01.01.07
Location: Wilmington, DE
Sales: $1.35 billion
Description: Key Personnel
Matt Trerotola, vice president and general manager DuPont Nonwovens; Mahesh Mansukhani, global business director-Tyvek/Typar and Nigel Budden, global business director-Sontara, Sandy van Wormer, president, HMT Venture
Plants
Richmond, VA (Tyvek); Old Hickory, TN (Sontara, Suprel, Softesse); Luxembourg (Tyvek, Typar); Asturias, Spain (Sontara) and Shenzhen, China (Tyvek and Sontara converting facility)
ISO Status
All plants ISO 9002 certified; Luxembourg facility also 9001 certified
Processes
Flash spun (Tyvek), spunbond (Typar), spunlaced (Sontara), Advanced Composite Technology, Hybrid Membrane Technology
Brand Names
Tyvek, Tychem, Sontara, Suprel, Softesse, ComforMax, Typar (worldwide except North, Central and South America)
Major Markets
Construction, health care, protective apparel, industrial, filtration, absorbents, home furnishings, envelopes, geotextiles, graphics, packaging, footwear, automotive
A slowdown in the North American construction market kept DuPont’s growth in the 6-7% range in 2006, but company executives are optimistic that new products and other initiatives will enable the company to achieve its goal of double-digit growth in the near future. “North America has a number of markets that are a little slower than we had been used to historically,” said Matthew Trerotola, general manager of DuPont Nonwovens. “However, we still have a goal of stretching growth into the double-digit range. It’s unlikely we will make it in 2007, but we are continuing to drive for it.”
Despite constant raw material pressures, DuPont continues to achieve solid earnings growth, an admittedly difficult task for a company that prides itself on value and innovation. “We are still committed to innovation. We continue to invest significantly and are confident that we are the innovation and technological leader in the nonwovens industry and in selective barrier technology. We are working on opportunities where our customers and their customers see value.
“It’s always a challenge to strengthen our value proposition,” Mr. Trerotola added. “There have been a number of tough calls we have made in specific segments.”
As economic pressures have softened some of North America’s key markets, DuPont has enjoyed considerable growth in Western Europe as well as in a number of key developing markets such as South America, Eastern Europe and Asia. Other than a line centered on the proprietary DuPont Hybrid Membrane Technology that came onstream in Korea two years ago, DuPont to date has not made significant capital investment in emerging markets; instead the company has focused on beefing up sales and technical support infrastructures to accelerate growth.
“We are committed to and excited about growth in Asia and are definitely increasing our resources there to drive that growth,” Mr. Trerotola said. “We will continue to look over time—as we have the need for additional assets—for the best locations for them based on a whole set of factors. Surely Asia would be up for consideration.”
Currently DuPont operates a technical center in India and an automotive center in Japan. “We are being proactive about participating in those areas and having resources close to our customers with capabilities to expand our reach.”
Beyond geographical growth, a number of key markets will add to DuPont Nonwovens’ growth in coming years including construction, protective apparel, medical packaging and graphics. “We have seen significant growth across all of the key DuPont Tyvek segments, and we expect ongoing future growth if we focus on the right customers and opportunities.” Other new markets for DuPont include automotives, agriculture and electronics.
One offering showing great potential for DuPont is its new Hybrid Membrane Technology, acquired from a Korean company in 2005 and commercialized on a new line in Korea last year. The material bridges the gap between a membrane and a traditional nonwoven and plays right into the company’s strategy of focusing on selective barrier technology.
Executives expect the material to help DuPont target the filtration and energy storage markets. Already, the technology received an IDEA 2007 Achievement Award from INDA in April 2007 and has received significant interest throughout the industry.
“We are on track and making very positive progress,” Mr. Trerotola said. “We have already begun demonstrating the material’s core value proposition—the combination of submicron filtration with high flux. We are really excited about what HMT can do in terms of cleaner environments, better protection of processes and less energy consumption.”
Hybrid Membrane Technology also offers non-diminishing filtration efficiency, giving users the ability to achieve the performance they need without electrostatic charges.
