Fibertex Nonwovens to begin industrial scale production of nanoproducts and advanced filtration media

After more than ten years of research and development, Fibertex Nonwovens is now among the first companies ready to manufacture unique products for the filtration and medico industries. The company has invested in a nonwovens production line for filter media, a nanofibre line to be used in combination with additional value-adding capabilities. 
 
A world-leading manufacturer of nonwovens, Fibertex Nonwovens is now starting a brand new and extremely promising business area. The company is one of the first nonwoven manufacturers to establish full-scale industrial production of nanoproducts.
 
The investment follows after more than ten years of research, lab production, testing and the development of a unique multifunctional production line that is capable of producing a wide range of nano-based nonwoven products.
 
“In the late 2000s, we ran a number of research projects in collaboration with leading universities in the field. Nanotechnology was on everybody's lips back then, but so far only a few industries have managed to develop commercially-sustainable products. Still, we have been firm believers all along that nanotechnology could become a game changer in our industry, and we’re now ready for a big-scale market launch of some quite unique products,” says Fibertex Nonwovens CEO Jørgen Bech Madsen, and he continues:

“Over the past year, we have been working to establish a state-of-the-art and highly flexible production line at our facility in Denmark that is capable of manufacturing a wide range of products with various nano-based properties.”

In addition to the new production line, which uses a range of polymers such as PU, PVDF and PA and is able to tailor them for a wide range of different applications, Fibertex Nonwovens has also invested in new lab facilities, new converting and post-processing lines for e.g. plasma treatment, giving the products quite unique permanently hydrophobic properties.
 
Fibertex Nonwovens has also invested in a new custom-built state-of-the-art nonwovens filtration substrate line. Capable of producing filtration substrates with different filtration properties, the new line meets the requirements for unique filtration solutions of the future.
 
The filtration market is turning out to be one of the most promising markets for Fibertex Nonwovens. The company’s new filtration media offer higher filtration efficiency with less pressure drop than in conventional filtration products. The greater active surface area of the nanofibres and minute deviations in pore size ensure very high filtration material performance. Potential applications for these nano-based filtration products include liquid and air filtration, to filter out bacteria or pollen, for example. The fibres in the nanoproducts have a thickness of only 100 nanometres, whereas ordinary nonwoven fibres are about 100 times thicker.
 
“We see a huge potential in the filtration market, and our ambition is to become a leading global player capable of manufacturing filters with a wide range of different properties. In addition, we have the facilities to produce these products under fully controlled and certified production conditions ensuring environmentally-responsible and sustainable production,” Jørgen Bech Madsen continues.
 
He adds that all the equipment installed in new premises is fully compliant with the highest environmental and safety standards.
 

Facts about Fibertex Nonwovens
Fibertex Nonwovens is the leading global partner for technical and innovative performance-based materials and nonwovens solutions. In addition to offering value-added products to customers in more than 70 countries, Fibertex Nonwovens provides strong partnerships and in-depth industry expertise and a best-in-class technology platform.
 
Nonwovens, i.e. non-woven textiles, are used in a number of different areas, including the automotive, furniture and construction industries, for geotextiles and in niche industries.
 
Fibertex Nonwovens A/S is wholly-owned by Schouw & Co. and is headquartered in Aalborg where the business was founded in 1968. The company generates annual revenue of DKK 1.4 billion (2017) and has production facilities in Denmark, France, the Czech Republic, Turkey, the USA, South Africa and Brazil as well as sales offices in France, Portugal, Spain, China and India.
 
For more information, please contact:
• Jørgen Bech Madsen, CEO, Fibertex Nonwovens, tel. +45 96 35 35 35
• Jens Bjerg Sørensen, President and CEO, Schouw & Co., tel. +45 86 11 22 22

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