The big news in this year’s top company report, without a doubt, is expansion. With easily more than half of this year’s 40 largest nonwovens maker announcing expansion plans, the next couple of years in nonwovens should be interesting—to say the least.

The question on everyone’s minds is where all of this capacity will be targeted in the next couple of years as hundreds of thousands of nonwovens come onstream globally. Particularly in the spunmelt line where dozens of new lines—many of which by the top companies—are being installed, overcapacity is certainly a concern. However, many companies are bullish about nonwovens growth moving forward, saying that these investments are justified as they respond to hygiene growth in emerging markets as well as the need for thinner, more sophisticated products in the developed areas.

That said, this tremendous rate of investment—where some companies are adding as many as 60,000 tons to their current output—will certainly skew the rankings of our annual top company report as new lines come onstream in the next couple of years. I think we will see some rapid advancement up the charts.

Speaking of positions, this year will be the last year that Fibertex, ranked no. 17 this year, will appear in its current state. In January, its parent company split Fibertex in half, separating its hygiene business from its technical business. Next year, expect to see both companies—Fibertex Personal Care and Fibertex Nonwovens—listed separately in the Top Companies report. Another company likely to decrease its position is this year’s no. 3 player, Ahlstrom, which sold its wipes business—representing $420 million (€291 million) in sales—to Suominen. Likewise, Suominen, no. 40 this year, will receive a nice boost moving forward.

As has been the case since Nonwovens Industry started ranking nonwovens producers, Freudenberg Nonwovens was the world’s largest producer of nonwovens this year, despite facing some challenges. This position continues to be challenged, however, as many of the company’s fellow producers in the top five continue to invest for future growth.

The 40 companies profiled in this issue are ranked in terms of their 2010 nonwovens sales (in U.S. dollars). Sales figures are taken from a variety of sources, public documents, company statements, industry estimates and are only intended to be a guide. The real value of this report is the company profiles, which are taken from interviews with key nonwovens industry executives and provide key information about the largest players in the nonwovens industry. Nonwovens Industry strives to make this report as comprehensive as possible. If you know of a company you think should be included in this ranking next year, please contact us at nonwovens@rodpub.com. As always, we appreciate your comments.

The Top 40 Companies
Click on the Company Name below to view the complete profile.

1	Freudenberg	$1.5 billion
2	Dupont	$1.4 billion
3	Ahlstrom	$1.35 billion
4	Kimberly Clark	$1.2 billion
5	PGI	$1.15 billion
6	Fiberweb	$850 million
7	Johns Manville	$670 million
8	Glatfelter	$350 million
9	Companhia Providencia	$326 million
10	Sandler	$288 million
11	Avgol	$277.5 million
12	Hollingsworth & Vose	$275 million
13	Japan Vilene	$266 million
14	Buckeye	$265 million
15	TWE	$260 million
16	First Quality	$250 million
17	Fibertex	$235 million
17	Asahi Kasei	$235 million
19	Mitsui	$203 million
20	Pegas	$196 million
21	Colbond	$190 million
22	Toray Advance Materials	$180 million
23	Toyobo	$174 million
24	Propex	$165 million
24	Jacob Holm	$165 million
26	Vita Nonwovens	$158 million
27	Georgia-Pacific	$152 million
28	Andrew	$140 million
29	Union	$135 million
29	Hof	$135 million
31	PCC	$125 million
31	Unitika	$125 million
33	Lydall	$123 million
34	Jofo	$118 million
35	Kuraray	$117 million
36	Spuntech	$112 million
37	Foss Manufacturing	$90 million
37	KNH	$90 million
39	Rexcell	$80 million
40	Suominen	$77 million