drop brought on by the reconfiguration of an existing large-scale thermal bond line into a new spunlace line, which has been back on track since the last quarter of 2003.
The company’s first venture into this technology has since been contributing nicely to the company’s sales, according to Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, a member of the management board. While this segment has been challenged by overcapacity as several new lines have come onstream in Europe and North America in recent years, Dr. Sandler called the situation normal. “We have seen this in other new markets, and we have responded with improved technology, new products and new functionalities,” he said. “By offering our customers differentiation, we allow them to make new products in the wipes markets.”
One result of Sandler’s product differentiation efforts is its sawatex TriLace. This wipe reportedly has good dust and dirt absorption rates and dries very quickly and is ideal in a number of household cleaning applications.
Currently wipes in general are consuming the bulk of Sandler’s spunlaced output, and this market continues to up its rate of diversification as manufacturers demand new functionality and other distinguishing features in their substrates. Dr. Sandler said this trend was evident at the INDEX exposition in April where manufacturers were promoting new structural options and printing techniques for wipes. “Every product has been looking equal so now companies are working to make their products stand out,” he added.
Another important growth area for Sandler is technical nonwovens, where key markets include filtration and acoustical products for automotives. This spring, the company announced it would invest E10 million in a new production line to bolster its technical business. The new line, which will feature proprietary nonwovens technology, is expected to be complete sometime in 2006.
“For us, technical nonwovens is a future market in which we can bring growth through innovation,” Mr. Sandler said. “What is nice about this market is that not only does it offer growth, it contains a nice combination of new applications.
A more established business for Sandler, hygiene, continues to be plagued by stiff competition and tightening margins. Despite this, Sandler creates new products for feminine hygiene applications and adult incontinence and will invest in that kind of market as well in the future.
From a geographical standpoint, Sandler continues to rely more heavily on exports out of Germany, although its sole operation base is located in Schwarzenbach. Last year, nearly 60% of its sales were conducted outside of Germany.
Despite this growth in foreign economies, Sandler is not planning to decentralize its manufacturing assets. “You have to be sure that you can sell capacity before you add it,” Dr. Sandler said. “It can take years to determine how big the market is and how ready it will be for new applications.”
And, while globalization has been a coup for Sandler, executives realize it can be a double-edged sword. “It’s good for growth but there are two sides to the coin,” Dr. Sandler said. “There are great growth opportunities but at the same time you need to be innovative and fast because the Chinese are very good at copying what you are doing.”
Also, there is always the fear that rapid growth in an emerging region can come to a screeching halt, a situation that has already occurred in Latin America. Other risk factors recognized by Sandler include dependency on foreign currency and changing trade regulations.
Therefore, in the future Sandler will continue to rely on innovation excellence that in the past has earned it industry awards. “New technology will be very important for our company in the future. This is getting much harder to do as the lifecycle of products and technologies become smaller,” said Dr. Sandler, recognizing that innovation does not come without challenges. “Technology is important but it’s not easy. We have also had our flops, ideas that have failed. It’s normal. No one is successful all of the time.”
Sales: $162 million
Description: Key Personnel
Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magiera, members of the management Board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
ISO Status
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 certified
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, resin bonded, thermal bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air through bonded, spunlaced, hot melt lamination and coating
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, Purina, sandler-unico, Thincontinent, sawadur, sawadry
Major Markets
Fashion, home furnishing, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, automotive, filtration, horticulture), hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, oil)
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany-based Sandler AG was able to grow its sales in 2004 thanks to the start-up of a new spunlace line mainly targeting the wipes market as well as increased sales to dollar-based economies. The company’s sales increased from €117 million in 2003 to €131 million in 2004. The increase follows a slight drop brought on by the reconfiguration of an existing large-scale thermal bond line into a new spunlace line, which has been back on track since the last quarter of 2003.
The company’s first venture into this technology has since been contributing nicely to the company’s sales, according to Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, a member of the management board. While this segment has been challenged by overcapacity as several new lines have come onstream in Europe and North America in recent years, Dr. Sandler called the situation normal. “We have seen this in other new markets, and we have responded with improved technology, new products and new functionalities,” he said. “By offering our customers differentiation, we allow them to make new products in the wipes markets.”
One result of Sandler’s product differentiation efforts is its sawatex TriLace. This wipe reportedly has good dust and dirt absorption rates and dries very quickly and is ideal in a number of household cleaning applications.
Currently wipes in general are consuming the bulk of Sandler’s spunlaced output, and this market continues to up its rate of diversification as manufacturers demand new functionality and other distinguishing features in their substrates. Dr. Sandler said this trend was evident at the INDEX exposition in April where manufacturers were promoting new structural options and printing techniques for wipes. “Every product has been looking equal so now companies are working to make their products stand out,” he added.
Another important growth area for Sandler is technical nonwovens, where key markets include filtration and acoustical products for automotives. This spring, the company announced it would invest E10 million in a new production line to bolster its technical business. The new line, which will feature proprietary nonwovens technology, is expected to be complete sometime in 2006.
“For us, technical nonwovens is a future market in which we can bring growth through innovation,” Mr. Sandler said. “What is nice about this market is that not only does it offer growth, it contains a nice combination of new applications.
A more established business for Sandler, hygiene, continues to be plagued by stiff competition and tightening margins. Despite this, Sandler creates new products for feminine hygiene applications and adult incontinence and will invest in that kind of market as well in the future.
From a geographical standpoint, Sandler continues to rely more heavily on exports out of Germany, although its sole operation base is located in Schwarzenbach. Last year, nearly 60% of its sales were conducted outside of Germany.
Despite this growth in foreign economies, Sandler is not planning to decentralize its manufacturing assets. “You have to be sure that you can sell capacity before you add it,” Dr. Sandler said. “It can take years to determine how big the market is and how ready it will be for new applications.”
And, while globalization has been a coup for Sandler, executives realize it can be a double-edged sword. “It’s good for growth but there are two sides to the coin,” Dr. Sandler said. “There are great growth opportunities but at the same time you need to be innovative and fast because the Chinese are very good at copying what you are doing.”
Also, there is always the fear that rapid growth in an emerging region can come to a screeching halt, a situation that has already occurred in Latin America. Other risk factors recognized by Sandler include dependency on foreign currency and changing trade regulations.
Therefore, in the future Sandler will continue to rely on innovation excellence that in the past has earned it industry awards. “New technology will be very important for our company in the future. This is getting much harder to do as the lifecycle of products and technologies become smaller,” said Dr. Sandler, recognizing that innovation does not come without challenges. “Technology is important but it’s not easy. We have also had our flops, ideas that have failed. It’s normal. No one is successful all of the time.”
Location: Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sales: $145 million
Description: Key Personnel
Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magiera, members of the management board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
ISO Status
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 certified, Ökotex Standard 100, OHRIS
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, resin bonded, thermal bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air through bonded, spunlaced, hot melt lamination and coating
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, sandler-unico, sawadur, sawadry
Major Markets
Fashion, home furnishing, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, automotive, filtration, horticulture), hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, oil)
Sales decreased to €113 million (compared to €131 million in 2004) for Sandler, the Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany-based company, due largely to declining prices, brought on by steep competition in its coverstock nonwovens business. This competition, in fact, has encouraged Sandler, a leading producer of carded nonwovens, to develop more innovative, tailor-made products within all of its current markets.
“Despite extremely high government incentive to relocate (e.g. to Eastern Europe, which would significantly decrease expenses) we have made the decision to remain in Schwarzenbach, rather than expand outside of Germany,” explained C.H. Sandler, member of the management board, whose company operates solely out of Germany. “In the Czech Republic, for example, you get incentives of nearly 50% from the government that allow companies investing there to have considerable savings. It was a conscious decision to take this more difficult course in Upper Franconia in order to use the competencies and resources existing here for the development of new high-grade products. However, this is an important precondition for safeguarding qualified jobs and providing new ones. Recent positive business developments with special products are proving this decision to be right,” Dr. Sandler added.
Despite reports that the European spunlace market has been challenged by overcapacity and pricing pressures, Dr. Sandler described the segment as “interesting and innovative.” Consequently Sandler continuously offers new spunlaced products with a large variety of different blends and/or multiple layers. Following the market’s development toward individuality and visible diversification, Sandler is offering printing, hydro embossing, thermal embossing and structured spunlaced materials to target personal care and baby wipe applications. The material’s good dust and dirt absorption rates and fast drying make it ideal for a number of household cleaning markets as well.
While wipes in general are consuming the bulk of Sandler’s spunlaced market, a number of technical applications are also opening up, according to Dr. Sandler. In fact, technical nonwovens are an important growth area across Sandler’s nonwovens business. Sandler’s most recent effort in this area is a new carded-based needle-punching nonwovens line, which is currently ramping up and will target technical applications, namely filtration and automotive products. The €10 million investment is part of a larger €25 million investment centering on special technologies for the development of new products and markets for the future. Among these new technologies will be one centering on ultrafine nonwoven material which is an important building block in developing nanofiber technology, an area Sandler feels will be important to the nonwovens industry in the future. “Technical nonwovens is a very interesting business and it’s a very good business for the structure of our company because we are focused on innovation,” he said. “We can use our technical skills.”
Automotives and filtration are two technical areas where Sandler has flourished. Nonwovens made by the company are already used in more than 30 different car models and are increasingly being accepted in vacuum cleaner filter bags. Other key growth areas include furniture and mattresses as upholstery nonwovens.
Nowhere is Sandler’s focus on new product development more clear than in the fact that more than 50% of its turnover is made with products that are younger than five-years-old. Sandler is able to achieve this through a systematic development of new products and production methods based increasingly on cooperation with universities and textile research centers. Mr. Sandler said that this strategy is not only important to his company but to the nonwovens industry in general.
Sales: $145 million
Description: Key Personnel
Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magiera, members of the management board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
ISO Status
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 certified, Ökotex Standard 100, OHRIS
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, resin bonded, thermal bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air through bonded, spunlaced, hot melt lamination and coating
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, sandler-unico, sawadur, sawadry
Major Markets
Fashion, home furnishing, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, automotive, filtration, horticulture), hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, oil)
Sales decreased to €113 million (compared to €131 million in 2004) for Sandler, the Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany-based company, due largely to declining prices, brought on by steep competition in its coverstock nonwovens business. This competition, in fact, has encouraged Sandler, a leading producer of carded nonwovens, to develop more innovative, tailor-made products within all of its current markets.
“Despite extremely high government incentive to relocate (e.g. to Eastern Europe, which would significantly decrease expenses) we have made the decision to remain in Schwarzenbach, rather than expand outside of Germany,” explained C.H. Sandler, member of the management board, whose company operates solely out of Germany. “In the Czech Republic, for example, you get incentives of nearly 50% from the government that allow companies investing there to have considerable savings. It was a conscious decision to take this more difficult course in Upper Franconia in order to use the competencies and resources existing here for the development of new high-grade products. However, this is an important precondition for safeguarding qualified jobs and providing new ones. Recent positive business developments with special products are proving this decision to be right,” Dr. Sandler added.
Despite reports that the European spunlace market has been challenged by overcapacity and pricing pressures, Dr. Sandler described the segment as “interesting and innovative.” Consequently Sandler continuously offers new spunlaced products with a large variety of different blends and/or multiple layers. Following the market’s development toward individuality and visible diversification, Sandler is offering printing, hydro embossing, thermal embossing and structured spunlaced materials to target personal care and baby wipe applications. The material’s good dust and dirt absorption rates and fast drying make it ideal for a number of household cleaning markets as well.
While wipes in general are consuming the bulk of Sandler’s spunlaced market, a number of technical applications are also opening up, according to Dr. Sandler. In fact, technical nonwovens are an important growth area across Sandler’s nonwovens business. Sandler’s most recent effort in this area is a new carded-based needle-punching nonwovens line, which is currently ramping up and will target technical applications, namely filtration and automotive products. The €10 million investment is part of a larger €25 million investment centering on special technologies for the development of new products and markets for the future. Among these new technologies will be one centering on ultrafine nonwoven material which is an important building block in developing nanofiber technology, an area Sandler feels will be important to the nonwovens industry in the future. “Technical nonwovens is a very interesting business and it’s a very good business for the structure of our company because we are focused on innovation,” he said. “We can use our technical skills.”
Automotives and filtration are two technical areas where Sandler has flourished. Nonwovens made by the company are already used in more than 30 different car models and are increasingly being accepted in vacuum cleaner filter bags. Other key growth areas include furniture and mattresses as upholstery nonwovens.
Nowhere is Sandler’s focus on new product development more clear than in the fact that more than 50% of its turnover is made with products that are younger than five-years-old. Sandler is able to achieve this through a systematic development of new products and production methods based increasingly on cooperation with universities and textile research centers. Mr. Sandler said that this strategy is not only important to his company but to the nonwovens industry in general.
Location: Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sales: $140 million
Description: Key Personnel
Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magiera, members of the management board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
ISO Status
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 certified, Ökotex Standard 100, OHRIS
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermal bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air through bonded, spunlaced, hot melt lamination, flexo-printing and coating
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, sandler-unico, sawadur, sawadry
Major Markets
Fashion, home furnishing, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, automotive, filtration, horticulture), hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, oil)
At €112 million, sales were right on target for Sandler, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany, a leading producer of carded, needlepunch and spunlace nonwovens. “We are satisfied with our results as we were very close to achieving the sales figure we expected,” commented Ulrich Hornfeck, sales director. He reported that the company has several new projects underway in a range of markets outside of the wipes arena.
After deciding last year against expanding its production base outside of Germany, Sandler attributes its current success to its flexibility and fast reaction time from its Schwarzenbach headquarters. This advantage continues to dissuade Sandler from opening a manufacturing plant elsewhere, although Dr. Hornfeck said the company is keeping its options open. “If the market drives us there, we will follow. We always pay close attention to what our customers are doing.” He added that, regardless of changes in the market, Sandler plans to remain a family-owned company.
In a move set to expand its role in the wipes market, Sandler will invest €20 million to add a second high performance spunlace nonwovens line. According to the company, the new line—its second for the wipes market—will be run under the same stringent hygienic conditions as its existing spunlace line, which was added in 2003.
Since entering the spunlace market, Sandler has made great strides to offer differentiated products for the wipes markets by using special fiber blends and finishing techniques such as embossing, structuring and printing. One example is sawatex TriLace, a wipe with good dust and dirt absorption rates that dries quickly and is ideal for a number of household cleaning applications.
Baby wipes remains a key market for Sandler despite challenges in the export market stemming from the state of the Euro. Another obvious challenge here is the cost of raw materials, which continue to climb, impacting suppliers, competitors and end users, according to executives.
The additional line will keep Sandler focused on the spunlace market in Europe where the company reports slight growth. “The market is not growing rapidly, but we are seeing demand for a variety of interesting applications involving a lot of differentiation,” he observed. To date, Sandler has predominantly supplied standard spunlace and is looking forward to exploring its options for innovative new product variations.
Dr. Hornfeck described the company’s new carded needlepunch line as highly innovative as well. Targeting filtration and automotive products, the €10 million investment is part of a larger €25 million investment centering on special technologies for the development of new products and markets for the future. “We have large lines that offer the productivity required in the market,” he said.
Both of Sandler’s recent investments are intended to produce reasonably priced high quality products to meet customer-specific needs. “These investments position us well across a variety of markets,” Dr. Hornfeck remarked.
In the area of upholstery, Sandler is continuing to witness a shift to Eastern Europe, a trend that is expected to stabilize. “There will always be plenty of customers in Central Europe. Those seeking high quality will stay put,” he predicted.
Meanwhile, Sandler is seeing strong growth in technical areas such as filtration and automotive applications. Needlepunched fabrics for automotive sound absorption are performing well as are filtration products. “Other new technical applications are currently in development. They will synergize well with our existing portfolio,” he said.
In closing, Dr. Hornfeck referred to the company’s past years’ impressive achievement of generating half of its turnover from the sale of products fewer than five years old. “This is a major push for us and we are very satisfied with our ability to continue to meet this target in the future. We attribute this to the important partnerships we have with customers and suppliers.”
Sales: $140 million
Description: Key Personnel
Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magiera, members of the management board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
ISO Status
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 certified, Ökotex Standard 100, OHRIS
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermal bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air through bonded, spunlaced, hot melt lamination, flexo-printing and coating
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, sandler-unico, sawadur, sawadry
Major Markets
Fashion, home furnishing, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, automotive, filtration, horticulture), hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, oil)
At €112 million, sales were right on target for Sandler, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany, a leading producer of carded, needlepunch and spunlace nonwovens. “We are satisfied with our results as we were very close to achieving the sales figure we expected,” commented Ulrich Hornfeck, sales director. He reported that the company has several new projects underway in a range of markets outside of the wipes arena.
After deciding last year against expanding its production base outside of Germany, Sandler attributes its current success to its flexibility and fast reaction time from its Schwarzenbach headquarters. This advantage continues to dissuade Sandler from opening a manufacturing plant elsewhere, although Dr. Hornfeck said the company is keeping its options open. “If the market drives us there, we will follow. We always pay close attention to what our customers are doing.” He added that, regardless of changes in the market, Sandler plans to remain a family-owned company.
In a move set to expand its role in the wipes market, Sandler will invest €20 million to add a second high performance spunlace nonwovens line. According to the company, the new line—its second for the wipes market—will be run under the same stringent hygienic conditions as its existing spunlace line, which was added in 2003.
Since entering the spunlace market, Sandler has made great strides to offer differentiated products for the wipes markets by using special fiber blends and finishing techniques such as embossing, structuring and printing. One example is sawatex TriLace, a wipe with good dust and dirt absorption rates that dries quickly and is ideal for a number of household cleaning applications.
