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Business and industry

Xerium to build press-felt plant in China

1 September 2013
Xerium technologies of Youngsville, North Carolina, USA, a manufacturer of paper machine clothing and roll covers, has announced plans to build a plant to make high-quality press felts in China.
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Tyre-cord line bound for India

1 September 2013
An indian company making industrial and polyester (PES) yarn, Bharuch-based Rajashree Polyfil is investing in a tyre-cord dipping line.
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Environmental ruling is a potential boost for nonwoven wipes

1 September 2013
A ruling by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concerning its regulations for the management of hazardous waste could represent a significant boost for the manufacturers of industrial wipes
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Filtrona renamed

1 September 2013
Filtrona plc of London, UK, a supplier of fibre-based products and speciality plastics, has changed its name to Essentra plc with effect from 26 June 2013.
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Ahlstrom seeks to make further cost-savings by the end of 2014

1 September 2013
Ahlstrom of Helsinki, Finland, has announced plans to cut its costs by Euro35 million a year by the end of 2014.
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Egyptian unrest prompts suspension of Pegas production

1 September 2013
Pegas nonwovens of Prague, Czech Republic, has suspended trial operation at its new plant in Egypt amid concerns about the security of the company's employees during the current political unrest in th
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PurThread appointments

1 September 2013
High-performance fabric company PurThread Technologies of Durham, North Carolina, USA, has appointed Lisa Grimes as President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
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Energizer to buy feminine hygiene brands from Johnson & Johnson

1 September 2013
Energizer Holdings is to acquire Johnson & Johnson's feminine hygiene business for US$185 million. The agreement includes the Stayfree pad, Carefree liner and o.b.
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PGI to build new manufacturing facility in Nanhai, China

1 August 2013
Polymer Group Inc (PGI) is to invest in a strategic site in Nanhai, China, that will enable the company to expand its manufacturing capacity for nonwoven products for the global hygiene and healthcare
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Domtar completes acquisition of AHP

1 August 2013
Domtar of Canada has completed the acquisition of Associated Hygienic Products (AHP) from DSG International, pursuant to a definitive agreement announced in May 2013.
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Toray to expand production of diaper material in China

1 August 2013
Toray Industries is to increase production capacity in China for high-performance polypropylene (PP) spunbond nonwoven for use in disposable diapers.
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Fibertex Personal Care appoints Country Manager for Japan

1 August 2013
Hidehiko Funaoka has joined Fibertex Personal Care as Country Manager for Japan.
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Domtar acquires Associated Hygienic Products

1 July 2013
Canada's Domtar Group has signed an agreement to acquire privately owned Associated Hygienic Products (AHP), one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of store-brand infant diapers in the USA, fr
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Pegas starts-up Egyptian plant

1 July 2013
Commercial deliveries of fabrics made at a new production facility in Egypt have begun, according to Pegas Nonwovens of Prague, Czech Republic.
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Johns Manville invests in bicomponent spunbond technology for filter media

1 July 2013
An investment of Euro32 million in one of its European plants is the latest response of Johns Manville of Denver, Colorado, USA, to the growing demand for high-quality filter media.
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Fiberweb announces expansion

1 June 2013

London, UK-based Fiberweb, a manufacturer of high-performance, technical nonwoven fabrics, including products for medical applications, has announced a US$15-million expansion at its mid-Tennessee,

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Buckeye Technologies to be acquired by Georgia-Pacific

1 June 2013
Georgia-Pacific is to acquire all the outstanding shares of Buckeye Technologies' common stock for US$37.50 per share in cash.
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RKW appoints head of global hygiene and medical operations

1 June 2013
Polyolefin films and nonwovens manufacturer RKW has appointed Dr Manfred Bracher as Vice President of its hygiene and medical global business area.
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Mitsubishi Rayon consolidates US carbon fibre business

1 April 2013
Mitsubishi Rayon of Tokyo, Japan, has merged two of its subsidiaries in the USA - Grafil of Sacramento and Newport Adhesives and Composites of Irvine, both in California - to form Mitsubishi Rayon Car
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Owens Corning joins BASF and TenCate partnership to develop thermoplastic composites

1 April 2013
Owens Corning of Toledo, Ohio, USA, will join the partnership set up by BASF of Ludwigshafen, Germany, and TenCate Advanced Composites of Nijverdal, The Netherlands, to develop thermoplastic composite
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Filtrona targets market for cigarette filters in Middle East/Africa

1 March 2013
Filtrona plc of Milton Keynes, UK, has formed a joint venture with one of India's leading producers of tobacco products and by-products, BBM Bommidala of Guntur.
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Starlinger opens office in Asia

1 March 2013
A growing market for woven packaging in South-east Asia has prompted Starlinger GmbH to open an office in Surabaya, Indonesia.
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Xerium closes two more plants

1 March 2013
A G;obal manufacturer of clothing and roll-covers for paper production based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, Xerium Technologies has announced it is to close two of its manufacturing plants: Zizurkil
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US demand for nonwovens forecast to exceed US$7 billion in 2016

1 March 2013
US demand for nonwovens is forecast to rise 5.7% a year to reach a value of US$7.1 billion in 2016, according to the latest study.
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Biomedical Structures invests in its Rhode Island facility

1 March 2013
Biomedical Structures (BMS) LLC has expanded the amount of cleanroom space and the weaving capacity at its Engineering Center in Warwick, Rhode Island, USA.
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ConvaTec launches operations in India

