Thinking Local

Last month, Indian nonwovens producer Supreme Group announced it would invest almost $26 million to establish its first U.S. manufacturing site in Lexington, NC. The 200,000-square-foot facility will serve as a hub for technical collaboration, allowing Supreme Nonwoven Inc. to work closely with North American customers and partners on customized material solutions. 

The decision for Supreme to invest in North Carolina was met with great fanfare by state and local investors including NC governor Josh Stein, who called his state a premier destination for textile innovation.

While this investment, which will add 50 new jobs, is certainly good news for North Carolina, it is also good news for the North American nonwovens market, which continues to see signs of growth. At this year’s World of Wipes (WOW) International Conference, which was held last month in Nashville, INDA director of education and technical affairs Matt O’Sickey proclaimed that, overall, the “nonwoven pie” in North America is growing, outpacing both GDP and population growth. A lot of this is driven by transportation applications like acoustics and battery separator applications but absorbent hygiene and wipes are also seeing growth.

Growth in wipes, which is being driven by added value applications in developed areas like North America as well as the need for non-plastic applications, were factors that led to Kruger’s recent decision to invest in North America. In May, Kruger announced it would invest more than $300 million in a Wetlace nonwovens manufacturing line in Quebec, Canada. Kruger’s first foray into nonwovens, the site will mainly produce sustainable wipes, which the company has targeted as part of its focus on growing in “essential markets.”

Not only are wipes sales growing in North America, their value proposition is expanding as consumers seek expanded benefits from their wipes products. In personal care applications, it is no longer enough for a product to offer a solution to a problem but they must also offer tangible benefits, like skin health or microbiome improvements, Euromonitor’s Liying Qian told WOW attendees. Wipes now incorporate sophisticated, active ingredients such as prebiotic or probiotic formulas that support the skin microbiome and barrier repair. Other formulations include Pro-vitamin B5 for hydration, as well as antioxidants and vitamins that offer protective, anti-aging benefits rather than just surface cleaning.

As North America welcomes these two nonwovens investments, they also serve as a reminder that, given today’s global economic challenges, prioritizing local production is more important than ever. Supporting these investments will go a long way in strengthening the North American supply chain. 

As always, we appreciate your comments.

Karen McIntyre | Editor
[email protected]