Baby wipes remains a key market for Sandler despite challenges in the export market stemming from the state of the Euro. Another obvious challenge here is the cost of raw materials, which continue to climb, impacting suppliers, competitors and end users, according to executives.
The additional line will keep Sandler focused on the spunlace market in Europe where the company reports slight growth. “The market is not growing rapidly, but we are seeing demand for a variety of interesting applications involving a lot of differentiation,” he observed. To date, Sandler has predominantly supplied standard spunlace and is looking forward to exploring its options for innovative new product variations.
Dr. Hornfeck described the company’s new carded needlepunch line as highly innovative as well. Targeting filtration and automotive products, the €10 million investment is part of a larger €25 million investment centering on special technologies for the development of new products and markets for the future. “We have large lines that offer the productivity required in the market,” he said.
Both of Sandler’s recent investments are intended to produce reasonably priced high quality products to meet customer-specific needs. “These investments position us well across a variety of markets,” Dr. Hornfeck remarked.
In the area of upholstery, Sandler is continuing to witness a shift to Eastern Europe, a trend that is expected to stabilize. “There will always be plenty of customers in Central Europe. Those seeking high quality will stay put,” he predicted.
Meanwhile, Sandler is seeing strong growth in technical areas such as filtration and automotive applications. Needlepunched fabrics for automotive sound absorption are performing well as are filtration products. “Other new technical applications are currently in development. They will synergize well with our existing portfolio,” he said.
In closing, Dr. Hornfeck referred to the company’s past years’ impressive achievement of generating half of its turnover from the sale of products fewer than five years old. “This is a major push for us and we are very satisfied with our ability to continue to meet this target in the future. We attribute this to the important partnerships we have with customers and suppliers.”
Location: SCHWARZENBACH/SAALE, GERMANY
Sales: $171 million
Description: Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, chief executive officer; Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magiera, members of the management board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
ISO Status
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 certified, Ökotex Standard 100, OHRIS
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermal bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air through bonded, spunlaced, hot melt lamination, coating and flexoprinting
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, sandler-unico, sawadur, sawadry, sawabond whitelace, sawabond silverlace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino
Major Markets
Fashion, home furnishing, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, automotive, filtration, horticulture), hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, oil)
Thanks to strong sales in hygiene, automotive and filtration segments, Sandler AG closed 2007 with a turnover of €125 million. The company’s sales increase of 12% was in the expected range and, according to Sandler’s management board, its positive results should continue throughout 2008. The company continues to maintain its position in the worldwide market as an innovative player—last year Sandler achieved a global exportation rate of higher than 60% with more than half of its products being introduced within the last five years.
While growth was accomplished across all of its markets, Sandler characterized the wipes segment as “exceptional.” Heightened demand for wipes led to a further increase in production as the company continued to promote its “Less is Best to Nature” philosophy. “Our approach addresses both the need to compete in the marketplace on price and performance levels as well as the need to take care of the environment,” explained Ulrich Hornfeck, sales director.
From Sandler’s point of view, basis weight reductions in substrates at similar or even equal functionality as well as aesthetic demands are the highlights for new developments in wiping substrates. As a result, the company has unveiled its latest sawatex generation with a 10% reduction in basis weights, achieving a lower utilization of raw materials as well as a lower waste volume. “Our products offer improved tensile and calliper—supporting the trend toward lower basis weights—but performance is not impacted.” Dr. Honfeck added that wet wipes substrates are a good opportunity to provide end users with a highly convenient and trusted product.
In many cases, this means differentiation, which, according to Sandler, is another important trend in the wipes market. The company has seen an increased push for methods of differentiation such as hydro-embossing, thermal embossing and printing. Additionally Sandler is adding cotton-based, flushable and biodegradable products to its wipes portfolio.
“A lot of new ideas and developments are out there and spunlace technology will certainly make its way into new applications and markets,” predicted Dr. Hornfeck. He pointed to the hygiene and medical sectors as key areas of potential for new wiping applications as well as elastic composites and high elongation super-soft nonwovens. The products—offering a high level of differentiation by using color or new special features for better fluid handling—bring new solutions to the commodity hygiene sector as well as for new products in other markets.
For hygiene applications, the company offers Sandler White Lace and Sandler Silver Lace topsheet materials, which are premium-class sawabond thermal bonded carded nonwovens characterized by good opacity and softness. Offering a decorative and luxurious fine-lace lingerie design, these feature excellent fluid handling as well as favorable masking properties. Sandler White Lace and Silver Lace target high-quality feminine care and adult incontinence products. Also for hygiene applications, Sandler has introduced polyurethane-free breathable elastic sawasoft nonwovens. The latest generations of CD-extensible sawabond nonwovens also offer superb softness.
Sandler has also been busy developing and selling innovative new products in the area of engineering. For instance, in the filtration sector Sandler has teamed with its market partners to launch a range of synthetic products for specialty filtration applications, such as HVAC and automotive filtration. “The demands on filtration media are especially boosted by the current discussions about fine particulates,” he said. “The finest fibers allow for the highest air quality. Thus, Sandler filtration media are applied to vacuum cleaner bags that are used to remove fine particulates from interiors.”
Sandler also sells a range of nonwovens that can be used for a variety of technical purposes—from sound and heat insulation, impact sound insulation, light construction to synthetic wall coverings. Special properties of the nonwovens such as high air circulation, lint-free surface, repellency of oil and water or absorption of moisture or dust and dirt allow Sandler to offer the perfect solution for numerous, individual and sophisticated technical problems.
In terms of investments, in 2007 Sandler wrapped up its two-year, €33 million investment program. This included a new carded needlepunch line as well as a second spunlaced line, which came onstream on time in December. “We are very pleased,” said Dr. Hornfeck. “Thanks to these financial investments, capacities could be enlarged and in-house logistics were optimized.”
Another factor impacting Sandler’s success has been ongoing research and development work as well as the launch of new markets and applications for innovative nonwovens. “We attribute our success to highly qualified and motivated employees, longstanding quality management practices as well as effective training and ongoing education.” He added that the company has a keen awareness of its social and environmental responsibilities and implemented an environmental management system several years ago. Sandler regularly offers ecology-focused training courses for its employees, utilizes energy saving systems, heat recovery systems, the use of waste heat for hot water generation and waste reduction measurements.
Sales: $171 million
Description: Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, chief executive officer; Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magiera, members of the management board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
ISO Status
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 certified, Ökotex Standard 100, OHRIS
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermal bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air through bonded, spunlaced, hot melt lamination, coating and flexoprinting
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, sandler-unico, sawadur, sawadry, sawabond whitelace, sawabond silverlace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino
Major Markets
Fashion, home furnishing, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, automotive, filtration, horticulture), hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, oil)
Thanks to strong sales in hygiene, automotive and filtration segments, Sandler AG closed 2007 with a turnover of €125 million. The company’s sales increase of 12% was in the expected range and, according to Sandler’s management board, its positive results should continue throughout 2008. The company continues to maintain its position in the worldwide market as an innovative player—last year Sandler achieved a global exportation rate of higher than 60% with more than half of its products being introduced within the last five years.
While growth was accomplished across all of its markets, Sandler characterized the wipes segment as “exceptional.” Heightened demand for wipes led to a further increase in production as the company continued to promote its “Less is Best to Nature” philosophy. “Our approach addresses both the need to compete in the marketplace on price and performance levels as well as the need to take care of the environment,” explained Ulrich Hornfeck, sales director.
From Sandler’s point of view, basis weight reductions in substrates at similar or even equal functionality as well as aesthetic demands are the highlights for new developments in wiping substrates. As a result, the company has unveiled its latest sawatex generation with a 10% reduction in basis weights, achieving a lower utilization of raw materials as well as a lower waste volume. “Our products offer improved tensile and calliper—supporting the trend toward lower basis weights—but performance is not impacted.” Dr. Honfeck added that wet wipes substrates are a good opportunity to provide end users with a highly convenient and trusted product.
In many cases, this means differentiation, which, according to Sandler, is another important trend in the wipes market. The company has seen an increased push for methods of differentiation such as hydro-embossing, thermal embossing and printing. Additionally Sandler is adding cotton-based, flushable and biodegradable products to its wipes portfolio.
“A lot of new ideas and developments are out there and spunlace technology will certainly make its way into new applications and markets,” predicted Dr. Hornfeck. He pointed to the hygiene and medical sectors as key areas of potential for new wiping applications as well as elastic composites and high elongation super-soft nonwovens. The products—offering a high level of differentiation by using color or new special features for better fluid handling—bring new solutions to the commodity hygiene sector as well as for new products in other markets.
For hygiene applications, the company offers Sandler White Lace and Sandler Silver Lace topsheet materials, which are premium-class sawabond thermal bonded carded nonwovens characterized by good opacity and softness. Offering a decorative and luxurious fine-lace lingerie design, these feature excellent fluid handling as well as favorable masking properties. Sandler White Lace and Silver Lace target high-quality feminine care and adult incontinence products. Also for hygiene applications, Sandler has introduced polyurethane-free breathable elastic sawasoft nonwovens. The latest generations of CD-extensible sawabond nonwovens also offer superb softness.
Sandler has also been busy developing and selling innovative new products in the area of engineering. For instance, in the filtration sector Sandler has teamed with its market partners to launch a range of synthetic products for specialty filtration applications, such as HVAC and automotive filtration. “The demands on filtration media are especially boosted by the current discussions about fine particulates,” he said. “The finest fibers allow for the highest air quality. Thus, Sandler filtration media are applied to vacuum cleaner bags that are used to remove fine particulates from interiors.”
Sandler also sells a range of nonwovens that can be used for a variety of technical purposes—from sound and heat insulation, impact sound insulation, light construction to synthetic wall coverings. Special properties of the nonwovens such as high air circulation, lint-free surface, repellency of oil and water or absorption of moisture or dust and dirt allow Sandler to offer the perfect solution for numerous, individual and sophisticated technical problems.
In terms of investments, in 2007 Sandler wrapped up its two-year, €33 million investment program. This included a new carded needlepunch line as well as a second spunlaced line, which came onstream on time in December. “We are very pleased,” said Dr. Hornfeck. “Thanks to these financial investments, capacities could be enlarged and in-house logistics were optimized.”
Another factor impacting Sandler’s success has been ongoing research and development work as well as the launch of new markets and applications for innovative nonwovens. “We attribute our success to highly qualified and motivated employees, longstanding quality management practices as well as effective training and ongoing education.” He added that the company has a keen awareness of its social and environmental responsibilities and implemented an environmental management system several years ago. Sandler regularly offers ecology-focused training courses for its employees, utilizes energy saving systems, heat recovery systems, the use of waste heat for hot water generation and waste reduction measurements.
Location: SCHWARTZENBACH/SAALE, GERMANY
Sales: $232 Million
Description: Key Personnel
Christian Heinrich Sandler, chief executive officer; Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magiera, members of the management board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
ISO Status
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 certified, Ökotex Standard 100, OHRIS
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air through bonded, spunlaced, hotmelt lamination, coating and flexoprinting, embossing
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, sandler-unico, sawadur, sawadry, Sandler White Lace, Sandler Silver Lace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino
Major Markets
Fashion, home furnishing, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, automotive, filtration, horticulture), hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, oil)
With an impressive 33% year-over-year growth rate in 2008, Sandleris “very satisfied” with last year’s results, especially its annualturnover of €166 million. The company attributes its organicgrowth to improved capacity utilization, the introduction of newtechnologies and products and the expansion of production capacitiesthrough the commissioning of a new spunlace line.
Aside from the hygiene market, the traditional markets for furnitureand clothing, as well as nonwovens for technical applications,also contributed to Sandler’s sales growth. Revenue in theautomotive and filtration segments developed well, with Sandlernonwovens currently being found in more than 40 car models.Sales declines for certain products due to economic woes in theautomotive industry could be largely balanced in 2008 owing tothe utilization of new, innovative nonwovens in this sector.
“At the moment, we’re focusing on specific new developmentsin this business area, which will certainly result in a positive trendin the long term,” reported Ulrich Hornfeck, sales director.
Despite such achievements, the backdrop for Sandler’s successhas been a stagnant, highly competitive European spunlace arenaand a difficult, unstable situation in the raw materials market. Thepresence of non-European producers in the European market isonly making matters worse. “Prices and availability of raw materialsare subject to sometimes considerable variations, which renderthe competitive situation even more difficult,” said Dr. Hornfeck.
When it comes to exports, these sales continue to representmore than half of Sandler’s total turnover, with the EuropeanUnion in particular being a strong area for exports. “However, outsideof the EU, export business is difficult due to exchange ratefluctuations,” he added.
In 2007 Sandler’s strategy was to keep investments simple andconcentrate on finalizing an investment program that includedthe commissioning of a second €20 million spunlace line. Meanwhile,this year Sandler expanded its composite technologies forthe manufacture of multi-layer fabrics on its existing productionlines. Overall, Sandler has invested a total of €90 million in thelast decade and the number of employees has increased by 20%.
Sandler’s new carded needlepunch and spunlaced lines are faringwell and production capacities are being well utilized. Theneedlepunching line enables Sandler to be flexible in manufacturingnonwovens for a variety of technical applications as well as the automotiveand construction industries. “This versatile production lineopens up a multitude of new application areas,” Dr. Hornfeck said.
In the wipes segment, Sandler is continuing to promote its “Lessis Best to Nature” products, which offer unchanged functionalitiesat lower basis weights. This product range was enhanced with improvedtensile strength as well as innovative designs and structuresfor new cleaning and technical applications.
As for the filtration industry, here Sandler is addressing demandsfor discharge efficiency and composite-based pleatable filterswith innovative filter materials such as its new pleatable depthfilter medium sawaloom plus, which offers high dust storage capacity,high filtration surface and high uniformity.
In construction and other technical applications, Sandler offersvarious insulation nonwovens, which offer textile alternatives for renovation projects as well as applications in roof construction and wallinsulation. For instance, sawatec heat insulation nonwovens are designedto ensure optimal air circulation and prevent moisture buildupand mold growth. “Additionally, sawatec contributes to thepreservation of occupants’ health and its excellent insulation propertiescreate a comfortable indoor climate,” said Dr. Hornfeck. Exteriorwallpapers made of Sandler nonwovens render façade renovationspermanent with their breathability and resistance to weather. Textileinterior wallpapers with their heat and sound insulation propertiesare another field of application for Sandler nonwovens.
With regard to nonwovens for automotive applications, Sandlerhas been concentrating on creating nonwovens with resistance toand absorption of fluids in the engine compartment and exterior applications.Here Sandler offers materials featuring excellent functionalitiesin both interior and exterior applications. Featuring quickdrying, temperature stability and excellent sound insulation properties,sawasorb exterior offers a textile solution for applications in theengine compartment and can act as a barrier to a variety of fluids.
In developing new products, Sandler pays close attention toenvironmental issues such as recyclability and the utilization ofearth-friendly raw materials and additives. The company’s systematicenergy management program optimizes the consumptionof gas and electricity, and Sandler is redirecting the transport ofraw materials from roads to railways. “Another key aspect of ourcorporate activities is our commitment to our hometown,” emphasizedChristian Heinrich Sandler, CEO. “For more than 10years, we’ve been supporting the Ecology Park Hertelsleite inSchwarzenbach/Saale and we also maintain our own biotope.”
Sandler’s strategy is first and foremost based on the goal of stability.The company is banking on moderate, organic growth that willbe maintained in the long term. “Our company doesn’t just consist ofbuildings, machines and sales figures,” said Dr. Sandler. “We count onour 485 skilled and motivated employees. Each person’s performance,commitment and dedication decisively contribute to our success.”Sandler sees itself as a capable and productive partner when it comesto service as well as quality and development activities. Going forward,Sandler plans to continue to focus on the integration and combinationof a variety of nonwovens technologies.
Sales: $232 Million
Description: Key Personnel
Christian Heinrich Sandler, chief executive officer; Dipl. Kfm. Christian Heinrich Sandler, Dieter Magiera, members of the management board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
ISO Status
ISO 9001:2000, ISO 14001 certified, Ökotex Standard 100, OHRIS
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air through bonded, spunlaced, hotmelt lamination, coating and flexoprinting, embossing
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, sandler-unico, sawadur, sawadry, Sandler White Lace, Sandler Silver Lace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino
Major Markets
Fashion, home furnishing, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, automotive, filtration, horticulture), hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, oil)
With an impressive 33% year-over-year growth rate in 2008, Sandleris “very satisfied” with last year’s results, especially its annualturnover of €166 million. The company attributes its organicgrowth to improved capacity utilization, the introduction of newtechnologies and products and the expansion of production capacitiesthrough the commissioning of a new spunlace line.
Aside from the hygiene market, the traditional markets for furnitureand clothing, as well as nonwovens for technical applications,also contributed to Sandler’s sales growth. Revenue in theautomotive and filtration segments developed well, with Sandlernonwovens currently being found in more than 40 car models.Sales declines for certain products due to economic woes in theautomotive industry could be largely balanced in 2008 owing tothe utilization of new, innovative nonwovens in this sector.
“At the moment, we’re focusing on specific new developmentsin this business area, which will certainly result in a positive trendin the long term,” reported Ulrich Hornfeck, sales director.
Despite such achievements, the backdrop for Sandler’s successhas been a stagnant, highly competitive European spunlace arenaand a difficult, unstable situation in the raw materials market. Thepresence of non-European producers in the European market isonly making matters worse. “Prices and availability of raw materialsare subject to sometimes considerable variations, which renderthe competitive situation even more difficult,” said Dr. Hornfeck.
