Karen McIntyre, Editor04.12.21
The surge in demand for medical fabrics and other personal protective equipment has led to a surge in demand for spunmelt nonwovens globally. Because this surge came at time where the supply versus demand picture was already tight, manufacturers had to scramble to complete already-announced investments to plan new ones.
Industry estimates put the level of new investment in 2020 at about 210,000 tons with about three-quarters of this capacity centered on Reicofil 5 technology. In 2021, another 166,000 tons of spunmelt technology is expected to be commissioned. (For more information on capacity figures, see page 34.) These investments are expected to gradually ease supply tightness for the next several years.
“The overall picture of the supply/demand balance in healthcare, hygiene, and most specialty markets is very tight,” says David Parks, EVP and GM, Asia for Berry Global. “In addition, the mid-range forecasts from global, regional, and local customers in these
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