Key highlights and insights from the seventh edition of the INDA North American Supply Report will be revealed exclusively, at no cost, to the association’s members at two upcoming webinars.

The new INDA report found that North American nonwoven production exceeded capacity increases for the third year, while nonwoven material trade decreased, primarily due to declines with China.

Both webinars will start at 2 p.m. and will focus on the following key results:

June 23 – Capacity and production supply-side developments on the nonwoven industry’s improving operating rates and crucial supply/demand balance as the market entered the pandemic

June 24 – Highlights of trade, imports and exports of nonwoven material with a focus on the decline from China and an increase from the rest of the world

The programs will include a 25-minute live webinar presentation with 25 minutes dedicated to answering members’ online chat questions in real-time. For registration information, visit: https://www.inda.org/inda-webinars/

The report is based on extensive research, producer surveys and interviews with industry leaders, including INDA members and non-members. It provides an overall view of North American supply, including the key metrics of capacity, production and operating rates in addition to regional trade.

“INDA’s North American Supply Report furthers our objective of providing valuable data and actionable industry information to enhance decision-making,” said Brad Kalil, Director of Market Intelligence & Economic Insights. “As always, the increasing participation of nonwoven producers providing their insights and results makes our success possible.”

In the 2017 report, INDA introduced production by end-use market. For the 2019 report, production by raw material usage has been added. The 70-page report contains 34 figures and 11 tables.

Along with the quarterly INDA Market Pulse and monthly Price Trends Summary, the annual report is provided to the 365 INDA member companies and associates as part of a member’s only benefit. The data gathered for this report serves as the foundation for the biannual North American Nonwovens Industry Outlook, which will be available for purchase this fall.

A sample of findings from this year’s Supply Report include:

In 2019, North American nonwoven capacity increased to 5.479 million tons, a net increase of only 0.9 percent (51 thousand tons) over 2018. This growth figure accounts for the addition of new lines and machine productivity increases as well as line closures to arrive at a net increasegrowth figure. In the last three years, 64 lines have come online and 23 lines have shut down. The majority of the new lines are producing engineered materials for transportation, home/office furnishings, and filtration markets.

North American imports and exports, in tonnage, decreased 3 percent and 18.6 percent, respectively, year-over-year, led by declines in trade with China. However, the trends of downward exports and upward imports continued. Over the last five years, exports have declined 7.7 percent annually and imports have increased 7.8 percent annually. Even with the significant shifts in North American trade dynamics, nonwovens tend to stay where they are produced, with the net trade balance (imports less exports) accounting for less than 5 percent of the region’s capacity.

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