1.Berry Plastics
Berry Plastics is the world’s largest nonwovens producer with a seemingly endless list of list of non woven fabrics and non woven fabric types. In late 2015, Berry Plastics, a manufacturer of films for personal care applications among other things, acquired Avintiv, the nonwovens manufacturer formerly known as Polymer Group Inc., for a USD 2.45 billion cash deal. This helped Berry Plastics further strengthens its position as the world’s leading nonwovens manufacturer for diapers, feminine hygiene items, and adult incontinence.
2. Freudenberg
Freudenberg Performance Materials is a leading global supplier of innovative solutions for a broad range of applications such as automotive interiors, apparel, building materials, filtration, hygiene, medical, shoe components, and specialties. The company has more than 25 manufacturing sites in 14 countries. The company’s apparel business, which includes both woven and nonwoven technologies, has reported appreciable sales growth thanks largely to the acquisition of the Hansel brand from Hansel Textil in Iserlohn, Germany.
3. Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark Corporation — with one of a completeand robust non woven products lists — produces hundreds of thousands of tons of nonwovens at plants around the world. While about 85% of this output is consumed internally, K-C continues to market nonwovens in a number of market areas like filtration, construction, acoustics and delivery systems (wipes) where it works in partnership with its customers.
4. DuPont
DuPont is a world’s leading player in agriculture, material science, technology and innovation-driven specialty products. DuPont has its strong leadership position in areas like nonwovens, construction, medical packaging and graphics and continues to expand into new areas like air cargo and lighting applications.
5. NW Fabric
NW Fabric is one of the leading non woven fabric manufacturers that manufactures and sells carded nonwoven fabrics worldwide. It offers needle-punched nonwovens from staple fibers, such as viscose, polypropylene, polyester, polyacrylic, nomex, and various recycled fiber mixtures.
NW Fabric now has 14 plants scattered throughout the U.S., Sweden, France, Belgium, Germany, and China.
6. Ahlstrom
Ahlstrom is a high-performance fiber-based materials company, partnering with leading businesses around the world. Ahlstrom reorganizes itself into two business areas—Filtration & Performance and Specialties. The Filtration & Performance business includes the engine and industrial filtration, industrial nonwovens, wall coverings, building and wind businesses. The Specialties business area consists of food packaging, masking tape, medical and advanced filtration businesses. Two business areas gain over €1 billion annual sales for Ahlstrom.
7. Fitesa
Fitesa is one of the world’s largest non woven fabric manufacturers, operating across ten locations in eight countries for use in hygiene, medical and industrial specialty applications. New lines continue to be installed throughout the Americas and Europe. In recent years, sales volumes continued to climb thanks to the company’s commitment to investment and growth in the hygiene market.
8. Johns Manville
Johns Manville is one of the world’s major manufacturer of premium-quality building and mechanical insulation, commercial roofing, glass fibers and nonwoven materials for commercial, industrial and residential applications. It has over 7,000 global employees and provides products to more than 85 countries and operates 44 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe, and China.
9. Glatfelter
Glatfelter is one of the world’s largest suppliers of specialty papers and engineered products. Its advanced Airlaid Materials business supplies the increasing and unmet demand in North America for the materials used in lighter-weight hygiene and disposable wipes products. Glatfelter has 12 production facilities located in the U.S., Canada, Germany, France, the U.K., and the Philippines. The company, headquartered in York, PA, employs more than 4,300 people worldwide.
10. Suominen Corporation
Suominen is the global market leader in nonwovens for wipes. The company employs nearly 650 people in Europe and in the Americas. It operates through two major business areas: Convenience and Care. Convenience is by far the larger of the two business areas representing about 92% of sales and comprising Suominen’s global wipes businesses. Care, meanwhile, includes Suominen’s activities in the hygiene and medical markets. While it represented just 8% of the company’s global sales.