Barrier technology has been an important part of DuPont Nonwovens since the beginning. Describing Tyvek flashspun nonwovens—which is marking its 40th anniversary this year—as the ultimate selective barrier, Mr. Trerotola said new investments in this technology revolve around enhancing the material’s functionality to provide added value for customers. For example, DuPont is finalizing new technology at its Luxembourg facility that will allow it to produce Tyvek with a high-tech metallization as well as apply other coatings to the Tyvek fiber structure.
In other investment news, DuPont has expanded and improved secondary processing capabilities for construction applications at its Richmond, VA plant.
While construction continues to be the largest market for Tyvek, DuPont officials are noting growth across its other core markets—medical packaging, protective apparel, envelopes and graphics—as well. “We have seen a rejuvenation of our envelopes and graphics markets by focusing on specific areas that help our customers maintain their competitive edge,” Mr. Trerotola said. “We continue to have strong growth in medical packaging and continue to help end users and regulators understand the benefits of using Tyvek.”
Tyvek is also benefiting from a corporate-wide commitment to the personal protection market through the DuPont Personal Protection (DPP) division, which includes all of the company’s assets targeting personal protection applications. The division maintains a database containing more than 2500 combinations of chemical hazards. “If a customer needs protection from a specific hazard, we can download information to help determine the best protective solution,” Mr. Trerotola explained.
Beyond the five traditional focus areas for Tyvek, DuPont Nonwovens has been making inroads into other areas where the company has had success, such as automotives, electronics and agriculture. “We have seen exciting opportunities in taking Tyvek into markets that have been strongholds for DuPont but not necessarily for Tyvek.”
Meanwhile, the DuPont spunlace business—Sontara—is split into two divisions, medical and performance fabrics. Last year was reportedly a strong growth year for medical fabrics as well as some of the key applications with diversified fabrics. “We have been reducing our emphasis on some of the more commoditized and lower value segments within diversified fabrics.”
For example, DuPont has limited its participation in the consumer wipes market, recognizing that there are many other spunlace manufacturers who are stronger in that area. “There are definitely niche areas within wipes or specialty wipes where we are a leader or positioned to be a leader, such as printing, car cleaning or aerospace,” Mr. Trerotola said. “It’s really about the quality of the wipes we create, which our customers value.”
In the medical arena, the DuPont spunlace product—Softesse—has been a leader in gowns and drapes for many years. “We and our customers have created the single-use gown and drape category, and through the years we have been a pioneer here along with our customers.”
While spunlace has seen its share of competition in the medical apparel market, it continues to be the leading choice for medical personnel. And, with many world regions still using reusables, growth opportunities continue for spunlaced nonwovens.
Beyond spunlace, DuPont offers a number of products that offer more barrier protection than Softesse, including its Suprel product, featuring the company’s Advanced Composite Technology—a combination of polypropylene and polyethylene—as well as a film product, Acturel. However, DuPont has stayed away from the SMS market—which has seen significant penetration in medical applications—considering the technology to be largely commoditized. “Suprel is having success with customers who appreciate the higher value proposition, higher comfort than SMS and better protection.”
In other new product news, DuPont in April introduced DuPont Engineered Elastic Nonwovens, stretch fabrics designed to fit a range of industry needs. They have been produced on a large-scale pilot line since late 2006. Fabrics produced through this new technology can be high stretch or high stretch with varying degrees of elastic recovery power, depending on end user needs. The proprietary fabrics offer 100% stretch and 80% recovery; between 200% and 500% extensibility is possible with some recovery power.
Engineered Elastic Nonwovens fabrics are latex-free, use no elastomeric polymers and are based on spunlaced technology. Targeting both converters and end users, the soft and high stretch materials provide unique elastic functionality and deliver soft-stretch comfort and ease of use. Potential applications include ear-loop facemasks, soft-stretch hoods, knit-like stretchable gown sleeves and cuffs in protective and cleanroom apparel, hygiene side panels, wound dressing, elastic bandages and low-power wound care sleeves, elastic protective covers, elastic interlinings and elastic composites.
It is through technologies like HMT and Engineered Elastic Nonwovens that DuPont will continue its role as an innovation leader in the nonwovens industry, despite day-to-day challenges. “We have a vision of where we want to be, and that allows us to create new products and target new areas for growth,” Mr. Trerotola said.