When it comes to exports, these sales continue to representmore than half of Sandler’s total turnover, with the EuropeanUnion in particular being a strong area for exports. “However, outsideof the EU, export business is difficult due to exchange ratefluctuations,” he added.
In 2007 Sandler’s strategy was to keep investments simple andconcentrate on finalizing an investment program that includedthe commissioning of a second €20 million spunlace line. Meanwhile,this year Sandler expanded its composite technologies forthe manufacture of multi-layer fabrics on its existing productionlines. Overall, Sandler has invested a total of €90 million in thelast decade and the number of employees has increased by 20%.
Sandler’s new carded needlepunch and spunlaced lines are faringwell and production capacities are being well utilized. Theneedlepunching line enables Sandler to be flexible in manufacturingnonwovens for a variety of technical applications as well as the automotiveand construction industries. “This versatile production lineopens up a multitude of new application areas,” Dr. Hornfeck said.
In the wipes segment, Sandler is continuing to promote its “Lessis Best to Nature” products, which offer unchanged functionalitiesat lower basis weights. This product range was enhanced with improvedtensile strength as well as innovative designs and structuresfor new cleaning and technical applications.
As for the filtration industry, here Sandler is addressing demandsfor discharge efficiency and composite-based pleatable filterswith innovative filter materials such as its new pleatable depthfilter medium sawaloom plus, which offers high dust storage capacity,high filtration surface and high uniformity.
In construction and other technical applications, Sandler offersvarious insulation nonwovens, which offer textile alternatives for renovation projects as well as applications in roof construction and wallinsulation. For instance, sawatec heat insulation nonwovens are designedto ensure optimal air circulation and prevent moisture buildupand mold growth. “Additionally, sawatec contributes to thepreservation of occupants’ health and its excellent insulation propertiescreate a comfortable indoor climate,” said Dr. Hornfeck. Exteriorwallpapers made of Sandler nonwovens render façade renovationspermanent with their breathability and resistance to weather. Textileinterior wallpapers with their heat and sound insulation propertiesare another field of application for Sandler nonwovens.
With regard to nonwovens for automotive applications, Sandlerhas been concentrating on creating nonwovens with resistance toand absorption of fluids in the engine compartment and exterior applications.Here Sandler offers materials featuring excellent functionalitiesin both interior and exterior applications. Featuring quickdrying, temperature stability and excellent sound insulation properties,sawasorb exterior offers a textile solution for applications in theengine compartment and can act as a barrier to a variety of fluids.
In developing new products, Sandler pays close attention toenvironmental issues such as recyclability and the utilization ofearth-friendly raw materials and additives. The company’s systematicenergy management program optimizes the consumptionof gas and electricity, and Sandler is redirecting the transport ofraw materials from roads to railways. “Another key aspect of ourcorporate activities is our commitment to our hometown,” emphasizedChristian Heinrich Sandler, CEO. “For more than 10years, we’ve been supporting the Ecology Park Hertelsleite inSchwarzenbach/Saale and we also maintain our own biotope.”
Sandler’s strategy is first and foremost based on the goal of stability.The company is banking on moderate, organic growth that willbe maintained in the long term. “Our company doesn’t just consist ofbuildings, machines and sales figures,” said Dr. Sandler. “We count onour 485 skilled and motivated employees. Each person’s performance,commitment and dedication decisively contribute to our success.”Sandler sees itself as a capable and productive partner when it comesto service as well as quality and development activities. Going forward,Sandler plans to continue to focus on the integration and combinationof a variety of nonwovens technologies.
Location: Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sales: $218 million
Description: s
Sales: $218 million
Description: s
Location: Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sales: $218 million
Description: Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO, Dieter Magiera, Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Wolfgang Höflich, members of the management board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air through bonded, spunlaced, hotmelt and thermal lamination, flexoprinting, embossing, aperturing
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, sandler-unico, sawadur, sawadry, sawatec, sawabond White Lace, sawabond Silver Lace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino
Major Markets
Home textiles, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, automotive, filtration, horticulture), hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, oil)
Describing 2009 as a record year was German nonwovens producer Sandler who attributes a solid cash flow as well as the agility to react quickly to market shifts for its success. “We are divided into a lot of different markets so if we are really struggling in some places, it is likely that we will recoup it in other markets,” said vice president of sales, logistics and purchasing Ulrich Hornfeck. Some of the year’s bright spots, he said, were disinfectant wipes and facemasks where concerns over Swine flu and other infectious diseases drove growth; meanwhile, automotives led the list of difficult markets but already this market is recovering.
In total, sales reached a record €168 million in 2009, up from €166 million the year before, on a production increase of 13%, after increasing 33% in 2008. These sales are expected to continue their upward trajectory as the company is still investing in growth, namely a recently announced spunlace line, targeting a range of markets with a diverse set of technologies and participation in varied markets ranging from hygiene to wipes to automotives to filtration.
One market that has continued to be strong for Sandler is the wipes market. The company makes not only baby and other personal care wipes substrates but also products for industrial cleaning, medical, adult care and household cleaning. In May, the company again reaffirmed its commitment to this area when it announced it would add a third spunlace line at its Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany plant producing wipes and other technical applications. The new line will be part of a €40 million plant addition announced in spring 2009.
Sandler first entered the spunlace market in 2003 and added a second line in 2007. Both lines are run under stringent hygienic conditions, Dr. Hornfeck added, and Sandler has been able to be successful by offering innovative designs and structures to allow its customers to offer a diverse product range. Additionally, the company’s “Less is Best to Nature” products offer unchanged functionalities at lower basis weights. This product range was enhanced with improved tensile strength as well as innovative designs and structures for new cleaning and technical applications.
While wipes have received the most press recently, Sandler continues to offer a diversified nonwovens line with technologies including thermal bonded, meltblown and needlepunch nonwovens. One market that continues to be strong for Sandler is automotives. This business has grown nicely for Sandler since it invested in a new line for the market in 2008 and currently, more than 40 automotive models worldwide are equipped with special nonwovens manufactured by the company. These include lightweight absorber nonwovens made of 100% polyester, which are included in sound and heat insulation systems in the engine compartment and textile wheel house liners which are particularly resistant to the fluids found in that area of the car. Other products include nonwovens made of water and oil repellent specialty fibers to prevent the accumulation of dirt and snow below the fender. The material dries quickly and features excellent temperature stability. While Sandler did face some decreased orders within automotives due largely to troubles in the market in general, they have begun to see new projects that are compensating and helping to drive up sales in general in the category.
Another industrial area where Sandler has profited from its diversity is filtration. While the economic situation did lead to slightly decreased sales in some industrial filtration areas, Sandler was able to offset the effects of this development with nonwovens for vacuum cleaner bags and face masks. Additionally, the company has benefitted from paper and glass fiber filter media’s replacement by synthetic filters. Particularly pleatable filter nonwovens with a large surface, which allow for the conditioning of air and liquid filters for climate and automotive filtration in small installation spaces, represent innovations with a promising future. In cabin and engine air filters as well as fuel filters, for example, Sandler nonwovens are already used.
Meanwhile, in construction Sandler nonwovens are helping builders save on energy costs with applications in the exterior and interior part of buildings that insulate heat or cover cracks in walls. In interior walls, these products reduce noise levels, creating a more comfortable atmosphere. At the same time, building owners may profit from the convenient handling and processing of the polyester as well as its positive properties.
Other areas where Sandler participates include upholstered furniture, bedding and fashion within its home textiles segment, all of which were described as very satisfactory.
In fact, executives are pleased with Sandler’s course, in general.
“All of our investments have been absolutely the right thing to do at the right time,” said Dr. Hornfeck. “We are on a solid growth course.”
As one of the largest family-owned nonwovens producers in Europe, Sandler prides itself on having trustful partnerships with both its suppliers and its customers that combines the synergies of different markets, a strategy that executives feel has worked well so far and will continue to do so moving forward. “Our strategy is absolutely clear—it is growth with our partners in targeted markets,” Dr. Hornfeck concluded.
Sales: $218 million
Description: Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO, Dieter Magiera, Dipl.-Ing. (FH) Wolfgang Höflich, members of the management board
Plant
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air through bonded, spunlaced, hotmelt and thermal lamination, flexoprinting, embossing, aperturing
Brand Names
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sandler-fibercomfort, sandler-fiberskin, sandler-unico, sawadur, sawadry, sawatec, sawabond White Lace, sawabond Silver Lace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino
Major Markets
Home textiles, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, automotive, filtration, horticulture), hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, oil)
Describing 2009 as a record year was German nonwovens producer Sandler who attributes a solid cash flow as well as the agility to react quickly to market shifts for its success. “We are divided into a lot of different markets so if we are really struggling in some places, it is likely that we will recoup it in other markets,” said vice president of sales, logistics and purchasing Ulrich Hornfeck. Some of the year’s bright spots, he said, were disinfectant wipes and facemasks where concerns over Swine flu and other infectious diseases drove growth; meanwhile, automotives led the list of difficult markets but already this market is recovering.
In total, sales reached a record €168 million in 2009, up from €166 million the year before, on a production increase of 13%, after increasing 33% in 2008. These sales are expected to continue their upward trajectory as the company is still investing in growth, namely a recently announced spunlace line, targeting a range of markets with a diverse set of technologies and participation in varied markets ranging from hygiene to wipes to automotives to filtration.
One market that has continued to be strong for Sandler is the wipes market. The company makes not only baby and other personal care wipes substrates but also products for industrial cleaning, medical, adult care and household cleaning. In May, the company again reaffirmed its commitment to this area when it announced it would add a third spunlace line at its Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany plant producing wipes and other technical applications. The new line will be part of a €40 million plant addition announced in spring 2009.
Sandler first entered the spunlace market in 2003 and added a second line in 2007. Both lines are run under stringent hygienic conditions, Dr. Hornfeck added, and Sandler has been able to be successful by offering innovative designs and structures to allow its customers to offer a diverse product range. Additionally, the company’s “Less is Best to Nature” products offer unchanged functionalities at lower basis weights. This product range was enhanced with improved tensile strength as well as innovative designs and structures for new cleaning and technical applications.
While wipes have received the most press recently, Sandler continues to offer a diversified nonwovens line with technologies including thermal bonded, meltblown and needlepunch nonwovens. One market that continues to be strong for Sandler is automotives. This business has grown nicely for Sandler since it invested in a new line for the market in 2008 and currently, more than 40 automotive models worldwide are equipped with special nonwovens manufactured by the company. These include lightweight absorber nonwovens made of 100% polyester, which are included in sound and heat insulation systems in the engine compartment and textile wheel house liners which are particularly resistant to the fluids found in that area of the car. Other products include nonwovens made of water and oil repellent specialty fibers to prevent the accumulation of dirt and snow below the fender. The material dries quickly and features excellent temperature stability. While Sandler did face some decreased orders within automotives due largely to troubles in the market in general, they have begun to see new projects that are compensating and helping to drive up sales in general in the category.
Another industrial area where Sandler has profited from its diversity is filtration. While the economic situation did lead to slightly decreased sales in some industrial filtration areas, Sandler was able to offset the effects of this development with nonwovens for vacuum cleaner bags and face masks. Additionally, the company has benefitted from paper and glass fiber filter media’s replacement by synthetic filters. Particularly pleatable filter nonwovens with a large surface, which allow for the conditioning of air and liquid filters for climate and automotive filtration in small installation spaces, represent innovations with a promising future. In cabin and engine air filters as well as fuel filters, for example, Sandler nonwovens are already used.
Meanwhile, in construction Sandler nonwovens are helping builders save on energy costs with applications in the exterior and interior part of buildings that insulate heat or cover cracks in walls. In interior walls, these products reduce noise levels, creating a more comfortable atmosphere. At the same time, building owners may profit from the convenient handling and processing of the polyester as well as its positive properties.
Other areas where Sandler participates include upholstered furniture, bedding and fashion within its home textiles segment, all of which were described as very satisfactory.
In fact, executives are pleased with Sandler’s course, in general.
“All of our investments have been absolutely the right thing to do at the right time,” said Dr. Hornfeck. “We are on a solid growth course.”
As one of the largest family-owned nonwovens producers in Europe, Sandler prides itself on having trustful partnerships with both its suppliers and its customers that combines the synergies of different markets, a strategy that executives feel has worked well so far and will continue to do so moving forward. “Our strategy is absolutely clear—it is growth with our partners in targeted markets,” Dr. Hornfeck concluded.
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
www.sandler.de
2011 Nonwovens Sales: $311 million
Key Personnel: Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Dipl. Ingenieur (FH) Wolfgang Höflich and Ulrich Hornfeck, members of the management board
Plants: Schwarenbach/Saale, Germany
Processes: Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, hotmelt and thermal lamination, coating and flexoprinting, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands: Sawafill, Sawabond, Sawaloom, Sawavlies, Sawaloft, Sawaflor, Sawatex, Sawascreen, Sawagrow, Sandler Sports, Sawacomp, Sawaflock, Sawaform, Sawalux, Sawaflex, Sawasoft, Sawasorb, Sawatec, Sandler Fibercomfort, Sandler Fiberskin, Sandler Unico, Sawadur, Sawadry, Sandler White Lace, Sandler Silver Lace, Sawatex Mariquita, Sawatex Oresettino, Sawatex Sea Dwellers, Bio Textile by Sandler
Major Markets: Nonwovens for hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, oil), automotive, filtration, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, technical insulation, environmental nonwovens) and home textiles
Reporting a whopping 18% sales gain in 2011 was German nonwovens producer Sandler, which credits the past couple of year’s growth to its presence in a diverse number of markets. Other factors contributing to this success include increasing export levels and a focus on new product development.
In investment news, Sandler continues to benefit from the addition of its third spunlace line at its Schwarzenbach/Saale headquarters, its sole manufacturing site, which allows the company to penetrate markets for spunlace beyond wipes applications. The new line, which came on-stream in mid-2011, was part of a €40 million investment that also included a building to house the new line. In addition to adding capacity, the new line has allowed Sandler to diversify its spunlace output.
Currently, the majority of Sandler’s spunlace output is going into wipes, a market being described as stable, but new business opportunities are coming from areas like hygiene and technical applications. “Specifically, we use our spunlace products in various applications and we are getting more and more successful,” says Ulrich Hornfeck, member of the management board. “Our special spunlace technology is great in industrial and household cleaning processes and also technical uses. Some of these applications are new to nonwovens and some substitute for other types of nonwovens.”
“Wipes continues to be an important market for us but it is certainly not the only one,” Hornfeck notes. “We are also working in hygiene and technical applications, which have helped us increase sales opportunities.” Beyond spunlace, Sandler offers a broad spectrum of technologies, including carded, drylaid, thermal bonded, meltblown and needlepunch with which it targets a broad range of disposable and technical markets. “We try to find the right balance between hygiene and technical. It is surely not easy but we work hard to be experts in nonwovens, not only on the technology, but on the product side. Our reputation for know-how and high-quality products allows us to develop cross-functionally, utilizing diverse technologies for a wide range of different products and seeing more synergies between the many markets we serve.”
Sandler has the largest fiber-based nonwoven production location in Europe and was again able to generate growth in all of its market segments. Countries such as China and India in particular show high growth rates for nonwovens in technical applications, especially filtration and automotive. Sandler is currently expanding its business in these markets.
One area where Sandler has seen recent success has been in the vacuum cleaner bag segment, where nonwoven filter media can offer advantages, including higher suction power and better tear and moisture resistance than traditional paper bags. All of Sandler’s materials, which combine several types of nonwovens, are certified according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100. These synthetic materials are therefore entirely safe, even for the youngest family members. Sandler media also cover the HEPA filter grades H10 and H11—offering even more protection, allowing people with allergies to breathe easy.
Sandler’s latest development in the field of synthetic vacuum cleaner bags uses PLA, a polymer based on lactic acid that is made of renewable resources, such as corn. This material features a similar performance to other high-quality synthetics and its quick drying also makes it ideally suited for application in the vacuum cleaner bag market. At the end of the product lifecycle, the advantages of a natural raw material become most apparent: PLA-based media are compostable and can be recycled using established processes.
The use of PLA is just one example of the many ways that Sandler is focusing on sustainability in both its products and its processes. In the wipes segment, Sandler’s bio textile uses certified viscose fibers and throughout its whole business, the company employs a “Less is Best to Nature” philosophy. Started in 2008, this initiative has led to lower basis weights and an increased use of recycled fibers. Hornfeck says efforts here will continue to change Sandler’s business.
“Whether it’s in the process, the product or the raw material, we try to bring those green ideas to the market in a reasonable way,” he says. “Sustainability is not only focused on green but also on the long-term partnership and the perspective of the end users and the resources we use.”
Another important growth market for Sandler is in the automotive sector. The company offers several products for the engine compartment, providing sound absorbency, water repellency, oil repellence and heat stability, which Hornfeck describes as “interesting new fields of development of nonwovens.”
“Highest level in quality, service, reliability and flexibility are Sandler’s main targets, which we systematically follow in the long run,” says Hornfeck. “We will continue investing in our production facilities to keep expanding our business and tapping into new markets and new applications.”
www.sandler.de
2011 Nonwovens Sales: $311 million
Key Personnel: Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Dipl. Ingenieur (FH) Wolfgang Höflich and Ulrich Hornfeck, members of the management board
Plants: Schwarenbach/Saale, Germany
Processes: Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, hotmelt and thermal lamination, coating and flexoprinting, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands: Sawafill, Sawabond, Sawaloom, Sawavlies, Sawaloft, Sawaflor, Sawatex, Sawascreen, Sawagrow, Sandler Sports, Sawacomp, Sawaflock, Sawaform, Sawalux, Sawaflex, Sawasoft, Sawasorb, Sawatec, Sandler Fibercomfort, Sandler Fiberskin, Sandler Unico, Sawadur, Sawadry, Sandler White Lace, Sandler Silver Lace, Sawatex Mariquita, Sawatex Oresettino, Sawatex Sea Dwellers, Bio Textile by Sandler
Major Markets: Nonwovens for hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, oil), automotive, filtration, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, technical insulation, environmental nonwovens) and home textiles
Reporting a whopping 18% sales gain in 2011 was German nonwovens producer Sandler, which credits the past couple of year’s growth to its presence in a diverse number of markets. Other factors contributing to this success include increasing export levels and a focus on new product development.
