Freudenberg Nonwovens is upgrading its spunlaid production with investments in North Carolina and Germany. The company is investing several million euros in upgrades at its Durharm, NC and Kaiserlautern sites. Both investments will improve the performance of existing lines.

According to the company, both projects will enhance product quality, allowing the lines to make nonwovens with high quality and improved performance. In Durham, the upgrade will increase Freudenberg's flexibility in supplying global markets. "As a result, we are in a position as a technological leader and responding to market demands for high quality materials," says Frank Heislitz, CTO of Freudenberg Nonwovens.

Advanced production technology will be installed on one of the three existing spulaid lines in Durham, improving the quality of nonwovens used for filter matierlas, OEM automotive carpeting and carpet backings. "We are optimizing our manufacturing process and enhancing performance of our production system with this investment," comments Raoul Farer, technical director in Durham.

In Kaiserlautern, an existing pilot line will be upgraded. "This project will lead to improvements in the quality of the product's physical properties, allowing us to proactively serve the needs of our customers," says Volker Rohring, head of product development in Kaiserslautern. This will bring benefits in not only automotive, carpet and filter segments but also for customers in the shoe and  construction segments.

Both investments will be complete in the fourth quarter of 2014.