Sales: $1.35 billion
Description: Key Personnel
Matt Trerotola, vice president and general manager DuPont Nonwovens; Mahesh Mansukhani, global business director-Tyvek/Typar and Nigel Budden, global business director-Sontara, Sandy van Wormer, president, HMT Venture
Plants
Richmond, VA (Tyvek); Old Hickory, TN (Sontara, Suprel, Softesse); Luxembourg (Tyvek, Typar); Asturias, Spain (Sontara) and Shenzhen, China (Tyvek and Sontara converting facility)
ISO Status
All plants ISO 9002 certified; Luxembourg facility also 9001 certified
Processes
Flash spun (Tyvek), spunbond (Typar), spunlaced (Sontara), Advanced Composite Technology, Hybrid Membrane Technology
Brand Names
Tyvek, Tychem, Sontara, Suprel, Softesse, ComforMax, Typar (worldwide except North, Central and South America)
Major Markets
Construction, health care, protective apparel, industrial, filtration, absorbents, home furnishings, envelopes, geotextiles, graphics, packaging, footwear, automotive
A slowdown in the North American construction market kept DuPont’s growth in the 6-7% range in 2006, but company executives are optimistic that new products and other initiatives will enable the company to achieve its goal of double-digit growth in the near future. “North America has a number of markets that are a little slower than we had been used to historically,” said Matthew Trerotola, general manager of DuPont Nonwovens. “However, we still have a goal of stretching growth into the double-digit range. It’s unlikely we will make it in 2007, but we are continuing to drive for it.”
Despite constant raw material pressures, DuPont continues to achieve solid earnings growth, an admittedly difficult task for a company that prides itself on value and innovation. “We are still committed to innovation. We continue to invest significantly and are confident that we are the innovation and technological leader in the nonwovens industry and in selective barrier technology. We are working on opportunities where our customers and their customers see value.
“It’s always a challenge to strengthen our value proposition,” Mr. Trerotola added. “There have been a number of tough calls we have made in specific segments.”
As economic pressures have softened some of North America’s key markets, DuPont has enjoyed considerable growth in Western Europe as well as in a number of key developing markets such as South America, Eastern Europe and Asia. Other than a line centered on the proprietary DuPont Hybrid Membrane Technology that came onstream in Korea two years ago, DuPont to date has not made significant capital investment in emerging markets; instead the company has focused on beefing up sales and technical support infrastructures to accelerate growth.
“We are committed to and excited about growth in Asia and are definitely increasing our resources there to drive that growth,” Mr. Trerotola said. “We will continue to look over time—as we have the need for additional assets—for the best locations for them based on a whole set of factors. Surely Asia would be up for consideration.”
Currently DuPont operates a technical center in India and an automotive center in Japan. “We are being proactive about participating in those areas and having resources close to our customers with capabilities to expand our reach.”
Beyond geographical growth, a number of key markets will add to DuPont Nonwovens’ growth in coming years including construction, protective apparel, medical packaging and graphics. “We have seen significant growth across all of the key DuPont Tyvek segments, and we expect ongoing future growth if we focus on the right customers and opportunities.” Other new markets for DuPont include automotives, agriculture and electronics.
One offering showing great potential for DuPont is its new Hybrid Membrane Technology, acquired from a Korean company in 2005 and commercialized on a new line in Korea last year. The material bridges the gap between a membrane and a traditional nonwoven and plays right into the company’s strategy of focusing on selective barrier technology.
Executives expect the material to help DuPont target the filtration and energy storage markets. Already, the technology received an IDEA 2007 Achievement Award from INDA in April 2007 and has received significant interest throughout the industry.
“We are on track and making very positive progress,” Mr. Trerotola said. “We have already begun demonstrating the material’s core value proposition—the combination of submicron filtration with high flux. We are really excited about what HMT can do in terms of cleaner environments, better protection of processes and less energy consumption.”
Hybrid Membrane Technology also offers non-diminishing filtration efficiency, giving users the ability to achieve the performance they need without electrostatic charges.