In investment news, Sandler continues to benefit from the addition of its third spunlace line at its Schwarzenbach/Saale headquarters, its sole manufacturing site, which allows the company to penetrate markets for spunlace beyond wipes applications. The new line, which came on-stream in mid-2011, was part of a €40 million investment that also included a building to house the new line. In addition to adding capacity, the new line has allowed Sandler to diversify its spunlace output.
Currently, the majority of Sandler’s spunlace output is going into wipes, a market being described as stable, but new business opportunities are coming from areas like hygiene and technical applications. “Specifically, we use our spunlace products in various applications and we are getting more and more successful,” says Ulrich Hornfeck, member of the management board. “Our special spunlace technology is great in industrial and household cleaning processes and also technical uses. Some of these applications are new to nonwovens and some substitute for other types of nonwovens.”
“Wipes continues to be an important market for us but it is certainly not the only one,” Hornfeck notes. “We are also working in hygiene and technical applications, which have helped us increase sales opportunities.” Beyond spunlace, Sandler offers a broad spectrum of technologies, including carded, drylaid, thermal bonded, meltblown and needlepunch with which it targets a broad range of disposable and technical markets. “We try to find the right balance between hygiene and technical. It is surely not easy but we work hard to be experts in nonwovens, not only on the technology, but on the product side. Our reputation for know-how and high-quality products allows us to develop cross-functionally, utilizing diverse technologies for a wide range of different products and seeing more synergies between the many markets we serve.”
Sandler has the largest fiber-based nonwoven production location in Europe and was again able to generate growth in all of its market segments. Countries such as China and India in particular show high growth rates for nonwovens in technical applications, especially filtration and automotive. Sandler is currently expanding its business in these markets.
One area where Sandler has seen recent success has been in the vacuum cleaner bag segment, where nonwoven filter media can offer advantages, including higher suction power and better tear and moisture resistance than traditional paper bags. All of Sandler’s materials, which combine several types of nonwovens, are certified according to Oeko-Tex Standard 100. These synthetic materials are therefore entirely safe, even for the youngest family members. Sandler media also cover the HEPA filter grades H10 and H11—offering even more protection, allowing people with allergies to breathe easy.
Sandler’s latest development in the field of synthetic vacuum cleaner bags uses PLA, a polymer based on lactic acid that is made of renewable resources, such as corn. This material features a similar performance to other high-quality synthetics and its quick drying also makes it ideally suited for application in the vacuum cleaner bag market. At the end of the product lifecycle, the advantages of a natural raw material become most apparent: PLA-based media are compostable and can be recycled using established processes.
The use of PLA is just one example of the many ways that Sandler is focusing on sustainability in both its products and its processes. In the wipes segment, Sandler’s bio textile uses certified viscose fibers and throughout its whole business, the company employs a “Less is Best to Nature” philosophy. Started in 2008, this initiative has led to lower basis weights and an increased use of recycled fibers. Hornfeck says efforts here will continue to change Sandler’s business.
“Whether it’s in the process, the product or the raw material, we try to bring those green ideas to the market in a reasonable way,” he says. “Sustainability is not only focused on green but also on the long-term partnership and the perspective of the end users and the resources we use.”
Another important growth market for Sandler is in the automotive sector. The company offers several products for the engine compartment, providing sound absorbency, water repellency, oil repellence and heat stability, which Hornfeck describes as “interesting new fields of development of nonwovens.”
“Highest level in quality, service, reliability and flexibility are Sandler’s main targets, which we systematically follow in the long run,” says Hornfeck. “We will continue investing in our production facilities to keep expanding our business and tapping into new markets and new applications.”
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
www.sandler.de
2012 Nonwovens Sales: $326 million
Key Personnel: Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Dipl. Ingenieur (FH) Wolfgang Höflich and Ulrich Hornfeck, members of the management board
Plants: Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Processes: Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, hotmelt and thermal lamination, coating and flexoprinting, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands: sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawafl ock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sawatec, sandler fibercomfort, sandler fiberskin, sandler Unico, sawadur, sawadry, sawabond White Lace, sawabond Silver Lace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino, sawatex sea dwellers, bio textile by sandler, sawatex wipinator
Major Markets: Nonwovens for hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, cleaning), automotive, filtration, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, technical insulation, environmental nonwovens) and home textiles
Continuing a growth trajectory begun six years ago, Sandler Nonwovens reported growth across all of its market segments in 2012 from hygiene and wipes applications to technical applications in the automobile, filtration, construction and technical insulation to nonwovens for home office and automotive acoustics. All told, sales reached €247 million ($326 million).
A good deal of this growth can be attributed to growth in the spunlace, and by extension, wipes market. Sandler’s third spunlace line came onstream in mid-2011 as part of a €40 million investment that also included building a new plant to house the line. In addition to adding capacity, the new line has allowed Sandler to diversify its spunlace output.
Currently, the majority of Sandler’s spunlace output is going into wipes, a market being described as stable, but new business opportunities are coming from areas like hygiene and technical applications.
Ulrich Hornfeck, member of the management board, says that wipes continue to be an important market for spunlace but new product development, both within and outside of the wipes market, is a strong focus for Sandler. “The new line allowed us to add a lot of new technologies and to really make our production process more flexible with more processes and more raw materials and more finishing techniques,” he says.
As it diversifies its business to grow outside of wipes, Sandler continues to prove is expertise in wipes. In April 2013, the company was honored at the International IDEA 2013 show for its bio textile by Sandler. Developed in partnership with its raw material providers, bio textile by Sandler is a nonwoven substrate for baby care, cosmetics and cleaning wipes. Proving Sandler’s commitment to sustainability, the nonwoven is made from 100% viscose fibers and is completely biodegradable.
This substrate was launched through Sandler’s Less is Best to Nature motto, first introduced in 2008. This initiative focuses on lower basis weights in wipes applications while maintaining the same level of quality. The bio wipes substrate is equipped with a unique hydro-embossing design with elements illustrating the manufacturer’s commitment to sustainability. Naturally, Sandler also offers established qualities for numerous applications including industry, household and all-purpose wipes for the varying demands of the wipes market. Various printing and embossing designs for wipes substrates and hygiene materials open up a range of possibilities for product differentiation.
Beyond spunlace, Sandler offers a broad spectrum of technologies, including carded, drylaid, thermal bonded, meltblown and needlepunch with which it targets a broad range of disposable and technical markets.
“We try to find the right balance between hygiene and technical,” Hornfeck says.
This will in part be achieved through the addition of a new meltblown production line in Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany. After an assembly time of only four months, Sandler launched the start-up phase of a new production line in November. The new investment was reported at €6.5 million.
Currently, the line known as “VS 61“ is already producing materials for commercial sales and enhances the nonwovens manufacturer’s capacities for the production of meltblown media, which Sandler sells in highly efficient synthetic filter media applications. The new production line can process diverse thermoplastic raw materials and is equipped with different nozzle systems allowing it to create new and unique nonwoven structures for pleatable filter media for air conditioning systems and other applications. The latest Sandler materials set standards, particularly regarding processability and performance, according to the company. These nonwovens combine higher efficiency, accurate pleat geometry and pleatability that previously could not be achieved in synthetic pleatable filter media.
www.sandler.de
2012 Nonwovens Sales: $326 million
Key Personnel: Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Dipl. Ingenieur (FH) Wolfgang Höflich and Ulrich Hornfeck, members of the management board
Plants: Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Processes: Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, hotmelt and thermal lamination, coating and flexoprinting, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands: sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawafl ock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sawatec, sandler fibercomfort, sandler fiberskin, sandler Unico, sawadur, sawadry, sawabond White Lace, sawabond Silver Lace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino, sawatex sea dwellers, bio textile by sandler, sawatex wipinator
Major Markets: Nonwovens for hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, cleaning), automotive, filtration, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, technical insulation, environmental nonwovens) and home textiles
Continuing a growth trajectory begun six years ago, Sandler Nonwovens reported growth across all of its market segments in 2012 from hygiene and wipes applications to technical applications in the automobile, filtration, construction and technical insulation to nonwovens for home office and automotive acoustics. All told, sales reached €247 million ($326 million).
A good deal of this growth can be attributed to growth in the spunlace, and by extension, wipes market. Sandler’s third spunlace line came onstream in mid-2011 as part of a €40 million investment that also included building a new plant to house the line. In addition to adding capacity, the new line has allowed Sandler to diversify its spunlace output.
Currently, the majority of Sandler’s spunlace output is going into wipes, a market being described as stable, but new business opportunities are coming from areas like hygiene and technical applications.
Ulrich Hornfeck, member of the management board, says that wipes continue to be an important market for spunlace but new product development, both within and outside of the wipes market, is a strong focus for Sandler. “The new line allowed us to add a lot of new technologies and to really make our production process more flexible with more processes and more raw materials and more finishing techniques,” he says.
As it diversifies its business to grow outside of wipes, Sandler continues to prove is expertise in wipes. In April 2013, the company was honored at the International IDEA 2013 show for its bio textile by Sandler. Developed in partnership with its raw material providers, bio textile by Sandler is a nonwoven substrate for baby care, cosmetics and cleaning wipes. Proving Sandler’s commitment to sustainability, the nonwoven is made from 100% viscose fibers and is completely biodegradable.
This substrate was launched through Sandler’s Less is Best to Nature motto, first introduced in 2008. This initiative focuses on lower basis weights in wipes applications while maintaining the same level of quality. The bio wipes substrate is equipped with a unique hydro-embossing design with elements illustrating the manufacturer’s commitment to sustainability. Naturally, Sandler also offers established qualities for numerous applications including industry, household and all-purpose wipes for the varying demands of the wipes market. Various printing and embossing designs for wipes substrates and hygiene materials open up a range of possibilities for product differentiation.
Beyond spunlace, Sandler offers a broad spectrum of technologies, including carded, drylaid, thermal bonded, meltblown and needlepunch with which it targets a broad range of disposable and technical markets.
“We try to find the right balance between hygiene and technical,” Hornfeck says.
This will in part be achieved through the addition of a new meltblown production line in Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany. After an assembly time of only four months, Sandler launched the start-up phase of a new production line in November. The new investment was reported at €6.5 million.
Currently, the line known as “VS 61“ is already producing materials for commercial sales and enhances the nonwovens manufacturer’s capacities for the production of meltblown media, which Sandler sells in highly efficient synthetic filter media applications. The new production line can process diverse thermoplastic raw materials and is equipped with different nozzle systems allowing it to create new and unique nonwoven structures for pleatable filter media for air conditioning systems and other applications. The latest Sandler materials set standards, particularly regarding processability and performance, according to the company. These nonwovens combine higher efficiency, accurate pleat geometry and pleatability that previously could not be achieved in synthetic pleatable filter media.
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
www.sandler.de
2013 Nonwovens Sales: $367 million
Key Personnel
Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich and Ulrich Hornfeck, members of the management board
Plants
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, hotmelt and thermal lamination, coating and flexoprinting, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sawatec, sandler fibercomfort, sandler fiberskin, Sandler Unico, sawadur, sawadry, sawabond White Lace, sawabond Silver Lace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino, sawatex sea dwellers, bio textile by sandler, sawatex wipinator
Major Markets
Nonwovens for hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, cleaning), automotive, filtration, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, technical insulation, environmental nonwovens) and home textiles
Reporting an impressive 10% year-on-year increase was Sandler Nonwovens. The German maker of various nonwovens achieved sales of €274 million ($367 million) due to growth in all of its core markets including hygiene, wipes, automotives, home textiles, technical insulation and engineering.
One of the key highlights of the year was the start-up of its latest production line, dubbed VS 32 by the company, which expanded its capabilities within the technical nonwovens segment. Featuring proprietary Sandler technology, the new line makes voluminous roll gods and sheet materials through a combination of needlepunching and thermal bonding. The line, which represents at €15 million investment, is largely targeting lightweight, easy-to-handle insulation materials as well as filter media and nonwovens for home textiles.
“We have a strategic decision to be a diversified company and the addition of this production line is allowing us to expand in a number of markets,” says Ulrich Hornfeck, member of Sandler’s management board.
The line follows the late 2012 start-up of a new meltblown line targeting highly efficient meltblown media. This new line can process diverse thermoplastic raw materials and is equipped with different nozzle systems, allowing it to create new and unique nonwoven structures for pleatable filter media for air conditioning systems and other applications.
The two new lines, as well as the expansion of its technical center in 2013, concluded a series of investments.
“We managed to put a 10-year investment plan into practice in half that time and, in doing so, invested a total of more than €60 million,” says chairman C. H. Sandler at the ceremony inaugurating the VS 32 line. “And once the current investment is completed, we will have created 115 new jobs during the past five years.”
These investments have not only added to Sandler’s capacity and its sales, they have also enabled the company’s success in a number of new markets. One market of note is insulation, where the company’s fibercomfort material prevents heat loss and noise abatement. This material earned Sandler an INDEX Awards at EDANA’s 2014 trade exposition, where the company’s meeting room space was made of the material.
“If you notice, this material can really block sounds out,” Hornfeck explains. “It can act as a nice buffer in offices or in apartment buildings.”
In addition to the insulating properties, fibercomfort is permanently hydrophobic, able to withstand even harsh weather and is permeable, allowing the building to breathe, preventing an accumulation of moisture. Being tread-proof and flame-resistant, the nonwovens also contribute to safety while the single-polymer recyclable nonwovens also help conserve valuable resources.
Meanwhile, on the disposable side of the business, Sandler continues to grow in wipes applications, a business the company serves from its Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany headquarters. The company entered the spunlace market in 2003 and its latest line came onstream in mid-2011 as part of a €40 million investment. In addition to adding capacity, the new line has allowed Sandler to diversify its spunlace output beyond wipes.
Ulrich Hornfeck, member of Sandler’s management board, says the most recent spunlace investment has allowed it to expand its focus on new product development both within and outside of the wipes market. “The new line allowed us to add a lot of new technologies and to really make our production process more flexible with more processes and more raw materials and more finishing techniques,” he says.
As it diversifies its business to grow outside of wipes, Sandler continues to prove its expertise in wipes. In April 2013, the company was honored at the International IDEA 2013 show for its bio textile by Sandler.
Developed in partnership with a raw material provider, bio textile by Sandler is a nonwoven substrate for baby care, cosmetics and cleaning wipes. Proving Sandler’s commitment to sustainability, the nonwoven is made from 100% viscose fibers and is completely biodegradable. This substrate was launched through Sandler’s Less is Best to Nature motto, first introduced in 2008. This initiative focuses on lower basis weights in wipes applications while maintaining the same level of quality. The bio wipes substrate is equipped with a unique hydro-embossing design with elements illustrating the manufacturer’s commitment to sustainability.
www.sandler.de
2013 Nonwovens Sales: $367 million
Key Personnel
Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich and Ulrich Hornfeck, members of the management board
Plants
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, hotmelt and thermal lamination, coating and flexoprinting, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sawatec, sandler fibercomfort, sandler fiberskin, Sandler Unico, sawadur, sawadry, sawabond White Lace, sawabond Silver Lace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino, sawatex sea dwellers, bio textile by sandler, sawatex wipinator
Major Markets
Nonwovens for hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, cleaning), automotive, filtration, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, technical insulation, environmental nonwovens) and home textiles
Reporting an impressive 10% year-on-year increase was Sandler Nonwovens. The German maker of various nonwovens achieved sales of €274 million ($367 million) due to growth in all of its core markets including hygiene, wipes, automotives, home textiles, technical insulation and engineering.
One of the key highlights of the year was the start-up of its latest production line, dubbed VS 32 by the company, which expanded its capabilities within the technical nonwovens segment. Featuring proprietary Sandler technology, the new line makes voluminous roll gods and sheet materials through a combination of needlepunching and thermal bonding. The line, which represents at €15 million investment, is largely targeting lightweight, easy-to-handle insulation materials as well as filter media and nonwovens for home textiles.
“We have a strategic decision to be a diversified company and the addition of this production line is allowing us to expand in a number of markets,” says Ulrich Hornfeck, member of Sandler’s management board.
The line follows the late 2012 start-up of a new meltblown line targeting highly efficient meltblown media. This new line can process diverse thermoplastic raw materials and is equipped with different nozzle systems, allowing it to create new and unique nonwoven structures for pleatable filter media for air conditioning systems and other applications.
The two new lines, as well as the expansion of its technical center in 2013, concluded a series of investments.
“We managed to put a 10-year investment plan into practice in half that time and, in doing so, invested a total of more than €60 million,” says chairman C. H. Sandler at the ceremony inaugurating the VS 32 line. “And once the current investment is completed, we will have created 115 new jobs during the past five years.”
These investments have not only added to Sandler’s capacity and its sales, they have also enabled the company’s success in a number of new markets. One market of note is insulation, where the company’s fibercomfort material prevents heat loss and noise abatement. This material earned Sandler an INDEX Awards at EDANA’s 2014 trade exposition, where the company’s meeting room space was made of the material.