1 February 2013
ConvaTec, a developer of innovative medical technologies of Skillman, New Jersey, USA, has launched operations in India.
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Healthcare alliance in new agreements for re-usable textiles

1 February 2013
USA-based healthcare alliance Premier has announced that new agreements for re-usable textiles and textile services have been awarded to: American Dawn of Compton, California; Encompass Group of Addis
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Winner Medical shareholders vote to approve merger

1 February 2013
Winner Medical Group, a China-based exporter and retailer of medical dressings and consumer products made from 100% cotton, has announced that, at a special meeting held in December 2012, the company'
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Activated carbon and lyocell nonwovens developed for electrode technologies

1 February 2013
Cellulosic Fibre specialist, Austria-based Lenzing AG is cooperating with Nanocarbons LLC of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA, to develop products based on lyocell fibre nonwovens and activated carbon fo
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Biomedical Structures expands its product-development and manufacturing capacities

1 February 2013
Biomedical Structures (BMS) LLC has expanded the amount of cleanroom space and the weaving capacity at its Engineering Center in Warwick, Rhode Island, USA.
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Xerium Technologies closes two more manufacturing plants

1 February 2013
A global manufacturer of clothing and roll-covers for paper production based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, Xerium Technologies has announced its intention to close two of its manufacturing plants:
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TenCate fabric continues to win contracts from Dutch fire brigades

1 February 2013
Two Dutch fire brigades have awarded contracts to TenCate Protective Fabrics that will ultimately result in a total of 1850 uniforms.
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Dow Chemical eyes potential of Russia

1 February 2013
With the aim of developing a strategy for producing and selling carbon fibre intermediates and composites in Russia, Dow Chemical Co of Midland, Michigan, USA, and one of its joint ventures - DowAksa
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Full-scale production of flax fibre begins in 2013

1 January 2013
Canada-based Crailar Technologies Inc is on the verge of manufacturing flax fibre at its first full-scale plant.
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Business Research centre for high performance fibres opens its doors

1 January 2013
The Center of High Performance Fibre Materials (CFM) opened at the Institut fur Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen University, Germany, on 7 December 2012.
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TenCate Advanced Armour opens sales office in United Arab Emirates

1 January 2013
Part of its strategy to expand its local presence in major markets for armour materials and to support defence programmes in these regions, TenCate Advanced Armour, which is based in Vissenbjerg, Denm
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Ahlstrom completes the acquisition of Munktell

1 December 2012
Ahlstrom, a high-performance materials company from Helsinki, Finland, whose products are used in such as filters, medical gowns and drapes, wallcoverings, flooring, labels and food packaging, has com
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Chinese creel contract for Cygnet Tex-Web

1 December 2012
A specialist in the design and manufacture of equipment for unwinding, guiding and providing tension to fibres, Cygnet Tex-Web of Northwich, UK, has won a contract worth GBP5 million to supply five cr
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Record-breaking year for manufacturer of carbon fibre

1 December 2012
Zoltek Co Inc of St Louis, Missouri, USA, has reported strong results for its fourth fiscal quarter of 2012, ended 30 September, culminating in a record-breaking year for sales and earnings for the ma
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PPG Fiber Glass joint venture starts fourth furnace in China

1 December 2012
PFG Fiber Glass (Kunshan) Co Ltd of Kunshan, China, has started producing glass fibre from its fourth and latest furnace.
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Europe's regions seek new markets

1 November 2012
A group of bodies representing different regions of the technical textiles industry in Europe are to collaborate in an effort to develop new markets and technology partnerships for their members in ot
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SGL now sole owner of Portuguese acrylic fibre manufacturer

1 November 2012
The conversion and expansion of existing lines for the production of acrylic fibres to create a source of raw materials for the manufacture of carbon fibres is underway at SGL Group's latest acquisiti
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Trutzschler acquires SwissTex

1 November 2012
German machinery builder, The Trutzschler Group of Egelsbach, has acquired SwissTex Winterthur AG of Winterthur, Switzerland, a specialist in spinning yarns for industrial applications and carpets.
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Ahlstrom commits more investment to filtration capacity

1 October 2012
Ahlstrom of Helsinki, Finland, is investing about Euro10 million to create additional capacity for filtration materials at its plant in Turin, Italy.
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European centre for textiles innovations opens

1 October 2012
An investment of about Euro46 million has resulted in the creation of the Centre Europeen des Textiles Innovants (CETI) in Roubaix, France, which will be officially opened on 10-11 October 2012.
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Ahlstrom acquisition targets market for laboratory filters

1 October 2012
The latest acquisition by Ahlstrom of Helsinki, Finland, is a specialist in advanced filter materials for laboratories, particularly those involved in the life sciences.
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Freudenberg cuts back on its production of staple fibre

1 October 2012
Freudenberg Nonwovens says the continuing trend for the apparel industry to use cheaper woven and knitted interlinings has forced it to reduce production of staple fibres at its plant in Weinheim, Ger
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Web Processing and Texkimp merged

1 October 2012
With the aim of creating a business supplying complete ranges of machinery to manufacturers of technical textiles, and specialist materials for the aerospace and automotive industries, Cygnet Group of
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European centre for textiles innovations opens in France

1 October 2012

An investment of about €46 million has resulted in the creation of the Centre Européen des Textiles Innovants (CETI) in Roubaix, France, which will be officially opened on 10-11 October 2012.

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Good third quarter for Zoltek

1 September 2012
Zoltek, a manufacturer of carbon fibre based in St Louis, Missouri, USA, has reported strong financial results for its third quarter, which ended 30 June 2012.
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