Karen McIntyre, Editor11.02.18
The big news in the airlaid market is Glatfelter’s continued dominance as the world’s largest producer of the material globally. In 2018, the York, PA, company, which entered the airlaid business through the acquisition of Concert Industries in 2010, added a 22,000-ton greenfield site in Fort Smith, AR, and acquired the European airlaid business of competitor Georgia-Pacific, bringing its share of the market to close to 30%, far ahead of the number two player, G-P whose share is below 10% and poised to drop through the closure of its Green Bay, WI, line later this year.
As Glatfelter, whose roots are in the paper industry, extends its lead in the market, some industry experts are concerned that its dominance, combined with industry consolidation, could mean a lack of research and development dollars in the airlaid market.
“Consolidation is going to lead to cut backs on product development and innovation because what has happened is Glatfelter has a lot of contracts, which means most of the innovation is going to shift even further forward into the end users—
As Glatfelter, whose roots are in the paper industry, extends its lead in the market, some industry experts are concerned that its dominance, combined with industry consolidation, could mean a lack of research and development dollars in the airlaid market.
“Consolidation is going to lead to cut backs on product development and innovation because what has happened is Glatfelter has a lot of contracts, which means most of the innovation is going to shift even further forward into the end users—
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