“If you notice, this material can really block sounds out,” Hornfeck explains. “It can act as a nice buffer in offices or in apartment buildings.”
In addition to the insulating properties, fibercomfort is permanently hydrophobic, able to withstand even harsh weather and is permeable, allowing the building to breathe, preventing an accumulation of moisture. Being tread-proof and flame-resistant, the nonwovens also contribute to safety while the single-polymer recyclable nonwovens also help conserve valuable resources.
Meanwhile, on the disposable side of the business, Sandler continues to grow in wipes applications, a business the company serves from its Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany headquarters. The company entered the spunlace market in 2003 and its latest line came onstream in mid-2011 as part of a €40 million investment. In addition to adding capacity, the new line has allowed Sandler to diversify its spunlace output beyond wipes.
Ulrich Hornfeck, member of Sandler’s management board, says the most recent spunlace investment has allowed it to expand its focus on new product development both within and outside of the wipes market. “The new line allowed us to add a lot of new technologies and to really make our production process more flexible with more processes and more raw materials and more finishing techniques,” he says.
As it diversifies its business to grow outside of wipes, Sandler continues to prove its expertise in wipes. In April 2013, the company was honored at the International IDEA 2013 show for its bio textile by Sandler.
Developed in partnership with a raw material provider, bio textile by Sandler is a nonwoven substrate for baby care, cosmetics and cleaning wipes. Proving Sandler’s commitment to sustainability, the nonwoven is made from 100% viscose fibers and is completely biodegradable. This substrate was launched through Sandler’s Less is Best to Nature motto, first introduced in 2008. This initiative focuses on lower basis weights in wipes applications while maintaining the same level of quality. The bio wipes substrate is equipped with a unique hydro-embossing design with elements illustrating the manufacturer’s commitment to sustainability.
Sandler Nonwovens
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
www.sandler.com
2014 Nonwovens Sales: $346 million
Key Personnel
Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich and Ulrich Hornfeck, members of the management board
Plants
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, hotmelt and thermal lamination, coating and flexoprinting, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sawatec, sandler fibercomfort, sandler fiberskin, Sandler Unico, sawadur, sawadry, sawabond White Lace, sawabond Silver Lace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino, sawatex sea dwellers, bio textile by sandler, sawatex wipinator
Major Markets
Nonwovens for hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, cleaning), automotive, filtration, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, technical insulation, environmental nonwovens) and home textiles
Still in expansion mode, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany-based Sandler Nonwovens announced this summer it would invest about $30 million in a new nonwovens line, which will be housed in a new 22,750-square-meter plant. The investment will help expand Sandler’s role in important hygiene markets where its nonwovens are already valued for their soft touch and gentle feel.
These characteristics have already won these nonwovens in applications such as the topsheet of diapers, feminine hygiene products and adult incontinence items, as stretchable nonwovens in diaper ears and other closure systems and as a fluid handling layer to quickly transport fluid away from the body, distribute it evenly and transport it to the absorbent core.
The plant will be the fifth on the Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany campus.
“For more than 135 years we have been closely connected with our Schwarzenbach location and we will continue to invest in the expansion of our competence center,” says CEO Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler. “The commissioning of our new production line will create up to 50 new jobs. These investments take us one step further towards the realization of new textile concepts for the versatile market of hygiene products. Our new plant will enable us to render our processes even more efficient and the new administration building will provide our staff with the best possible work environment.”
One recent development, an acoustical nonwoven product for use in construction applications was made possible through its latest line, the VS32, which started up in early 2014. The line, which features proprietary Sandler technology, makes voluminous roll goods and sheet materials through a combination of needlepunching and thermal bonding.
“This production line expands our capabilities within the technical nonwovens segment, primarily manufacturing nonwovens for insulation and acoustics. The materials manufactured on it are largely targeting the construction sector, interior design and other technical applications. In this way, the new line, which features proprietary Sandler technology, is advancing our developments in these markets,” says Hornfeck.
In 2014, Sandler developed a 100% textile solution for energy efficient, durable roof insulation. “The construction sector is a rather conservative market and, developing these nonwovens, we were well aware that they most probably would not generate high revenue straight away. However, we are convinced that this product has a promising future and it is part of Sandler’s overall “textile building” concept: a wide range of different Sandler nonwovens that provide textile alternatives for heat and sound insulation in construction. “
At the 2014 INDEX exhibition, Sandler’s booth design featured a “textile building”—a model home where visitors experienced the functionality of these nonwovens first-hand. “The response we received for these developments and the overall concept was very positive,” Hornfeck says. “A number of potential buyers are showing great interest in the “textile building” as well as the roof insulation concept and are looking to apply it or adapt it to their individual requirements.”
The VS32 line, in addition to the creation of a technical center and a new high efficiency meltlblown line capped off a series of investments designed to up Sandler’s profile in a number of technical markets. One area garnering a lot of attention is filtration, thanks to the high efficiency meltblown line, which was added in 2012.
“Sandler continues to manufacture meltblown nonwovens for filtration in HVAC, transportation and home care, as well as medical applications,” Hornfeck says. “The market shows a continued trend towards fully synthetic filter media, for which Sandler nonwovens commend themselves.”
New filtration-related products from Sandler include a new pleatable filter medium for HVAC applications which combine the advantages of synthetic media—elastic, non-breakable fibers, mechanical stability and resistance to moisture—with high efficiency, meeting the requirements of the norm EN779:2012 even after discharge.
Outside of technical applications, Sandler has worked hard to grow its spunlace business. The company now operates a total of three lines, which were added between 2003 and 2011. The output on these lines primarily serves the wipes market but new applications are always under considerations.
“Diversivication and product differentiation are key,” Hornfeck says. “Within the wipes market, product differentiation is achieved through designs such as print or embossed motifs, product structure or additional features. Moreover, we are also developing spunlace materials for other markets, for example technical applications.”
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
www.sandler.com
2014 Nonwovens Sales: $346 million
Key Personnel
Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich and Ulrich Hornfeck, members of the management board
Plants
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, mechanically bonded, meltblown, thermofused, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, hotmelt and thermal lamination, coating and flexoprinting, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sawatec, sandler fibercomfort, sandler fiberskin, Sandler Unico, sawadur, sawadry, sawabond White Lace, sawabond Silver Lace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino, sawatex sea dwellers, bio textile by sandler, sawatex wipinator
Major Markets
Nonwovens for hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, cleaning), automotive, filtration, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, technical insulation, environmental nonwovens) and home textiles
Still in expansion mode, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany-based Sandler Nonwovens announced this summer it would invest about $30 million in a new nonwovens line, which will be housed in a new 22,750-square-meter plant. The investment will help expand Sandler’s role in important hygiene markets where its nonwovens are already valued for their soft touch and gentle feel.
These characteristics have already won these nonwovens in applications such as the topsheet of diapers, feminine hygiene products and adult incontinence items, as stretchable nonwovens in diaper ears and other closure systems and as a fluid handling layer to quickly transport fluid away from the body, distribute it evenly and transport it to the absorbent core.
The plant will be the fifth on the Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany campus.
“For more than 135 years we have been closely connected with our Schwarzenbach location and we will continue to invest in the expansion of our competence center,” says CEO Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler. “The commissioning of our new production line will create up to 50 new jobs. These investments take us one step further towards the realization of new textile concepts for the versatile market of hygiene products. Our new plant will enable us to render our processes even more efficient and the new administration building will provide our staff with the best possible work environment.”
One recent development, an acoustical nonwoven product for use in construction applications was made possible through its latest line, the VS32, which started up in early 2014. The line, which features proprietary Sandler technology, makes voluminous roll goods and sheet materials through a combination of needlepunching and thermal bonding.
“This production line expands our capabilities within the technical nonwovens segment, primarily manufacturing nonwovens for insulation and acoustics. The materials manufactured on it are largely targeting the construction sector, interior design and other technical applications. In this way, the new line, which features proprietary Sandler technology, is advancing our developments in these markets,” says Hornfeck.
In 2014, Sandler developed a 100% textile solution for energy efficient, durable roof insulation. “The construction sector is a rather conservative market and, developing these nonwovens, we were well aware that they most probably would not generate high revenue straight away. However, we are convinced that this product has a promising future and it is part of Sandler’s overall “textile building” concept: a wide range of different Sandler nonwovens that provide textile alternatives for heat and sound insulation in construction. “
At the 2014 INDEX exhibition, Sandler’s booth design featured a “textile building”—a model home where visitors experienced the functionality of these nonwovens first-hand. “The response we received for these developments and the overall concept was very positive,” Hornfeck says. “A number of potential buyers are showing great interest in the “textile building” as well as the roof insulation concept and are looking to apply it or adapt it to their individual requirements.”
The VS32 line, in addition to the creation of a technical center and a new high efficiency meltlblown line capped off a series of investments designed to up Sandler’s profile in a number of technical markets. One area garnering a lot of attention is filtration, thanks to the high efficiency meltblown line, which was added in 2012.
“Sandler continues to manufacture meltblown nonwovens for filtration in HVAC, transportation and home care, as well as medical applications,” Hornfeck says. “The market shows a continued trend towards fully synthetic filter media, for which Sandler nonwovens commend themselves.”
New filtration-related products from Sandler include a new pleatable filter medium for HVAC applications which combine the advantages of synthetic media—elastic, non-breakable fibers, mechanical stability and resistance to moisture—with high efficiency, meeting the requirements of the norm EN779:2012 even after discharge.
Outside of technical applications, Sandler has worked hard to grow its spunlace business. The company now operates a total of three lines, which were added between 2003 and 2011. The output on these lines primarily serves the wipes market but new applications are always under considerations.
“Diversivication and product differentiation are key,” Hornfeck says. “Within the wipes market, product differentiation is achieved through designs such as print or embossed motifs, product structure or additional features. Moreover, we are also developing spunlace materials for other markets, for example technical applications.”
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
www.sandler.de
2015 Nonwovens Sales: $319 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, Board Member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, Board Member & chief commerical officer
Plants
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany; Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, lamination, coating and flexoprinting, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sawatec, fibercomfort, sandler fiberskin, Sandler Unico, sawadur, sawadry, sawabond White Lace, sawabond Silver Lace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino, sawatex sea dwellers, bio textile by sandler, sawatex wipinator
Major Markets
Nonwovens for hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, cleaning), transportation, filtration, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, technical insulation, office design & interior acoustics, environmental nonwovens) and home textiles (upholstery, mattresses & bedding, fashion)
As it prepares for entry into the North American market, German nonwovens producer Sandler reports a successful 2015 with sales of €288 million, or $319 million. In September 2015, the company announced it would establish a production site in Perry, GA, its first operation outside of Germany. Construction on the new facility is complete and Sandler is currently installing the first production line, which will primarily serve the hygiene and industrial markets when it begins operation in fall 2016, according to Sandler’s board member and chief commercial officer Ulrich Hornfeck.
“We are always working on our lines so they are not only designed for one market application but for many,” he explains. “We have been looking at this expansion for a while. We have been present in the U.S. market but we now have a customer base that is stable across a number of markets.”
Sandler chose the location in Perry because of its proximity to long-term customers in the North American market and because of its advantageous geographic position. Located near a major airport in Atlanta, GA and the Savannah Harbor, Perry is easily accessible by air and sea. The team at the new site will comprise German expats as well as local employees recruited from the area.
Meanwhile, at its site in Schwarzenbach/Salle, Germany—one of Germany’s largest nonwovens operations—in July, Sandler completed work on its fifth plant, which houses proprietary technology for hygiene applications.
Even before this €43 million investment was complete, production began on the new line house there—a hybrid line combining different technologies—all the way back in December, according to executives. Already this line has successfully tapped into new interesting areas of application and is introducing new products to the market, according to the company.
Sandler’s most recent investment, plant number four, was completed in 2011 and its latest expansion occurred in early 2014 when a line known as VS32 started up. This line, also featuring Sandler proprietary technology, makes voluminous roll goods and sheet materials through a combination of needlepunching and thermal bonding. The growing number of applications for acoustically efficient nonwovens was a driver for this investment, according to Sandler. It has helped Sandler expand its role in technical nonwovens segments like insulation and acoustics.
In fact this technology was on display at INDEX 2014, where it was honored with an achievement award. The company’s booth concept used these nonwovens to show visitors how it was able to block out noise. Hornfeck stresses the benefits of these nonwovens go beyond noise reduction. In automotives, they are replacing materials like polyester molds thanks to their breathability, lightweightedness and recyclability.
“These materials not only offer noise reduction but also energy savings,” Hornfek says. “They are breathable, lightweight and easily recycled,” Hornfeck explains.
Meanwhile, Sandler’s spunlace business continues to focus primarily on the wipes market. In this market, the focus has been on diversification. According to Hornfeck, this has made business more interesting as his team works with customers individually to find the right solution.
“Wipes are convenience. Our job is to make a material that can carry and handle a lotion. Our customers depend on our experience in developing more specialized products.”
In fact, specialized products throughout all of its businesses will continue to be a growth strategy for Sandler as it blazes new frontiers both with its Germany-based business and its new U.S. operation.
“We are always investing in all of our segments,” Hornfeck says. “A few years ago, we commissioned new production equipment targeting technical applications, with our recent investment a lot of focus has been on hygiene and wipes. This ongoing advancement of all our diverse markets is why I am so confident in our success.”
www.sandler.de
2015 Nonwovens Sales: $319 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, Board Member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, Board Member & chief commerical officer
Plants
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany; Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, lamination, coating and flexoprinting, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sawatec, fibercomfort, sandler fiberskin, Sandler Unico, sawadur, sawadry, sawabond White Lace, sawabond Silver Lace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino, sawatex sea dwellers, bio textile by sandler, sawatex wipinator
Major Markets
Nonwovens for hygiene, medical, wipes (baby, cosmetic, technical, cleaning), transportation, filtration, technical nonwovens (civil engineering, technical insulation, office design & interior acoustics, environmental nonwovens) and home textiles (upholstery, mattresses & bedding, fashion)
As it prepares for entry into the North American market, German nonwovens producer Sandler reports a successful 2015 with sales of €288 million, or $319 million. In September 2015, the company announced it would establish a production site in Perry, GA, its first operation outside of Germany. Construction on the new facility is complete and Sandler is currently installing the first production line, which will primarily serve the hygiene and industrial markets when it begins operation in fall 2016, according to Sandler’s board member and chief commercial officer Ulrich Hornfeck.
“We are always working on our lines so they are not only designed for one market application but for many,” he explains. “We have been looking at this expansion for a while. We have been present in the U.S. market but we now have a customer base that is stable across a number of markets.”
Sandler chose the location in Perry because of its proximity to long-term customers in the North American market and because of its advantageous geographic position. Located near a major airport in Atlanta, GA and the Savannah Harbor, Perry is easily accessible by air and sea. The team at the new site will comprise German expats as well as local employees recruited from the area.
Meanwhile, at its site in Schwarzenbach/Salle, Germany—one of Germany’s largest nonwovens operations—in July, Sandler completed work on its fifth plant, which houses proprietary technology for hygiene applications.
Even before this €43 million investment was complete, production began on the new line house there—a hybrid line combining different technologies—all the way back in December, according to executives. Already this line has successfully tapped into new interesting areas of application and is introducing new products to the market, according to the company.
Sandler’s most recent investment, plant number four, was completed in 2011 and its latest expansion occurred in early 2014 when a line known as VS32 started up. This line, also featuring Sandler proprietary technology, makes voluminous roll goods and sheet materials through a combination of needlepunching and thermal bonding. The growing number of applications for acoustically efficient nonwovens was a driver for this investment, according to Sandler. It has helped Sandler expand its role in technical nonwovens segments like insulation and acoustics.
In fact this technology was on display at INDEX 2014, where it was honored with an achievement award. The company’s booth concept used these nonwovens to show visitors how it was able to block out noise. Hornfeck stresses the benefits of these nonwovens go beyond noise reduction. In automotives, they are replacing materials like polyester molds thanks to their breathability, lightweightedness and recyclability.
“These materials not only offer noise reduction but also energy savings,” Hornfek says. “They are breathable, lightweight and easily recycled,” Hornfeck explains.
Meanwhile, Sandler’s spunlace business continues to focus primarily on the wipes market. In this market, the focus has been on diversification. According to Hornfeck, this has made business more interesting as his team works with customers individually to find the right solution.
“Wipes are convenience. Our job is to make a material that can carry and handle a lotion. Our customers depend on our experience in developing more specialized products.”
In fact, specialized products throughout all of its businesses will continue to be a growth strategy for Sandler as it blazes new frontiers both with its Germany-based business and its new U.S. operation.
“We are always investing in all of our segments,” Hornfeck says. “A few years ago, we commissioned new production equipment targeting technical applications, with our recent investment a lot of focus has been on hygiene and wipes. This ongoing advancement of all our diverse markets is why I am so confident in our success.”
*Editors note: Due to an editing error, Sandler was unintentionally left out of this year's Top Company report in our September 2017 issue. With $328 million in sales last year, Sandler is the 19th largest producer of nonwovens in the world. Nonwovens Industry regrets any confusion this may have caused.
