Following a major strategic review of its businesses in the first half of 2019, Fibertex Nonwovens has decided to upgrade a production line currently located in South Africa and move it to North America. The relocation will increase output capacity in North America and support growth while aligning the company's capacity in South Africa to meet current needs, according to the company.
Fibertex Nonwovens established the South African operation in 2010 and it houses several needlepunch lines geared toward the automotive, bedding, filtration and geotextiles markets. The company currently has two U.S. operations —one in Illinois and one in South Carolina—which was acquired from Mogul in late 2018.
In announcing its third quarter results, Fibertex Nonwovens said it expects market conditions in North America to remain favorable while sales in some other regions could be negatively impacted by slowing business in the automotives industry. Fibertex Nonwovens' third quarter sales grew 17% to reach $65 million compared to the same period last year.
