Bavarian nonwovens producer Sandler AG has reported a successful year 2013, during which the company has generated a sales volume of EUR 274 million, manufacturing approximately 100,000 tonnes of nonwovens.

The Sandler team also grew in 2013, with a staff of 600 now working in the company’s headquarters in Schwarzenbach. According to the company, it achieved very good results in all market segments from nonwovens for hygiene applications and wipes substrates for care and cleaning to technical applications in industrial and household uses.

The hygiene, wipes and automotive segments were major contributors to Sandler’s success. Long-term development projects were also successfully implemented and established on the market.

Investing in a future

With a EUR 15 million investment in the production line VS 32, Sandler expanded its capacities for the manufacture of nonwovens for technical applications in 2013.

Conceptualised by Sandler, the new line produces voluminous roll goods and sheet material. To this end, it employs thermal bonding, needle-punching and the combination of both processes, creating a versatile range of nonwovens.

Filter media and nonwovens for home textiles are on the production schedule, but the main focus is on lightweight, easy-to-handle insulation materials, the company reports.

Expansion

The nonwovens industry is becoming increasingly fast-paced, Sandler believes. Shorter lead times require a high level of flexibility in order planning and systems operations. Set-up times and downtimes have to be kept at a minimum to enable maximum flexibility and availability of production capacity.

For this purpose, the company invested another EUR 2.5 million in the expansion of its technical service centre. The new building is serving as a hub for internal logistics and is a central warehouse for spare parts kept on hand 24/7 for the production lines. 

These projects are the conclusion of a five-year series of investments, carried out by Sandler in order to become one of the largest locations for the production of fibre-based nonwovens. Within these five years, more than EUR 60 million were invested, putting a 10-year investment plan into practice in half the time.

New impulses

New areas of application within nonwovens sector are being explored and requirements on functionality and price-performance ratio are increasing, Sandler reports.

Employee qualification has thus become a strategic factor of success. Sandler banks on continuing professional development of its longstanding staff members, who have detailed knowledge of the company and nonwovens.

Apprenticeships in commercial, technical or business positions offer young people a career entry into this future-oriented sector. Internal training courses on nonwovens production, quality assurance or safety as well as seminars held by top-class consultants ensure that Sandler’s high standards are maintained.

Advancement through innovation

In 2014 exploiting new areas of application for nonwovens will again be a main focus of Sandler‘s activities.

Sandler‘s management assumes a bullish attitude towards the projects to come and estimates a moderate growth for 2014. “We had a very successful and eventful year”, said CEO Dr Christian Heinrich Sandler. “For 2014, we are well-prepared to seize new opportunities and to tackle any challenges that may lie ahead.”

www.sandler.de