Sandler AG
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
www.sandler.de
2016 Nonwovens Sales: $328 million (€288 million)
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, President &CEO
Wolfgang Höflich, Board Member & Chief Production Officer
Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, Board Member & Chief Commerical Officer
Tobias Baumgärtel, President Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation,Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, lamination, coating and flexoprinting, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sawatec, fibercomfort, sandler fiberskin, Sandler Unico, sawadur, sawadry, sawabond White Lace, sawabond Silver Lace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino, sea dwellers, bio textile by sandler, sawatex wipinator, enAIRsave, Sandler. The textile Building, sawatex classy silk, sawasoft TriLace, Sandler fascinating nonwoven, lace-O-pague, sawatex FineLace
Major Markets
Nonwovens for construction/engineering (technical insulation, office design & interior acoustics, environmental applications, industrial liners), filtration (HVAC, transportation filter media, liquid filter media, home care filter media), hygiene (babycare, feminine hygiene, adult care, medical applications), home textiles (upholstery & outdoor furniture, mattresses & bedding, fashion), technical nonwovens, transportation (interior and exterior applications, acoustics, engine compartment, seat, moulded parts, processing aids) and wipes (babycare, cosmetics, cleaning & disinfection).
Less than a year after getting its new U.S. plant up and running, German nonwovens manufacturer Sandler continues to increase production at the new site, located in Perry, GA. “We are completely on schedule—maybe even a little better than on schedule,” says board member and CCO Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck.
While Sandler has remained mum on the specific technology at the site, Hornfeck does admit that the U.S. operation is mainly serving its customers in the global hygiene market but the line has the flexibility to do many things. The U.S. operation should ultimately offer the range of technologies that already exist in Sandler’s German plant.
“Growth is definitely in our plans for the U.S.,” he says. “We want to grow in the U.S. organically and bring our German products to the U.S. and find new customers there.”
Back in Germany, Sandler’s site in Schwarzenbach/Saale, one of Europe’s largest nonwovens operations, continues to be the company’s center of development and new ideas. With five separate manufacturing facilities at the site featuring a range of technologies, the planthas been the focus of significant investment in recent years.
While more recent innovation has focused on the U.S., Hornfeck is confident that Sandler’s German operation will continue to grow. Central to this growth, of course, will be new capacity installations and new product development.
“What is the most interesting story about Sandler? We are always working on new products,” Hornfeck says.
Sandler’s last German investment was in July 2016, when it completed work on that site’s largest investment, its fifth plant, which houses proprietary technology for hygiene applications. The hybrid line, which combines multiple technologies, has reportedly allowed Sandler to successfully tap into interesting new areas of applications and introduce new products to the market.
Prior to this investment, Sandler expanded its fourth production building, which was completed in 2011 with the installation of a new line known as VS32. This line, also featuring Sandler proprietary technology, makes voluminous roll goods and sheet materials through a combination of needlepunching and thermal bonding. The growing number of applications for acoustically efficiency nonwovens was a driver for this investment. It has helped Sandler expand its role in technical nonwoven segments like insulation and acoustics.
The company’s fibercomfort brand of insulation materials is applied in the roof and in walls,of a building,allowing rooms to maintain a pleasant temperature and at the same time helping conserve energy. In partition walls, ceilings or textile wall coveringssound-insulating nonwovens keep the peace and quite and can also provide for a quieter work environment in office partitions. The product range offers the right acoustic nonwoven for every application: soft and voluminous or self-supporting and compact; with an open-pore surface or especially smooth; white, black or a marble-like shade in color—these textiles can be adapted to customer requirements. They can also be finished with print or embossed motifs or laminated with different fabrics, allowing them tooalso function as a design feature for individual room design.In the hygiene segment, Sandler new product development has meant working on improving the fluid management of its nonwovens, making them more porous, developing different types ofbacksheet and topsheet materials and creating softer products for its customers. For elastic applications Sandler provides an assembly kit of materials. Customers can choose from different degrees of elongation for their individual use.
Another important market for Sandler is wipes which it serves from three spunlace lines located in Schwarzenbach/Saale. In this market, Sandler offers wipes for babycare, cosmetics, cleaning and disinfection. These materials unite high tensile strength with high softness for gentle care and include variants featuring a particularly silky touch, rendering daily skin care into a veritable wellness treatment.
Apart from functionality and feel, visual differentiation is also a focus in wipes manufacturing. New Sandler designs unite appealing appearance with optimized function. The new embossed design square for cleaning applications makes wipes even bulkier and enlarges the surface for even more efficient cleaning. New colored substrates facilitate easy distinction between different applications.
Special fibers blends used in Sandler wipes substrates allow for excellent functionality at reduced basis weights, thus helping to conserve resources.
“We feel that if we give our customers a drawer full of possibilities, they will easily be able to select the right choice for their business,” Hornfeck says. “In the wipes business, we have been finding new ideas that put customers a little bit ahead of the market,” Hornfeck says. “While in filtration we have had big success withour fully syntheticenAIRsavefilter medium which reconciles long-term separation efficiency and reduced energy consumption. It features a special multi-layer structure, in which particles are deposited along the entire width of the medium, allowing air to keep flowing through even if the filter is loaded with dust.
Looking ahead, Sandler will continue to focus on Europe and North America, where it has a strong infrastructure and team of people. Entering new markets like Asia, could pose challenging. “We would have to do something that is a little bit different than everyone else,” Hornfeck explains.
Sandler AG
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
www.sandler.de
2016 Nonwovens Sales: $328 million (€288 million)
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, President &CEO
Wolfgang Höflich, Board Member & Chief Production Officer
Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, Board Member & Chief Commerical Officer
Tobias Baumgärtel, President Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation,Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, lamination, coating and flexoprinting, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
sawafill, sawabond, sawaloom, sawavlies, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawagrow, sandler sports, sawacomp, sawaflock, sawaform, sawalux, sawaflex, sawasoft, sawasorb, sawatec, fibercomfort, sandler fiberskin, Sandler Unico, sawadur, sawadry, sawabond White Lace, sawabond Silver Lace, sawatex mariquita, sawatex orsettino, sea dwellers, bio textile by sandler, sawatex wipinator, enAIRsave, Sandler. The textile Building, sawatex classy silk, sawasoft TriLace, Sandler fascinating nonwoven, lace-O-pague, sawatex FineLace
Major Markets
Nonwovens for construction/engineering (technical insulation, office design & interior acoustics, environmental applications, industrial liners), filtration (HVAC, transportation filter media, liquid filter media, home care filter media), hygiene (babycare, feminine hygiene, adult care, medical applications), home textiles (upholstery & outdoor furniture, mattresses & bedding, fashion), technical nonwovens, transportation (interior and exterior applications, acoustics, engine compartment, seat, moulded parts, processing aids) and wipes (babycare, cosmetics, cleaning & disinfection).
Less than a year after getting its new U.S. plant up and running, German nonwovens manufacturer Sandler continues to increase production at the new site, located in Perry, GA. “We are completely on schedule—maybe even a little better than on schedule,” says board member and CCO Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck.
While Sandler has remained mum on the specific technology at the site, Hornfeck does admit that the U.S. operation is mainly serving its customers in the global hygiene market but the line has the flexibility to do many things. The U.S. operation should ultimately offer the range of technologies that already exist in Sandler’s German plant.
“Growth is definitely in our plans for the U.S.,” he says. “We want to grow in the U.S. organically and bring our German products to the U.S. and find new customers there.”
Back in Germany, Sandler’s site in Schwarzenbach/Saale, one of Europe’s largest nonwovens operations, continues to be the company’s center of development and new ideas. With five separate manufacturing facilities at the site featuring a range of technologies, the planthas been the focus of significant investment in recent years.
While more recent innovation has focused on the U.S., Hornfeck is confident that Sandler’s German operation will continue to grow. Central to this growth, of course, will be new capacity installations and new product development.
“What is the most interesting story about Sandler? We are always working on new products,” Hornfeck says.
Sandler’s last German investment was in July 2016, when it completed work on that site’s largest investment, its fifth plant, which houses proprietary technology for hygiene applications. The hybrid line, which combines multiple technologies, has reportedly allowed Sandler to successfully tap into interesting new areas of applications and introduce new products to the market.
Prior to this investment, Sandler expanded its fourth production building, which was completed in 2011 with the installation of a new line known as VS32. This line, also featuring Sandler proprietary technology, makes voluminous roll goods and sheet materials through a combination of needlepunching and thermal bonding. The growing number of applications for acoustically efficiency nonwovens was a driver for this investment. It has helped Sandler expand its role in technical nonwoven segments like insulation and acoustics.
The company’s fibercomfort brand of insulation materials is applied in the roof and in walls,of a building,allowing rooms to maintain a pleasant temperature and at the same time helping conserve energy. In partition walls, ceilings or textile wall coveringssound-insulating nonwovens keep the peace and quite and can also provide for a quieter work environment in office partitions. The product range offers the right acoustic nonwoven for every application: soft and voluminous or self-supporting and compact; with an open-pore surface or especially smooth; white, black or a marble-like shade in color—these textiles can be adapted to customer requirements. They can also be finished with print or embossed motifs or laminated with different fabrics, allowing them tooalso function as a design feature for individual room design.In the hygiene segment, Sandler new product development has meant working on improving the fluid management of its nonwovens, making them more porous, developing different types ofbacksheet and topsheet materials and creating softer products for its customers. For elastic applications Sandler provides an assembly kit of materials. Customers can choose from different degrees of elongation for their individual use.
Another important market for Sandler is wipes which it serves from three spunlace lines located in Schwarzenbach/Saale. In this market, Sandler offers wipes for babycare, cosmetics, cleaning and disinfection. These materials unite high tensile strength with high softness for gentle care and include variants featuring a particularly silky touch, rendering daily skin care into a veritable wellness treatment.
Apart from functionality and feel, visual differentiation is also a focus in wipes manufacturing. New Sandler designs unite appealing appearance with optimized function. The new embossed design square for cleaning applications makes wipes even bulkier and enlarges the surface for even more efficient cleaning. New colored substrates facilitate easy distinction between different applications.
Special fibers blends used in Sandler wipes substrates allow for excellent functionality at reduced basis weights, thus helping to conserve resources.
“We feel that if we give our customers a drawer full of possibilities, they will easily be able to select the right choice for their business,” Hornfeck says. “In the wipes business, we have been finding new ideas that put customers a little bit ahead of the market,” Hornfeck says. “While in filtration we have had big success withour fully syntheticenAIRsavefilter medium which reconciles long-term separation efficiency and reduced energy consumption. It features a special multi-layer structure, in which particles are deposited along the entire width of the medium, allowing air to keep flowing through even if the filter is loaded with dust.
Looking ahead, Sandler will continue to focus on Europe and North America, where it has a strong infrastructure and team of people. Entering new markets like Asia, could pose challenging. “We would have to do something that is a little bit different than everyone else,” Hornfeck explains.
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
www.sandler.de
2017 Nonwovens Sales: $382 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, president &CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, board member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member & chief commercial officer; Tobias Baumgärtel, president Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, coating, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
Sawabond, sawaloom, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawaform, sawasoft, sawasorb, fibercomfort, bio textile by sandler, enAIRsave
Major Markets
Nonwovens for construction/engineering (technical insulation, office design & interior acoustics, environmental applications, industrial liners), filtration (HVAC, transportation filter media, liquid filter media, home care filter media), hygiene (baby care, feminine hygiene, adult care, medical applications), home textiles (upholstery & outdoor furniture, mattresses & bedding, fashion), technical nonwovens, transportation (interior and exterior applications, acoustics, engine compartment, seat, moulded parts, processing aids) and wipes (baby care, cosmetics, cleaning & disinfection).
Continued expansion of the product range, the development of new materials and entry into new markets and areas for nonwovens helped Sandler increase its sales 10% to $382 million in 2017. While growth was reported across all of the company’s main market segments, the company’s technical applications segments are probably the most dynamic ones at the moment, according to Ulrich Hornfeck, board member and CCO.
“In filtration, the new ISO standard is changing the market and product development; in the transportation, electromobility brings about new requirements on nonwovens used in automotive applications; and last but not least, the market for interior acoustics is growing in light of open room layouts, particularly in offices,” he says.
In 2017, Sandler hit a major milestone—the completion of its new plant in Perry, GA, the company’s first outpost outside of the Bavaria region of Germany. The investment allows Sandler to expand its business relations with customers in North America by optimizing on-site services. The plant serves as a direct point of entry into the North American market and a basis for establishing new contacts. “New contacts are always pleased to learn that Sandler operates a plant in the U.S. All in all, the U.S. facility is an advantage, bringing us closer to customers and potential new clients,” Hornfeck says.
Meanwhile, at Sandler’s Schwarzenbach headquarters, one of the largest nonwovens operations in Europe, the company continues to renovate two buildings, an effort that incorporates Sandler nonwovens for acoustic applications.
“At their new workplaces, our staff members are already benefitting from the quiet that acoustic wall elements made with our nonwovens bring to everyday working life. Newly constructed meeting areas are frequently used—no matter if it is for a spontaneous meeting or a formal presentation,” Hornfeck says. “Our function room and company cafeteria has also undergone a complete refurbishment. With our nonwovens again functioning as sound absorbers—this time in the ceiling construction—an open, but quiet and welcoming atmosphere was created and our employees enjoy spending their breaks here. “
Sandler’s acoustic nonwovens are marketed under the fibercomfort brand name. These nonwovens, designed to protect against both sound and heat, are made from 100% polyester and are applied in wall and ceiling systems, partition walls, furniture and as wall decorations.
“The sound and heat insulating properties of our nonwovens are also harnessed in a new development for technical insulation,” Hornfeck explains. “A two-layer insulation for hot water tanks helps to make heat storage in solar thermal installations more efficient and helps attain a higher energy efficiency category for the hot water tank.”
Filtration also remains an important market for Sandler driven by new ISO 16890 standards, which are changing the market and product development. Nevertheless, the Sandler product spectrum comprises media for all efficiency ranges according to ISO 16890. This is also true for the enAIRsave product line, which thanks to its special multi-layer structure, contributes to lowering the energy consumption of the filtration unit. In addition, Sandler is developing nonwovens for automotive cabin air filters. The Sandler portfolio now also comprises media for use in activated carbon filters. With these products, the functionality of activated carbon filters and the optimum particle filtration provided by nonwoven media can be combined in a durable product.
Moving to wipes, Sandler continues to innovate its spunlace material made in Schwarzenbach/Saale. In 2018, the company launched a finely aperture structure which not only enlarges a wipes’ surface, thus increasing direct collection, it allows fluids to accumulate better.
In the development of new wipes substrates, sustainability continues to be a focus. To this end, alternative types of fibers and raw materials from natural sources open up new possibilities in developing more eco-friendly product solutions. By constantly developing its nonwovens further and benefitting from the know-how of different manufacturing technologies, Sandler continues to expand and enhance its product range.
“In all of our market segments, it is our knowledge and experience of a wide range of nonwoven technologies, our in-house product development and generally the expertise of our team which allow us to optimize our products and adapt them to our customers’ requirements,” Hornfeck adds. “Through the right combination of fiber blend and bonding technology, softness and function can be combined in just the right way for specific hygiene applications.”
www.sandler.de
2017 Nonwovens Sales: $382 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, president &CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, board member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member & chief commercial officer; Tobias Baumgärtel, president Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, coating, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
Sawabond, sawaloom, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawaform, sawasoft, sawasorb, fibercomfort, bio textile by sandler, enAIRsave
Major Markets
Nonwovens for construction/engineering (technical insulation, office design & interior acoustics, environmental applications, industrial liners), filtration (HVAC, transportation filter media, liquid filter media, home care filter media), hygiene (baby care, feminine hygiene, adult care, medical applications), home textiles (upholstery & outdoor furniture, mattresses & bedding, fashion), technical nonwovens, transportation (interior and exterior applications, acoustics, engine compartment, seat, moulded parts, processing aids) and wipes (baby care, cosmetics, cleaning & disinfection).
Continued expansion of the product range, the development of new materials and entry into new markets and areas for nonwovens helped Sandler increase its sales 10% to $382 million in 2017. While growth was reported across all of the company’s main market segments, the company’s technical applications segments are probably the most dynamic ones at the moment, according to Ulrich Hornfeck, board member and CCO.
“In filtration, the new ISO standard is changing the market and product development; in the transportation, electromobility brings about new requirements on nonwovens used in automotive applications; and last but not least, the market for interior acoustics is growing in light of open room layouts, particularly in offices,” he says.
In 2017, Sandler hit a major milestone—the completion of its new plant in Perry, GA, the company’s first outpost outside of the Bavaria region of Germany. The investment allows Sandler to expand its business relations with customers in North America by optimizing on-site services. The plant serves as a direct point of entry into the North American market and a basis for establishing new contacts. “New contacts are always pleased to learn that Sandler operates a plant in the U.S. All in all, the U.S. facility is an advantage, bringing us closer to customers and potential new clients,” Hornfeck says.
Meanwhile, at Sandler’s Schwarzenbach headquarters, one of the largest nonwovens operations in Europe, the company continues to renovate two buildings, an effort that incorporates Sandler nonwovens for acoustic applications.
“At their new workplaces, our staff members are already benefitting from the quiet that acoustic wall elements made with our nonwovens bring to everyday working life. Newly constructed meeting areas are frequently used—no matter if it is for a spontaneous meeting or a formal presentation,” Hornfeck says. “Our function room and company cafeteria has also undergone a complete refurbishment. With our nonwovens again functioning as sound absorbers—this time in the ceiling construction—an open, but quiet and welcoming atmosphere was created and our employees enjoy spending their breaks here. “
Sandler’s acoustic nonwovens are marketed under the fibercomfort brand name. These nonwovens, designed to protect against both sound and heat, are made from 100% polyester and are applied in wall and ceiling systems, partition walls, furniture and as wall decorations.
“The sound and heat insulating properties of our nonwovens are also harnessed in a new development for technical insulation,” Hornfeck explains. “A two-layer insulation for hot water tanks helps to make heat storage in solar thermal installations more efficient and helps attain a higher energy efficiency category for the hot water tank.”
