Source: BCC, Inc.

INTRODUCTION

Textiles and chemical supply in general, and nonwoven products, in particular, in North America are undergoing significant changes. A global recession affected many nonwoven end-use markets and led to greatly diminished demand. At the same time, new entrants and expansions by East Asian producers resulted in additional capacity. In turn, this led to lower operating rates for many producers, a more competitive market and pricing pressures. These drivers will continue. The loss of customer industries to overseas locations (especially China), market maturation, and pressures from rising raw material and energy costs are other challenges. All of these are combining to give rise to structural change.

In the long-term, the North American nonwoven market will recover and expand, as a result of technological advancements, both in the areas of new processes and methods for producing nonwoven materials, as well as in evaluating nonwoven products for various applications. With changes in industry structure and associated challenges in the marketplace, a technology/marketing report with a unified view of materials and applications is needed.

The timely BCC report provides a detailed and comprehensive multiclient look at the global for nonwoven materials and products used in durable and disposable applications as well as potential business opportunities for the future. The study includes thorough coverage of the underlying economic issues driving the nonwoven materials and products business, as well as assessments of new and potential products that companies are developing. Social, political and regulatory issues also are covered, as are international markets.