Colombian wipes converting company Quimicolor has invested in a complete Andritz neXline spunlace line for nonwovens production to its Medellín plant. The start-up is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2023.

This will be the first spunlace line in South America outside of Brazil, and it will include the 130th TT card sold by Andritz. The line will process viscose and polyester fibers to produce over 10,000 tons of nonwoven roll-goods per year for conversion to wipes.

With this investment, Quimicolor is adding its own roll-goods production line to its existing converting plant for the production of wipes. It will thus be able to control the quality of the products over the whole supply chain and make production more efficient as well as flexible. On-site production of roll-goods will have the added benefit of avoiding the intercontinental shipments needed before and thus substantially reduce the company's carbon footprint.

Thanks to Andritz’s support in accessing financing solutions, Quimicolor has obtained attractive financing for this investment through a buyer's credit under the French export promotion scheme.

Antonio Mandivil, CEO of Quimicolor, says: "This investment will allow us to take our business to the next level. It will enable us to better serve the growing Latin American market and open new business opportunities. Andritz has supported us in every single step of this challenging project that will make us pioneers in spunlace production in our region while continuing to offer hygiene and household products with an excellent quality-price ratio for all market segments."

Based in Medellín, Quimicolor has been producing skincare and household products for the Latin American market for more than 18 years.