Filtration also remains an important market for Sandler driven by new ISO 16890 standards, which are changing the market and product development. Nevertheless, the Sandler product spectrum comprises media for all efficiency ranges according to ISO 16890. This is also true for the enAIRsave product line, which thanks to its special multi-layer structure, contributes to lowering the energy consumption of the filtration unit. In addition, Sandler is developing nonwovens for automotive cabin air filters. The Sandler portfolio now also comprises media for use in activated carbon filters. With these products, the functionality of activated carbon filters and the optimum particle filtration provided by nonwoven media can be combined in a durable product.
Moving to wipes, Sandler continues to innovate its spunlace material made in Schwarzenbach/Saale. In 2018, the company launched a finely aperture structure which not only enlarges a wipes’ surface, thus increasing direct collection, it allows fluids to accumulate better.
In the development of new wipes substrates, sustainability continues to be a focus. To this end, alternative types of fibers and raw materials from natural sources open up new possibilities in developing more eco-friendly product solutions. By constantly developing its nonwovens further and benefitting from the know-how of different manufacturing technologies, Sandler continues to expand and enhance its product range.
“In all of our market segments, it is our knowledge and experience of a wide range of nonwoven technologies, our in-house product development and generally the expertise of our team which allow us to optimize our products and adapt them to our customers’ requirements,” Hornfeck adds. “Through the right combination of fiber blend and bonding technology, softness and function can be combined in just the right way for specific hygiene applications.”
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
www.sandler.de
2018 Nonwovens Sales: $380 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, president & CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, board member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member & chief commercial officer; Tobias Baumgärtel, president, Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, coating, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
Sawabond, sawaloom, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawaform, sawasoft, sawasorb, fibercomfort, bio textile by sandler, enAIRsave
Thanks to investments on both sides of the Atlantic, German nonwovens specialist Sandler reported sales increased to €322 million ($380 million) in 2018. “It was our best year ever,” says Ulrich Hornfeck, board member and CCO. “There was no big jump in sales, our capacity is booked but we were still glad to see growth.”
In May, during celebrations for its 140th anniversary, Sandler announced it would invest a total of €80 million in new nonwovens capacity at its German headquarters in Schwarzenbach/Saale and at its U.S. site in Perry, GA, during the next two years. While executives would not elaborate on the specifics of the new investments, president and CEO Christian Heinrich Sandler they would expand the company’s manufacturing capacity and create room for innovations.
Sandler added the U.S. site in 2016, creating its first manufacturing site away from its Bavaria, Germany, home base. The investment has allowed Sandler to expand its business relations with customers in North America by optimizing onsite services. The plant serves as a direct point of entry into the North American market and a basis for establishing new contacts.
For now, Perry is primarily serving the hygiene market but future investments should span the whole gamut of Sandler’s technological expertise, step by step developing the site into a mini-Schwarzenbach, Hornfeck says.
The Perry investment was the latest of a number of ambitious investments Sandler has made during the past 10 years which have totaled nearly €140 million and resulted in a near doubling of staff members.
Hornfeck says that future efforts, both in Germany and the U.S., are focusing on improving processes and adding more capabilities to allow Sandler to be a full-service provider of products to its customers.
“We have a commodity, and everyone needs that but the switch to specialty is becoming a more important part of our business,” he says. “We are focusing on doing things that not everyone can do.”
Within the hygiene market, Sandler has been working on products that combine discretion and safety in use, supporting an active lifestyle at every age. A new multi-layer nonwoven offers a structured and perforated alternative for topsheets: The embossing pattern dubbed “canyon” renders the topsheet bulkier, while increasing stability and creating an individual look. The structure forms grooves on the topsheet’s surface, which help quickly transport fluid away from the body. In this way, the nonwovens contribute to preventing skin irritation and support a sense of safety during use.
Meanwhile, in the acoustics segment, Sandler has created materials with open pore structures that decrease soundwaves’ energy and reduce noise levels.
Sandler is applying its own acoustic materials in a renovation of its administrative buildings in Schwarzenbach/Saale. These nonwovens are made from 100% polyester and are applied in wall and ceiling systems, partition walls, furniture and as wall decorations.
Other efforts at Sandler are focusing on the development of more bio-based products featuring natural materials like PLA, viscose and bamboo. Hornfeck says this is mostly important in disposable segments like hygiene and wipes but Sandler is seeing interest in materials for transportation application using 100% recycled polyester and in other areas in advance of single-use plastics regulations being proposed in the EU and in several U.S. states. “Already today, about 30% of the raw materials used at Sandler are based on renewable or recycled resources and 42% of our finished nonwovens contain or are entirely made of raw materials from natural sources or recycled fibers,” he says. “Plastics regulations are making a big impact on the whole industry. We are all together in the same boat, the whole industry, sitting in it together.”
www.sandler.de
2018 Nonwovens Sales: $380 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, president & CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, board member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member & chief commercial officer; Tobias Baumgärtel, president, Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, coating, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
Sawabond, sawaloom, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawaform, sawasoft, sawasorb, fibercomfort, bio textile by sandler, enAIRsave
Thanks to investments on both sides of the Atlantic, German nonwovens specialist Sandler reported sales increased to €322 million ($380 million) in 2018. “It was our best year ever,” says Ulrich Hornfeck, board member and CCO. “There was no big jump in sales, our capacity is booked but we were still glad to see growth.”
In May, during celebrations for its 140th anniversary, Sandler announced it would invest a total of €80 million in new nonwovens capacity at its German headquarters in Schwarzenbach/Saale and at its U.S. site in Perry, GA, during the next two years. While executives would not elaborate on the specifics of the new investments, president and CEO Christian Heinrich Sandler they would expand the company’s manufacturing capacity and create room for innovations.
Sandler added the U.S. site in 2016, creating its first manufacturing site away from its Bavaria, Germany, home base. The investment has allowed Sandler to expand its business relations with customers in North America by optimizing onsite services. The plant serves as a direct point of entry into the North American market and a basis for establishing new contacts.
For now, Perry is primarily serving the hygiene market but future investments should span the whole gamut of Sandler’s technological expertise, step by step developing the site into a mini-Schwarzenbach, Hornfeck says.
The Perry investment was the latest of a number of ambitious investments Sandler has made during the past 10 years which have totaled nearly €140 million and resulted in a near doubling of staff members.
Hornfeck says that future efforts, both in Germany and the U.S., are focusing on improving processes and adding more capabilities to allow Sandler to be a full-service provider of products to its customers.
“We have a commodity, and everyone needs that but the switch to specialty is becoming a more important part of our business,” he says. “We are focusing on doing things that not everyone can do.”
Within the hygiene market, Sandler has been working on products that combine discretion and safety in use, supporting an active lifestyle at every age. A new multi-layer nonwoven offers a structured and perforated alternative for topsheets: The embossing pattern dubbed “canyon” renders the topsheet bulkier, while increasing stability and creating an individual look. The structure forms grooves on the topsheet’s surface, which help quickly transport fluid away from the body. In this way, the nonwovens contribute to preventing skin irritation and support a sense of safety during use.
Meanwhile, in the acoustics segment, Sandler has created materials with open pore structures that decrease soundwaves’ energy and reduce noise levels.
Sandler is applying its own acoustic materials in a renovation of its administrative buildings in Schwarzenbach/Saale. These nonwovens are made from 100% polyester and are applied in wall and ceiling systems, partition walls, furniture and as wall decorations.
Other efforts at Sandler are focusing on the development of more bio-based products featuring natural materials like PLA, viscose and bamboo. Hornfeck says this is mostly important in disposable segments like hygiene and wipes but Sandler is seeing interest in materials for transportation application using 100% recycled polyester and in other areas in advance of single-use plastics regulations being proposed in the EU and in several U.S. states. “Already today, about 30% of the raw materials used at Sandler are based on renewable or recycled resources and 42% of our finished nonwovens contain or are entirely made of raw materials from natural sources or recycled fibers,” he says. “Plastics regulations are making a big impact on the whole industry. We are all together in the same boat, the whole industry, sitting in it together.”
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
www.sandler.de
2019 Nonwovens Sales: $360 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, board member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member & chief commercial officer; Tobias Baumgärtel, president, Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, coating, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
Sawabond, sawaloom, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawaform, sawasoft, sawasorb, fibercomfort, bio textile by sandler, enAIRsave
Investment continues for Sandler Group. The Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany-based company has announced new lines on both sides of the Atlantic as part of its efforts to meet its customers’ demands.
In September 2019, Sandler started construction on a new line at its U.S. site in Perry, GA, which is expected to start production later this year.
Plans included the construction of a 135,000-square-foot building, which houses production and warehouse facilities and was completed earlier this year. The new manufacturing line for nonwovens will target hygiene applications. The investment will create 70 new jobs in different departments at the Perry site.
Expanding its U.S. plant will enable Sandler to continue to grow in the local market. “Sandler nonwovens made in USA allow us to continuously develop and advance our longstanding business relationships to companies in the North American market. This investment is the next step towards establishing a competence center for nonwovens production here in Perry,” says Tobias Baumgaertel, president of Sandler Nonwoven Corporation.
Sandler opened the U.S. site in 2016, creating its first manufacturing site outside of Germany. The investment has allowed Sandler to expand its business relations with customers in North America by optimizing onsite services.
For now, the Perry site’s main focus continues to be hygiene but executives say that could eventually span the whole gamut of Sandler’s technological expertise, creating a smaller replica of the Schwarzenbach site.
This investment is part of a larger corporate-wide investment announced during the company’s 140th anniversary in May 2019, with Sandler planning to invest €90 million at its sites in Germany and the U.S. over the following two years.
In April, the company announced another component of this investment plan—the construction of a high-tech nonwovens line for the production of nonwovens for mouth-nose-protection masks. The new line, which manufactures meltblown nonwovens, will allow Sandler to produce nonwovens for the manufacture of up to 600 million masks. The investment totals a single-digit million Euro amount.
“The demand for our nonwovens for protective masks is unbroken – and has been for months. Despite around-the-clock production, seven days a week,” underlines Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO. “On the other hand, we are also aware of the still challenging situation in the health sector and therefore we decided to invest in a further production line for nonwovens for mouth-nose-protection masks at the Schwarzenbach site in Bavaria.“
The German Federal Government is also addressing the shortage of materials in Germany and Europe by promoting such investments through a funding program.
In late August, Sandler formally inaugurated the new production line, which had come onstream two weeks before. The company celebrated the capacity expansion with a small event.
“Indeed, Sandler has been very experienced making filtration materials but not so much face mask material,” says chief commercial officer Ulrich Hornfeck. “This is becoming a very important market and it is one that Sandler should be in. We have a lot of knowledge about this.”
Sandler has been producing nonwovens for air filtration for more than 20 years, successfully establishing its position in the global market. Until now, the product category “nonwovens for respiratory protection masks” did not receive much public attention, “as previous epidemics fortunately affected the country less. Due to the unfortunate development of the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand from Germany and all over Europe has now increased significantly and is likely to remain high in the long term. “
However, Hornfeck says he feels investing too much too quickly could be detrimental, especially as its competitors continue to do the same. This is particularly concerning in the meltblown lines where many companies are investing in new lines. “Time will tell if we will need all of the lines that have been announced to come onstream everywhere in the world,” he says. “No one knows how long this crisis will last.”
As business, like hygiene and masks, continues to be strong, the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the global economy is negatively impacting markets like automotives, construction and furniture, however signs of recovery are already showing.
“We have seen challenges in areas like automotives, construction and furniture but we hope to see them recover by the end of the year,” Hornfeck says. “For sure this year has been unusual but we have worked hard to respond to these challenges. The good thing about Sandler is we are present in so many markets and we have so many technologies. When one is challenging, another is doing well. This has been our strategy from the beginning.”
Looking back at 2019, sales remained steady at €322 million despite raw material challenges. Highlights of the year were the development of new nonwovens solutions, which have steadily expanded the product range and the company’s position as a partner to international customers. These include heat-insulating and sound-absorbing materials for the construction industry and room acoustics; efficient filter media for clean air in buildings and vehicles; soft upholstery materials for furniture and bedding; skin-friendly materials for hygiene products; absorbent wipes substrates for cosmetics and household as well as sound insulating nonwovens for more driving comfort in automobiles, buses and trains.
These efforts have focused on developing more bio-based products featuring natural materials like PLA, viscose and bamboo. While this is mostly in disposable segments like wipes and hygiene products, increasing interest is being seen in transportation applications for 100% recycled polyester. This is in part being driven by the single-use plastic regulations being proposed in the EU and in some U.S. states. Currently about 30% of the raw materials used by Sandler are renewable and/or recyclable. “Working on sustainability is something we have to do for our Earth,” Hornfeck says. “It is the most important thing for us to survive.”
www.sandler.de
2019 Nonwovens Sales: $360 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, board member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member & chief commercial officer; Tobias Baumgärtel, president, Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, coating, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
Sawabond, sawaloom, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawaform, sawasoft, sawasorb, fibercomfort, bio textile by sandler, enAIRsave
Investment continues for Sandler Group. The Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany-based company has announced new lines on both sides of the Atlantic as part of its efforts to meet its customers’ demands.
In September 2019, Sandler started construction on a new line at its U.S. site in Perry, GA, which is expected to start production later this year.
Plans included the construction of a 135,000-square-foot building, which houses production and warehouse facilities and was completed earlier this year. The new manufacturing line for nonwovens will target hygiene applications. The investment will create 70 new jobs in different departments at the Perry site.
Expanding its U.S. plant will enable Sandler to continue to grow in the local market. “Sandler nonwovens made in USA allow us to continuously develop and advance our longstanding business relationships to companies in the North American market. This investment is the next step towards establishing a competence center for nonwovens production here in Perry,” says Tobias Baumgaertel, president of Sandler Nonwoven Corporation.
Sandler opened the U.S. site in 2016, creating its first manufacturing site outside of Germany. The investment has allowed Sandler to expand its business relations with customers in North America by optimizing onsite services.
For now, the Perry site’s main focus continues to be hygiene but executives say that could eventually span the whole gamut of Sandler’s technological expertise, creating a smaller replica of the Schwarzenbach site.
This investment is part of a larger corporate-wide investment announced during the company’s 140th anniversary in May 2019, with Sandler planning to invest €90 million at its sites in Germany and the U.S. over the following two years.
In April, the company announced another component of this investment plan—the construction of a high-tech nonwovens line for the production of nonwovens for mouth-nose-protection masks. The new line, which manufactures meltblown nonwovens, will allow Sandler to produce nonwovens for the manufacture of up to 600 million masks. The investment totals a single-digit million Euro amount.
“The demand for our nonwovens for protective masks is unbroken – and has been for months. Despite around-the-clock production, seven days a week,” underlines Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO. “On the other hand, we are also aware of the still challenging situation in the health sector and therefore we decided to invest in a further production line for nonwovens for mouth-nose-protection masks at the Schwarzenbach site in Bavaria.“
The German Federal Government is also addressing the shortage of materials in Germany and Europe by promoting such investments through a funding program.
In late August, Sandler formally inaugurated the new production line, which had come onstream two weeks before. The company celebrated the capacity expansion with a small event.
“Indeed, Sandler has been very experienced making filtration materials but not so much face mask material,” says chief commercial officer Ulrich Hornfeck. “This is becoming a very important market and it is one that Sandler should be in. We have a lot of knowledge about this.”
Sandler has been producing nonwovens for air filtration for more than 20 years, successfully establishing its position in the global market. Until now, the product category “nonwovens for respiratory protection masks” did not receive much public attention, “as previous epidemics fortunately affected the country less. Due to the unfortunate development of the Covid-19 pandemic, the demand from Germany and all over Europe has now increased significantly and is likely to remain high in the long term. “
However, Hornfeck says he feels investing too much too quickly could be detrimental, especially as its competitors continue to do the same. This is particularly concerning in the meltblown lines where many companies are investing in new lines. “Time will tell if we will need all of the lines that have been announced to come onstream everywhere in the world,” he says. “No one knows how long this crisis will last.”
As business, like hygiene and masks, continues to be strong, the Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on the global economy is negatively impacting markets like automotives, construction and furniture, however signs of recovery are already showing.
“We have seen challenges in areas like automotives, construction and furniture but we hope to see them recover by the end of the year,” Hornfeck says. “For sure this year has been unusual but we have worked hard to respond to these challenges. The good thing about Sandler is we are present in so many markets and we have so many technologies. When one is challenging, another is doing well. This has been our strategy from the beginning.”
Looking back at 2019, sales remained steady at €322 million despite raw material challenges. Highlights of the year were the development of new nonwovens solutions, which have steadily expanded the product range and the company’s position as a partner to international customers. These include heat-insulating and sound-absorbing materials for the construction industry and room acoustics; efficient filter media for clean air in buildings and vehicles; soft upholstery materials for furniture and bedding; skin-friendly materials for hygiene products; absorbent wipes substrates for cosmetics and household as well as sound insulating nonwovens for more driving comfort in automobiles, buses and trains.
These efforts have focused on developing more bio-based products featuring natural materials like PLA, viscose and bamboo. While this is mostly in disposable segments like wipes and hygiene products, increasing interest is being seen in transportation applications for 100% recycled polyester. This is in part being driven by the single-use plastic regulations being proposed in the EU and in some U.S. states. Currently about 30% of the raw materials used by Sandler are renewable and/or recyclable. “Working on sustainability is something we have to do for our Earth,” Hornfeck says. “It is the most important thing for us to survive.”
