01.01.04
Location: Linz, Austria
Sales: $107 MILLION
Description: Key Personnel
Michel Haudrechy, CEO; Andreas Matje, CFO; Wolfgang Aue, group marketing manager; Roland Konrad, group sales manager; Philippe Delmas, group research and development manager, Michel Haudrechy, president, Bidim; John Smith, managing director, Polyfelt Asia.
Plants
Linz, Austria; Bezons, France, Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia, Albury, Australia
ISO Status
ISO 9001:2000
Processes
Spunbond and needlepunch
Brand Names
Polyfelt, Bidim (geotextiles and geocomposites), Polyline, Polymat, Megadrain, Envirofelt, Enviromat, Polyfelt AR, Polyfelt Hydrocomp, Polyfelt Rock PEC, Polyfelt Rock GX
Major Markets
Geotextiles and geosynthetics
Reasonable demand in Polyfelt’s core market, geotextiles, led to modest sales improvements last year. Sales rose from E90 to E95 million despite a trend toward commoditization and currency fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and the Euro.
“The global geotextile market is characterized by a strong tendency toward full commoditization in the main application areas, but there are still opportunities for specialized products for supreme solutions,” said group marketing manager Wolfgang Aue. This situation has led Polyfelt to focus on value-added solutions as well as expansion beyond nonwoven materials to provide new types of geosynthetic solutions in the civil engineering market.
Still, spunbond nonwovens continue to be the core product for Polyfelt, which currently manufactures 35,000 metric tons of the material per year. This figure is set to surpass 40,000 metric tons in coming months once a capacity expansion project at the company’s Linz, Austria headquarters is complete.
Beyond Linz, Polyfelt also operates sites in Albury, Australia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The majority, 70%, of sales are conducted within Europe, but comprising 25% of the total, Australasia sales are becoming increasingly important to the company.
In Asia, growth is occurring on the heels of infrastructure improvements but environmental concerns in developed areas are also boosting geosynthetics. In 2002, Polyfelt doubled capacity in its Kaula Lumpur facility, which was originally opened in 2000, to reach between 8000-10,000 tons per year. Also benefiting this region is an alliance with the Kaymac Group, Geofabrics Australasia, which is increasing capacity and offering a diverse product line for geosynthetics.
Turning toward Central and Eastern Europe, the entry of countries including Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia into the European Union will not affect Polyfelt because it’s been present in these nations for decades. However, solid growth has been posted and is expected in these areas, albeit from a low base.
This situation is sharply different in core geographic markets of Austria, France, Germany and Italy, where Polyfelt is the reported leading geosynthetics provider. While these markets are mature, new environmental regulations continue to increase the need for geosynthetic products in many areas, according to Mr. Aue.
The needs have increased Polyfelt’s reliance on new product development and, in turn, significantly boosted business in general. One interesting new product is Geodetect, an intelligent geotextile composite that can detect small movements in earthwork structures and prevent damage and consequent risks. It is mainly applied in geographically sensitive areas like carstic zones, mining areas and areas with compressive soils.
As product development continues, executives expect growth to come through expansion beyond nonwovens into other key materials to meet the needs of today’s geosynthetics markets in Europe and beyond.
Sales: $107 MILLION
Description: Key Personnel
Michel Haudrechy, CEO; Andreas Matje, CFO; Wolfgang Aue, group marketing manager; Roland Konrad, group sales manager; Philippe Delmas, group research and development manager, Michel Haudrechy, president, Bidim; John Smith, managing director, Polyfelt Asia.
Plants
Linz, Austria; Bezons, France, Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia, Albury, Australia
ISO Status
ISO 9001:2000
Processes
Spunbond and needlepunch
Brand Names
Polyfelt, Bidim (geotextiles and geocomposites), Polyline, Polymat, Megadrain, Envirofelt, Enviromat, Polyfelt AR, Polyfelt Hydrocomp, Polyfelt Rock PEC, Polyfelt Rock GX
Major Markets
Geotextiles and geosynthetics
Reasonable demand in Polyfelt’s core market, geotextiles, led to modest sales improvements last year. Sales rose from E90 to E95 million despite a trend toward commoditization and currency fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and the Euro.
“The global geotextile market is characterized by a strong tendency toward full commoditization in the main application areas, but there are still opportunities for specialized products for supreme solutions,” said group marketing manager Wolfgang Aue. This situation has led Polyfelt to focus on value-added solutions as well as expansion beyond nonwoven materials to provide new types of geosynthetic solutions in the civil engineering market.
Still, spunbond nonwovens continue to be the core product for Polyfelt, which currently manufactures 35,000 metric tons of the material per year. This figure is set to surpass 40,000 metric tons in coming months once a capacity expansion project at the company’s Linz, Austria headquarters is complete.
Beyond Linz, Polyfelt also operates sites in Albury, Australia and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The majority, 70%, of sales are conducted within Europe, but comprising 25% of the total, Australasia sales are becoming increasingly important to the company.
In Asia, growth is occurring on the heels of infrastructure improvements but environmental concerns in developed areas are also boosting geosynthetics. In 2002, Polyfelt doubled capacity in its Kaula Lumpur facility, which was originally opened in 2000, to reach between 8000-10,000 tons per year. Also benefiting this region is an alliance with the Kaymac Group, Geofabrics Australasia, which is increasing capacity and offering a diverse product line for geosynthetics.
Turning toward Central and Eastern Europe, the entry of countries including Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia into the European Union will not affect Polyfelt because it’s been present in these nations for decades. However, solid growth has been posted and is expected in these areas, albeit from a low base.
This situation is sharply different in core geographic markets of Austria, France, Germany and Italy, where Polyfelt is the reported leading geosynthetics provider. While these markets are mature, new environmental regulations continue to increase the need for geosynthetic products in many areas, according to Mr. Aue.
The needs have increased Polyfelt’s reliance on new product development and, in turn, significantly boosted business in general. One interesting new product is Geodetect, an intelligent geotextile composite that can detect small movements in earthwork structures and prevent damage and consequent risks. It is mainly applied in geographically sensitive areas like carstic zones, mining areas and areas with compressive soils.
As product development continues, executives expect growth to come through expansion beyond nonwovens into other key materials to meet the needs of today’s geosynthetics markets in Europe and beyond.