Barrier technology has been an important part of DuPont Nonwovens since the beginning. Describing Tyvek flashspun nonwovens—which is marking its 40th anniversary this year—as the ultimate selective barrier, Mr. Trerotola said new investments in this technology revolve around enhancing the material’s functionality to provide added value for customers. For example, DuPont is finalizing new technology at its Luxembourg facility that will allow it to produce Tyvek with a high-tech metallization as well as apply other coatings to the Tyvek fiber structure.
In other investment news, DuPont has expanded and improved secondary processing capabilities for construction applications at its Richmond, VA plant.
While construction continues to be the largest market for Tyvek, DuPont officials are noting growth across its other core markets—medical packaging, protective apparel, envelopes and graphics—as well. “We have seen a rejuvenation of our envelopes and graphics markets by focusing on specific areas that help our customers maintain their competitive edge,” Mr. Trerotola said. “We continue to have strong growth in medical packaging and continue to help end users and regulators understand the benefits of using Tyvek.”
Tyvek is also benefiting from a corporate-wide commitment to the personal protection market through the DuPont Personal Protection (DPP) division, which includes all of the company’s assets targeting personal protection applications. The division maintains a database containing more than 2500 combinations of chemical hazards. “If a customer needs protection from a specific hazard, we can download information to help determine the best protective solution,” Mr. Trerotola explained.
Beyond the five traditional focus areas for Tyvek, DuPont Nonwovens has been making inroads into other areas where the company has had success, such as automotives, electronics and agriculture. “We have seen exciting opportunities in taking Tyvek into markets that have been strongholds for DuPont but not necessarily for Tyvek.”
Meanwhile, the DuPont spunlace business—Sontara—is split into two divisions, medical and performance fabrics. Last year was reportedly a strong growth year for medical fabrics as well as some of the key applications with diversified fabrics. “We have been reducing our emphasis on some of the more commoditized and lower value segments within diversified fabrics.”
For example, DuPont has limited its participation in the consumer wipes market, recognizing that there are many other spunlace manufacturers who are stronger in that area. “There are definitely niche areas within wipes or specialty wipes where we are a leader or positioned to be a leader, such as printing, car cleaning or aerospace,” Mr. Trerotola said. “It’s really about the quality of the wipes we create, which our customers value.”
In the medical arena, the DuPont spunlace product—Softesse—has been a leader in gowns and drapes for many years. “We and our customers have created the single-use gown and drape category, and through the years we have been a pioneer here along with our customers.”
While spunlace has seen its share of competition in the medical apparel market, it continues to be the leading choice for medical personnel. And, with many world regions still using reusables, growth opportunities continue for spunlaced nonwovens.
Beyond spunlace, DuPont offers a number of products that offer more barrier protection than Softesse, including its Suprel product, featuring the company’s Advanced Composite Technology—a combination of polypropylene and polyethylene—as well as a film product, Acturel. However, DuPont has stayed away from the SMS market—which has seen significant penetration in medical applications—considering the technology to be largely commoditized. “Suprel is having success with customers who appreciate the higher value proposition, higher comfort than SMS and better protection.”
In other new product news, DuPont in April introduced DuPont Engineered Elastic Nonwovens, stretch fabrics designed to fit a range of industry needs. They have been produced on a large-scale pilot line since late 2006. Fabrics produced through this new technology can be high stretch or high stretch with varying degrees of elastic recovery power, depending on end user needs. The proprietary fabrics offer 100% stretch and 80% recovery; between 200% and 500% extensibility is possible with some recovery power.
Engineered Elastic Nonwovens fabrics are latex-free, use no elastomeric polymers and are based on spunlaced technology. Targeting both converters and end users, the soft and high stretch materials provide unique elastic functionality and deliver soft-stretch comfort and ease of use. Potential applications include ear-loop facemasks, soft-stretch hoods, knit-like stretchable gown sleeves and cuffs in protective and cleanroom apparel, hygiene side panels, wound dressing, elastic bandages and low-power wound care sleeves, elastic protective covers, elastic interlinings and elastic composites.
It is through technologies like HMT and Engineered Elastic Nonwovens that DuPont will continue its role as an innovation leader in the nonwovens industry, despite day-to-day challenges. “We have a vision of where we want to be, and that allows us to create new products and target new areas for growth,” Mr. Trerotola said.