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
www.sandler.de
2020 Nonwovens Sales: $360 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, board member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member & chief commercial officer; Tobias Baumgärtel, president, Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, coating, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
Sawabond, sawaloom, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawaform, sawasoft, sawasorb, fibercomfort, bio textile by sandler, enAIRsave
It was a record year for Sandler Nonwovens. The company reported 2020 sales of €328 million ($360 million), up slightly from €322 million the year before, amidst increased demand for products like disinfectant wipes and protective clothing and slowdowns in the automotive and other technical markets in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic.
“We did not expect these things when we made our plan for 2020 but like many people last year, we were surprised with how the nonwovens industry responded during crisis,” says management board member Ulrich Hornfeck. “It proved that nonwovens are really needed to take care of people.”
At the start of the pandemic, Sandler responded quickly, shifting its production to meet surging demand in certain areas and reducing volumes in other areas. Additionally, Sandler added 60 new staff members.
“We had to train people from one line to the other, from one warehouse to the others,” Hornfeck says. “We had to have our sales team learn to quickly work with new customers. Everyone had to pitch in to help. It really was amazing.”
Sandler also responded to this crisis with investment. In April, the company announced it would add a new meltblown line to meet demand for face mask material both in Germany and elsewhere. The line was completed in record time in August 2020. It can make filtration media material for about 600 million mouth-nose-protection masks a year and was reportedly the first of its kind in Germany.
Sandler had already been making media for face masks prior to the pandemic and was able to build on this knowledge to quickly ramp up production of the material.
“We were in good shape because we already had a fundamental understanding of meltblown and we had existing customers, products and markets for this technology,” Hornfeck says.
“We managed to handle all of the requests in the first months during the crisis but the new line allowed us to serve this at a larger scale. We are still making a lot of face mask material for different purposes.”
Meanwhile, at Sandler’s U.S. site in Perry, GA, construction on a new line, which started in September 2019, was delayed by travel restrictions due to Covid, but the line was able to come onstream at the beginning of 2021. The new line, which executives describe as a hybrid machine, continues to ramp up production to meet demand for nonwovens in North America.
In addition to adding capacity, the U.S. investment includes a 135,000-square-foot building that houses production and warehouse facilities as well as the new line.
This investment is part of a larger corporate-wide investment announced during the company’s 140th anniversary in 2019.
Sandler established the Perry site, its first manufacturing operation outside of Germany, in 2017.
“We are where we want to be in the U.S. and we will continue to work hard and focus on where we want to grow in the future,” Hornfeck says. “At both of our sites, we a growing constantly with our customers and we have a lot of ideas and are doing well in all of our markets.”
At Sandler, sustainability has been key to its strategy for many years and the company has always used a lot of recycled or biobased fibers in its nonwovens. Additionally, the company has focused on energy savings, water savings and gas savings to reduce its CO2 footprint overall.
What is new to this strategy is the need to talk to its customers about what the company has done and what it plans to achieve with its partners and its customers globally.
“We have a lot of discussions with our customers about these topics and we want to push this forward pragmatically, taking it step by step,” he says. “We feel responsible for what we are doing and what our supply chain is doing. We want to help our customers meet their certain challenges and goals in CO2 reduction.”
www.sandler.de
2020 Nonwovens Sales: $360 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, board member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member & chief commercial officer; Tobias Baumgärtel, president, Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, coating, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
Sawabond, sawaloom, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawaform, sawasoft, sawasorb, fibercomfort, bio textile by sandler, enAIRsave
It was a record year for Sandler Nonwovens. The company reported 2020 sales of €328 million ($360 million), up slightly from €322 million the year before, amidst increased demand for products like disinfectant wipes and protective clothing and slowdowns in the automotive and other technical markets in the face of the Coronavirus pandemic.
“We did not expect these things when we made our plan for 2020 but like many people last year, we were surprised with how the nonwovens industry responded during crisis,” says management board member Ulrich Hornfeck. “It proved that nonwovens are really needed to take care of people.”
At the start of the pandemic, Sandler responded quickly, shifting its production to meet surging demand in certain areas and reducing volumes in other areas. Additionally, Sandler added 60 new staff members.
“We had to train people from one line to the other, from one warehouse to the others,” Hornfeck says. “We had to have our sales team learn to quickly work with new customers. Everyone had to pitch in to help. It really was amazing.”
Sandler also responded to this crisis with investment. In April, the company announced it would add a new meltblown line to meet demand for face mask material both in Germany and elsewhere. The line was completed in record time in August 2020. It can make filtration media material for about 600 million mouth-nose-protection masks a year and was reportedly the first of its kind in Germany.
Sandler had already been making media for face masks prior to the pandemic and was able to build on this knowledge to quickly ramp up production of the material.
“We were in good shape because we already had a fundamental understanding of meltblown and we had existing customers, products and markets for this technology,” Hornfeck says.
“We managed to handle all of the requests in the first months during the crisis but the new line allowed us to serve this at a larger scale. We are still making a lot of face mask material for different purposes.”
Meanwhile, at Sandler’s U.S. site in Perry, GA, construction on a new line, which started in September 2019, was delayed by travel restrictions due to Covid, but the line was able to come onstream at the beginning of 2021. The new line, which executives describe as a hybrid machine, continues to ramp up production to meet demand for nonwovens in North America.
In addition to adding capacity, the U.S. investment includes a 135,000-square-foot building that houses production and warehouse facilities as well as the new line.
This investment is part of a larger corporate-wide investment announced during the company’s 140th anniversary in 2019.
Sandler established the Perry site, its first manufacturing operation outside of Germany, in 2017.
“We are where we want to be in the U.S. and we will continue to work hard and focus on where we want to grow in the future,” Hornfeck says. “At both of our sites, we a growing constantly with our customers and we have a lot of ideas and are doing well in all of our markets.”
At Sandler, sustainability has been key to its strategy for many years and the company has always used a lot of recycled or biobased fibers in its nonwovens. Additionally, the company has focused on energy savings, water savings and gas savings to reduce its CO2 footprint overall.
What is new to this strategy is the need to talk to its customers about what the company has done and what it plans to achieve with its partners and its customers globally.
“We have a lot of discussions with our customers about these topics and we want to push this forward pragmatically, taking it step by step,” he says. “We feel responsible for what we are doing and what our supply chain is doing. We want to help our customers meet their certain challenges and goals in CO2 reduction.”
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
www.sandler.de
2021 Nonwovens Sales: $388 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, board member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member & chief commercial officer; Tobias Baumgärtel, president, Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, coating, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
sawabond, sawaloom, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawaform, sawasoft, sawasorb, bluefiber, fibercomfort, bio textile by sandler, enAIRsave
Reporting 11% sales growth in 2021, German nonwovens producer Sandler credited continued success in the hygiene and wipes markets in the U.S. as well as growth in the European technical markets. The company operates sites in Germany and Georgia and serves a diversified group of markets thanks to its wide-ranging technology portfolio. “Our long-term strategy of consistent diversification in terms of technologies and industries, as well as the establishment of an additional company location is paying off,” says chief commercial officer Ulrich Hornfeck. “Our highly motivated teams at both locations worked shoulder to shoulder for the success of the company. Their dedication made a successful year possible, despite the restrictions and market changes caused by the corona pandemic.”
Moving into 2022, however, business conditions have deteriorated across all of Sandler’s markets, says Hornfeck. This has not just meant a slowdown in demand in some core markets, but also high energy prices, exploding gas prices, supply chain disruption and personnel shortage due to Covid-19.
“We are not talking about some windy days,” he says. “We are talking about thunderstorms. We have been blown away. In a lot of cases, we can only react. We have tried to stabilize as much as possible together with our value chain of customers and we try to be as active and trustful as possible.”
Sandler has dealt with these difficult situations by being as transparent as possible with its customers. “We have to pass some of these burdens along. There is not much wiggle room when it comes to pricing.”
A nonwovens producer with several types of technologies across a range of end-use markets, in the past Sandler has weathered tough times with its diversification.
“In former times, we would have a strong time in one business and difficult times in the automotive business or it would flip flop,” Hornfeck says. “Now it is difficult everywhere.”
One area where Sandler continues to see nice opportunities is meltblown. The company added a new line in 2020 to meet heightened demand for meltblown in the face mask market, and it has benefitted from past experience with the technology as market needs have shifted.
“Our biggest advantage is we don’t only have a stand-alone line for face masks. We have different ranges of materials—some for filtration, some for building—and the ability to use different raw materials so we can balance everything out.”
In other investment news, the company’s latest U.S. investment—a proprietary production line in Perry, GA—came onstream in early 2021. Described as a hybrid line, the new investment is meeting growing demand for nonwovens in North America.
As new investments come onstream on both sides of the Atlantic, Sandler will continue to focus on sustainability, investing in the future in all areas of the company. “We continue to pursue our long-term goal of reducing our ecological footprint even further. We continue to invest in the training and development opportunities for our staff, because well-trained specialists and managers are what drives us. And we continue to invest in digitalization and our ‘Fit for Future’ program. Our new standardized ERP software has helped us optimize new processes and enhance organizational structures, also generating benefits for our partners,” says Hornfeck. “Earlier this year, we launched the bluefiber acoustics brand, which combines a wide range of acoustically highly efficient materials – polyester-based high-tech made in Germany.”
For Sandler's 2020 top company profile, click here.
www.sandler.de
2021 Nonwovens Sales: $388 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, board member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member & chief commercial officer; Tobias Baumgärtel, president, Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, coating, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
sawabond, sawaloom, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawaform, sawasoft, sawasorb, bluefiber, fibercomfort, bio textile by sandler, enAIRsave
Reporting 11% sales growth in 2021, German nonwovens producer Sandler credited continued success in the hygiene and wipes markets in the U.S. as well as growth in the European technical markets. The company operates sites in Germany and Georgia and serves a diversified group of markets thanks to its wide-ranging technology portfolio. “Our long-term strategy of consistent diversification in terms of technologies and industries, as well as the establishment of an additional company location is paying off,” says chief commercial officer Ulrich Hornfeck. “Our highly motivated teams at both locations worked shoulder to shoulder for the success of the company. Their dedication made a successful year possible, despite the restrictions and market changes caused by the corona pandemic.”
Moving into 2022, however, business conditions have deteriorated across all of Sandler’s markets, says Hornfeck. This has not just meant a slowdown in demand in some core markets, but also high energy prices, exploding gas prices, supply chain disruption and personnel shortage due to Covid-19.
“We are not talking about some windy days,” he says. “We are talking about thunderstorms. We have been blown away. In a lot of cases, we can only react. We have tried to stabilize as much as possible together with our value chain of customers and we try to be as active and trustful as possible.”
Sandler has dealt with these difficult situations by being as transparent as possible with its customers. “We have to pass some of these burdens along. There is not much wiggle room when it comes to pricing.”
A nonwovens producer with several types of technologies across a range of end-use markets, in the past Sandler has weathered tough times with its diversification.
“In former times, we would have a strong time in one business and difficult times in the automotive business or it would flip flop,” Hornfeck says. “Now it is difficult everywhere.”
One area where Sandler continues to see nice opportunities is meltblown. The company added a new line in 2020 to meet heightened demand for meltblown in the face mask market, and it has benefitted from past experience with the technology as market needs have shifted.
“Our biggest advantage is we don’t only have a stand-alone line for face masks. We have different ranges of materials—some for filtration, some for building—and the ability to use different raw materials so we can balance everything out.”
In other investment news, the company’s latest U.S. investment—a proprietary production line in Perry, GA—came onstream in early 2021. Described as a hybrid line, the new investment is meeting growing demand for nonwovens in North America.
As new investments come onstream on both sides of the Atlantic, Sandler will continue to focus on sustainability, investing in the future in all areas of the company. “We continue to pursue our long-term goal of reducing our ecological footprint even further. We continue to invest in the training and development opportunities for our staff, because well-trained specialists and managers are what drives us. And we continue to invest in digitalization and our ‘Fit for Future’ program. Our new standardized ERP software has helped us optimize new processes and enhance organizational structures, also generating benefits for our partners,” says Hornfeck. “Earlier this year, we launched the bluefiber acoustics brand, which combines a wide range of acoustically highly efficient materials – polyester-based high-tech made in Germany.”
For Sandler's 2020 top company profile, click here.
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
www.sandler.de
2022 Nonwovens Sales: $470 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, board member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member & chief commercial officer; Tobias Baumgärtel, president, Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, coating, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
sawabond, sawaloom, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawaform, sawasoft, sawasorb, bluefiber, fibercomfort, bio textile by sandler, enAIRsave
Continuing to focus on innovation, particularly how it relates to sustainable product offerings, has defined Sandler Nonwovens’ scope during the past few years. With plants in Georgia and Germany, the company has not made a significant line investment announcement recently and has instead focused on improving its operations as well as its product offerings.
“We will continue to invest but the direction of our investments will change,”says board member and CCO Ulrich Hornfeck. “We will invest in more cost efficiency and technologies that allow us to make products that offer better biodegradability and recyclability.”
Sandler’s most recent investment—a proprietary production line in Perry, GA—came onstream in early 2021. Described as a hybrid line, the new investment is meeting growing demand for nonwovens in North America. Additionally, a new meltblown line, announced in 2020 and completed one year later in Germany, has allowed Sandler to target technical applications, not limited to face mask applications, like building materials and filtration media.
As it assesses its operations in Germany and the U.S., Sandler will continue to focus on sustainability, investing in the future in all areas of the company, not just in its product offerings but also in its processes to reduce its ecological footprint.
“It is one thing to use a more sustainable material but you also have to look at how much energy you use or how much water,” Hornfeck says. “There are many things that need to be considered when you are talking about sustainability.”
Currently, 40% of Sandler’s raw materials are either biobased or recyclable, and this number is growing. “We are also moving toward using more single source polymers to ensure easier recyclability,” he says. “Instead of focusing on plastic-free, focusing on product life cycle is the issue.
“We look at the whole value chain and see what is the best solution for our customers and for the planet,” Hornfeck says.
What is challenging is developing these alternatives while still achieving high performance standards at affordable price points. “The big ‘but’ in all of our discussions is will customers buy it, will they pay more for it, will it work okay,” Hornfeck says. “These are always the questions you have to ask.”
Earlier this year, Sandler teamed up with viscose specialty fiber manufacturer Kelheim Fibres and hygiene manufacturer pelzGroup to develop a plastic-free panty liner. This innovative solution is a step towards reducing the amount of plastic in hygiene products – and thus also a contribution to tackling the global problem of plastic pollution.
Beyond hygiene, Sandler continues to focus heavily on acoustics. Last year, it launched the bluefiber acoustics brand, which combines a wide range of acoustically highly efficient materials – polyester-based high-tech made in Germany.
Owing to their excellent sound absorption properties the lightweight textile materials offer an ideal basis for individual interior design concepts, creating a pleasant living space. Self-supporting panels and pads in different thicknesses, performance types and color versions; flexible roll goods, optimally adaptable to component contours; or custom-made solutions for a specific application: bluefiber products are ready to use, combining function and design.
www.sandler.de
2022 Nonwovens Sales: $470 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, board member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member & chief commercial officer; Tobias Baumgärtel, president, Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, coating, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
sawabond, sawaloom, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawaform, sawasoft, sawasorb, bluefiber, fibercomfort, bio textile by sandler, enAIRsave
Continuing to focus on innovation, particularly how it relates to sustainable product offerings, has defined Sandler Nonwovens’ scope during the past few years. With plants in Georgia and Germany, the company has not made a significant line investment announcement recently and has instead focused on improving its operations as well as its product offerings.
“We will continue to invest but the direction of our investments will change,”says board member and CCO Ulrich Hornfeck. “We will invest in more cost efficiency and technologies that allow us to make products that offer better biodegradability and recyclability.”
Sandler’s most recent investment—a proprietary production line in Perry, GA—came onstream in early 2021. Described as a hybrid line, the new investment is meeting growing demand for nonwovens in North America. Additionally, a new meltblown line, announced in 2020 and completed one year later in Germany, has allowed Sandler to target technical applications, not limited to face mask applications, like building materials and filtration media.
As it assesses its operations in Germany and the U.S., Sandler will continue to focus on sustainability, investing in the future in all areas of the company, not just in its product offerings but also in its processes to reduce its ecological footprint.
“It is one thing to use a more sustainable material but you also have to look at how much energy you use or how much water,” Hornfeck says. “There are many things that need to be considered when you are talking about sustainability.”
Currently, 40% of Sandler’s raw materials are either biobased or recyclable, and this number is growing. “We are also moving toward using more single source polymers to ensure easier recyclability,” he says. “Instead of focusing on plastic-free, focusing on product life cycle is the issue.
“We look at the whole value chain and see what is the best solution for our customers and for the planet,” Hornfeck says.
What is challenging is developing these alternatives while still achieving high performance standards at affordable price points. “The big ‘but’ in all of our discussions is will customers buy it, will they pay more for it, will it work okay,” Hornfeck says. “These are always the questions you have to ask.”
Earlier this year, Sandler teamed up with viscose specialty fiber manufacturer Kelheim Fibres and hygiene manufacturer pelzGroup to develop a plastic-free panty liner. This innovative solution is a step towards reducing the amount of plastic in hygiene products – and thus also a contribution to tackling the global problem of plastic pollution.
Beyond hygiene, Sandler continues to focus heavily on acoustics. Last year, it launched the bluefiber acoustics brand, which combines a wide range of acoustically highly efficient materials – polyester-based high-tech made in Germany.
Owing to their excellent sound absorption properties the lightweight textile materials offer an ideal basis for individual interior design concepts, creating a pleasant living space. Self-supporting panels and pads in different thicknesses, performance types and color versions; flexible roll goods, optimally adaptable to component contours; or custom-made solutions for a specific application: bluefiber products are ready to use, combining function and design.
