01.01.05
Location: Manchester, U.K.
Sales: $89 million
Description: Plants
South Carolina, Missouri, China, U.K.
Processes
Needlepunch, thermal bonded
Brand names
Southern Felt, Slater Felt, Bondex, Andres, Webron Marling
Major Markets
Filtration
Manchester, U.K.-based Andrew Industries was able to increase its sales from $72 million to $89 million last year, thanks to acquisitions as well as higher priced raw materials for filtration media, the company’s largest end use market. The company is parent to Southern Felt, Slater Felt and Bondex in the U.S., Andrew Textile Industries and Webron Marling in the U.K. and most recently China Felt in Shanghai.
The bulk of Andrew’s nonwovens ouput centers around needlepunched nonwovens for the filtration media market—only Bondex, also a producer of thermal bonded nonwovens, boasts a diversified product base. So far, growth has come from the company’s pioneering efforts in manufacturing needlepunched nonwovens for industrial applications throughout the world. Up next will be a new state-of-the-art filtration felt line, planned for an undisclosed North American facility.
This expansion in North America follows growth efforts, initiated last year, in Shanghai, China. This operation, known as China Felt, responded to significant growth in the Chinese filtration market. According to executives, the facility is now in the initial process qualification start-up phase and will produce products for business machine products, mechanics and filtration media.
Other recent growth efforts include the acquisition of needlefelt maker Marling in the U.K., which formed Webron Marling. While executives would not comment on future growth initiatives they did admit that a focus on the markets served and maintaining the best technology possible with be cornerstones to its success in the future."
Sales: $89 million
Description: Plants
South Carolina, Missouri, China, U.K.
Processes
Needlepunch, thermal bonded
Brand names
Southern Felt, Slater Felt, Bondex, Andres, Webron Marling
Major Markets
Filtration
Manchester, U.K.-based Andrew Industries was able to increase its sales from $72 million to $89 million last year, thanks to acquisitions as well as higher priced raw materials for filtration media, the company’s largest end use market. The company is parent to Southern Felt, Slater Felt and Bondex in the U.S., Andrew Textile Industries and Webron Marling in the U.K. and most recently China Felt in Shanghai.
The bulk of Andrew’s nonwovens ouput centers around needlepunched nonwovens for the filtration media market—only Bondex, also a producer of thermal bonded nonwovens, boasts a diversified product base. So far, growth has come from the company’s pioneering efforts in manufacturing needlepunched nonwovens for industrial applications throughout the world. Up next will be a new state-of-the-art filtration felt line, planned for an undisclosed North American facility.
This expansion in North America follows growth efforts, initiated last year, in Shanghai, China. This operation, known as China Felt, responded to significant growth in the Chinese filtration market. According to executives, the facility is now in the initial process qualification start-up phase and will produce products for business machine products, mechanics and filtration media.
Other recent growth efforts include the acquisition of needlefelt maker Marling in the U.K., which formed Webron Marling. While executives would not comment on future growth initiatives they did admit that a focus on the markets served and maintaining the best technology possible with be cornerstones to its success in the future."