Eugene Gerden reports from Russia

Komitex, Russia’s leading producer of nonwovens and synthetic fibres is considering the possibility of establishing a joint venture with Freudenberg-Politex later this year. The new venture is expected to be established at the production site of Komitex in the Komi region of Russia and will focus on the production of nonwovens.

According to Olga Kurianovich, Komitex’s HR director, the sides are currently continuing negotiations, the details of which will be announced in due course. According to Ms Kurianovich, in April this year representatives of Freudenberg visited Komitex and discussed the possibility of the establishment of joint production.

Representatives of Freudenberg Politex Russia declined to comment. The establishment of a joint venture will be the second large project for Freudenberg Politex in the field of nonwovens in Russia, announced in recent months.

At the end of 2012 the company announced that it had invested 40 million Euros in the establishment of a new production facility for nonwovens in the city of Zavolzhy in the Nizhny Novgorod Region.

Freudenberg Politex has been operating in the Russian market since 2004. In December 2004, the company acquired a 20,000 square metres building on the site of the JSC Zavolzhsky Engine Plant and in July 2006 launched the first phase of nonwovens production for roofing materials with a capacity of 11,000 tons per year. Total investment in the project reached 500 million Roubles (USD$16.6 million). In 2010, it launched the second phase of the plant with a production capacity of 3000 tons of geotextiles per year and a total investment of 50 million Roubles.

In the meantime, analysts at the Russian Association of Non-Wovens Producers believe that Freudenberg Politex has chosen the right time for its further expansion in Russian nonwovens, as the market is steadily growing, which is resulting in the expansion of capacities of many leading local players.

For example Regent Nonwoven Materials, one of Russia’s leading nonwovens producers, has recently announced its plans for the production of nonwovens in the New Moscow region of Moscow. The new plant will have a total area of 7,400 square metres and will specialize in the production of synthetic nonwovens of the spunbond type.

The plant will have the annual capacity to produce 1500 tons of nonwoven materials and will create up to 100 new jobs.

At the same time and in addition to Freudenberg, Russia’s petrochemical giant Nizhnekamskneftekhim announced plans to production of nonwovens and on April 3, 2013 became the owner of 100% shares of CJSC Polymatiz, a Russian producer of nonwovens. Currently the enterprise produces 700 tons of nonwoven materials per year. However there is a possibility that during the next few years its capacities will be significantly increased.

At present there are more than 80 companies specializing in the production of nonwovens in Russia. Among the major consumers of their production are the producers of various polymer coatings, oilcloth, linoleum, wallpaper, soft roofing and others. Part of the production is also supplied to meet the needs of local industry in the fields of medical products and personal care products.

Further reading

Ivanovo region gets new technical textiles plant

Russia: New plant for polyester fibre and nonwovens

Russia to develop nanotechnology based textiles