How can the non-woven fabric industry continue to develop in the post pandemic era?

Li Guimei, Vice President of the China Industrial Textile Industry Association, introduced the “Current Situation and High Quality Development Roadmap of China’s Non woven Fabric Industry”. In 2020, China produced a total of 8.788 million tons of various non-woven fabrics, a year-on-year increase of 35.86%. In 2020, the main business revenue and total profit of non-woven fabric enterprises above designated size in China were 175.28 billion yuan and 24.52 billion yuan, respectively, with year-on-year growth of 54.04% and 328.11%, and a net profit margin of 13.99%, both reaching historical best levels.

Li Guimei pointed out that in 2020, spunbonded, needle punched, and spunlace are still the three major processes in China’s nonwoven industry. The proportion of spunbonded and spunlace production has increased, the proportion of melt blown nonwoven production has increased by 5 percentage points, and the proportion of needle punched production has decreased by nearly 7 percentage points. According to incomplete statistics from the Middle Class Association on its members, in 2020, China added 200 spunbonded nonwoven production lines, 160 spunlaced nonwoven production lines, and 170 needle punched nonwoven production lines, equivalent to an additional production capacity of over 3 million tons. These new production capacity will gradually reach production release in 2021.

When discussing the current situation and challenges of China’s non-woven fabric industry, Li Guimei pointed out that the future development of the industry is facing trends such as high-end, high-tech, diversified, and ecological. In terms of high-end development, it is necessary to enhance brand, design, and research and development capabilities, optimize the processing and manufacturing environment and form, and enhance the non price competitiveness of the industry; In terms of high-tech development, it is necessary to develop and improve specialized resin and fiber varieties, develop high-end equipment, and develop and mass produce high-end non-woven fabrics and products; In terms of diversification, we need to support industries with low-cost, high-quality process technology, equipment, and raw materials, develop high value-added multifunctional textiles, and develop textiles that serve people’s livelihoods, improve, and affect future human life; In terms of ecology, it is necessary to explore new fiber resources, optimize the quality of natural fibers, develop energy-saving and clean functional finishing technologies, and develop harmless and safe textile chemicals. At the same time, it is necessary to explore unknown areas: attach importance to research on cutting-edge and cutting-edge textile technology, pay attention to research on the essence of things, and form fundamental and disruptive innovation in the textile industry.

David Rousse, president of the American Nonwovens Association, introduced the development status and future trend of nonwovens and personal protective equipment in North America under the influence of the COVID-19. According to INDA statistics, the United States, Mexico, and Canada are the main contributors to non-woven fabric production capacity in North America. The utilization rate of non-woven fabric production capacity in the region reached 86% in 2020, and this data has remained high since the beginning of this year. Enterprise investment is also constantly increasing. The new production capacity mainly includes disposable products represented by absorbent hygiene products, filtration products, and wipes, as well as durable materials represented by non-woven fabrics for transportation and construction. The new production capacity will be released in the next two years. Disinfection wipes and washable