09.08.22
Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
www.sandler.de
2021 Nonwovens Sales: $388 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, board member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member & chief commercial officer; Tobias Baumgärtel, president, Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, coating, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
sawabond, sawaloom, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawaform, sawasoft, sawasorb, bluefiber, fibercomfort, bio textile by sandler, enAIRsave
Reporting 11% sales growth in 2021, German nonwovens producer Sandler credited continued success in the hygiene and wipes markets in the U.S. as well as growth in the European technical markets. The company operates sites in Germany and Georgia and serves a diversified group of markets thanks to its wide-ranging technology portfolio. “Our long-term strategy of consistent diversification in terms of technologies and industries, as well as the establishment of an additional company location is paying off,” says chief commercial officer Ulrich Hornfeck. “Our highly motivated teams at both locations worked shoulder to shoulder for the success of the company. Their dedication made a successful year possible, despite the restrictions and market changes caused by the corona pandemic.”
Moving into 2022, however, business conditions have deteriorated across all of Sandler’s markets, says Hornfeck. This has not just meant a slowdown in demand in some core markets, but also high energy prices, exploding gas prices, supply chain disruption and personnel shortage due to Covid-19.
“We are not talking about some windy days,” he says. “We are talking about thunderstorms. We have been blown away. In a lot of cases, we can only react. We have tried to stabilize as much as possible together with our value chain of customers and we try to be as active and trustful as possible.”
Sandler has dealt with these difficult situations by being as transparent as possible with its customers. “We have to pass some of these burdens along. There is not much wiggle room when it comes to pricing.”
A nonwovens producer with several types of technologies across a range of end-use markets, in the past Sandler has weathered tough times with its diversification.
“In former times, we would have a strong time in one business and difficult times in the automotive business or it would flip flop,” Hornfeck says. “Now it is difficult everywhere.”
One area where Sandler continues to see nice opportunities is meltblown. The company added a new line in 2020 to meet heightened demand for meltblown in the face mask market, and it has benefitted from past experience with the technology as market needs have shifted.
“Our biggest advantage is we don’t only have a stand-alone line for face masks. We have different ranges of materials—some for filtration, some for building—and the ability to use different raw materials so we can balance everything out.”
In other investment news, the company’s latest U.S. investment—a proprietary production line in Perry, GA—came onstream in early 2021. Described as a hybrid line, the new investment is meeting growing demand for nonwovens in North America.
As new investments come onstream on both sides of the Atlantic, Sandler will continue to focus on sustainability, investing in the future in all areas of the company. “We continue to pursue our long-term goal of reducing our ecological footprint even further. We continue to invest in the training and development opportunities for our staff, because well-trained specialists and managers are what drives us. And we continue to invest in digitalization and our ‘Fit for Future’ program. Our new standardized ERP software has helped us optimize new processes and enhance organizational structures, also generating benefits for our partners,” says Hornfeck. “Earlier this year, we launched the bluefiber acoustics brand, which combines a wide range of acoustically highly efficient materials – polyester-based high-tech made in Germany.”
For Sandler's 2020 top company profile, click here.
www.sandler.de
2021 Nonwovens Sales: $388 million
Key Personnel
Dr. Christian Heinrich Sandler, CEO; Wolfgang Höflich, board member & chief production officer; Dr. Ulrich Hornfeck, board member & chief commercial officer; Tobias Baumgärtel, president, Sandler Nonwoven Corporation
Plants
Sandler AG, Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany
Sandler Nonwoven Corporation, Perry, GA, U.S.
Processes
Carded, waddings and drylaid nonwovens, thermally bonded, meltblown, needlepunched, air-through bonded, spunlaced, coating, embossing and aperturing, composites
Brands
sawabond, sawaloom, sawaloft, sawaflor, sawatex, sawascreen, sawaform, sawasoft, sawasorb, bluefiber, fibercomfort, bio textile by sandler, enAIRsave
Reporting 11% sales growth in 2021, German nonwovens producer Sandler credited continued success in the hygiene and wipes markets in the U.S. as well as growth in the European technical markets. The company operates sites in Germany and Georgia and serves a diversified group of markets thanks to its wide-ranging technology portfolio. “Our long-term strategy of consistent diversification in terms of technologies and industries, as well as the establishment of an additional company location is paying off,” says chief commercial officer Ulrich Hornfeck. “Our highly motivated teams at both locations worked shoulder to shoulder for the success of the company. Their dedication made a successful year possible, despite the restrictions and market changes caused by the corona pandemic.”
Moving into 2022, however, business conditions have deteriorated across all of Sandler’s markets, says Hornfeck. This has not just meant a slowdown in demand in some core markets, but also high energy prices, exploding gas prices, supply chain disruption and personnel shortage due to Covid-19.
“We are not talking about some windy days,” he says. “We are talking about thunderstorms. We have been blown away. In a lot of cases, we can only react. We have tried to stabilize as much as possible together with our value chain of customers and we try to be as active and trustful as possible.”
Sandler has dealt with these difficult situations by being as transparent as possible with its customers. “We have to pass some of these burdens along. There is not much wiggle room when it comes to pricing.”
A nonwovens producer with several types of technologies across a range of end-use markets, in the past Sandler has weathered tough times with its diversification.
“In former times, we would have a strong time in one business and difficult times in the automotive business or it would flip flop,” Hornfeck says. “Now it is difficult everywhere.”
One area where Sandler continues to see nice opportunities is meltblown. The company added a new line in 2020 to meet heightened demand for meltblown in the face mask market, and it has benefitted from past experience with the technology as market needs have shifted.
“Our biggest advantage is we don’t only have a stand-alone line for face masks. We have different ranges of materials—some for filtration, some for building—and the ability to use different raw materials so we can balance everything out.”
In other investment news, the company’s latest U.S. investment—a proprietary production line in Perry, GA—came onstream in early 2021. Described as a hybrid line, the new investment is meeting growing demand for nonwovens in North America.
As new investments come onstream on both sides of the Atlantic, Sandler will continue to focus on sustainability, investing in the future in all areas of the company. “We continue to pursue our long-term goal of reducing our ecological footprint even further. We continue to invest in the training and development opportunities for our staff, because well-trained specialists and managers are what drives us. And we continue to invest in digitalization and our ‘Fit for Future’ program. Our new standardized ERP software has helped us optimize new processes and enhance organizational structures, also generating benefits for our partners,” says Hornfeck. “Earlier this year, we launched the bluefiber acoustics brand, which combines a wide range of acoustically highly efficient materials – polyester-based high-tech made in Germany.”
For Sandler's 2020 top company profile, click here.