“We recognise that changes taking place in the nonwovens, hygiene, and industrial markets are creating the need for new performance attributes from our fibres. This expansion will allow our joint venture with JNC of Japan, ES FiberVisions, to continue delivering differentiated bicomponent fibres that our customers need in order to be successful in their own businesses,” said Tom Zaiser, CEO of FiberVisions Corporation.

“With this investment in Covington, we will provide new capabilities to our customers, particularly in the Carded, Air Laid, and Air Lay markets. As a pioneer of bicomponent fibre, this expansion will enable ES FiberVisions to remain the leading supplier in the world.”

New line

The new line will create a site with four bicomponent lines servicing the Americas and Europe and represents one piece of an expansion plan promoting the company’s bicomponent fibre growth worldwide. Indorama Ventures and ES FiberVisions (ESFV), a joint venture between FiberVisions LLC and Japan's JNC Corporation, have been successfully expanding bicomponent fibre growth on a global scale.

Key projects have been carried out: ES FiberVisions opened a new production facility in Rayong, Thailand in 2017; FiberVisions Corporation will be completing a debottleneck of its existing Bicomponent fibre lines in Covington in the summer of 2018; and the previously announced investment to double the capacity of ES FiberVisions Suzhou plant to over 28,000 tonnes per year capacity in Jiangsu Province, China, will be completed in the summer of 2019.

Largest producers

Through the ES FiberVisions joint venture between FiberVisions and JNC Corporation, the two partners are the world’s largest producers of polyolefin bicomponent fibres, according to the manufacturer, and have the broadest geographic coverage of any producer, with production sites in China, Denmark, Japan, Thailand and the US.

Indorama Ventures is one of the leading petrochemicals producers, with a global manufacturing footprint across Africa, Asia, Europe and North America. The company’s portfolio comprises necessities and High Value-Added (HVA) categories of polymers, fibres, and packaging, selectively integrated with self-manufactured ethylene oxide/glycols and PTA where economical. Indorama Ventures products serve major FMCG and automotive sectors, i.e. beverages, hygiene, personal care, tire and safety segments.

www.fibervisions.com