Function Over Fashion
March 31, 2010 At a time when industries around the globe are desperately searching for growth opportunities, cotton has one: technical textiles. Yes, technical textiles — those functional products manufactured for non-aesthetic purposes — represent a small, but robust, segment of the cotton market.
According to industry experts, technical textiles are experiencing an above-average growth rate and with a little strategic planning, producers of cotton and cotton blends can position themselves now to take advantage of this trend.
“One must be clear that most raw materials for technical textiles are glass, viscose or synthetics. Cottons and cotton blends represent only 7 percent of total world production in technical textiles,” explains Hendrik H. van Delden, managing director of Gherzi van Delden GmbH, a Krefeld, Germany-based consultant to the textile industry. “With that said, Gherzi sees a growing use of cotton in medical technology, or medtech, applications (spun-laced, non-wovens) and in the workwear/protective technology, or protech, segment (where cotton-rich or pure cotton fabrics replace synthetics in garments that are becoming increasingly sportswear-like).”
Despite the global economic downturn over the past few years, technical textiles have enjoyed increasing demand. Some estimates peg the global market for technical textiles at about US$125 billion per year. Several drivers within the industry, particularly “innovation in the value chain,” are fueling this growth, says van Delden.
He notes that, first, new natural and synthetic fibers are attracting customers. These include split fibers, polyactide (PLA) fibers and bicomponent (bico) fibers. Second, new manufacturing technologies — including SMMS spunbond non-wovens, fast spunlacing of non-wovens and multiaxial technology — have made it more economical for manufacturers to produce goods in-house. And, third, technical textile producers continue to invest in research and development and have increasingly pursued publicly funded R&D initiatives with significant success.
The technical textile industry has also helped itself by focusing on global standardization efforts. By working through agencies such as the European Committee for Standardization (CEN), Netherlands Standardisation Institute (NEN), International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), the level of quality in the industry is on the rise.
Loek de Vries, president and CEO of Royal Ten Cate, a Netherlands-based leader in combining textile technology with related chemical processes says standardization has been vital. “Ten Cate sees a trend that emerging markets adopt the quality norms and standards, which is the result of a growing quality awareness and an awareness for personal safety and protection at work (industrial environment) and in the defense industry.”
At the same time, technical textiles are riding a wave of favorable external factors. For example, standards are tightening around the world on safety and environmental protection issues, leading to greater consumer awareness and an increased demand for approved safety products. Other examples abound. Manufacturers need to save weight when building vehicles and machines. Technical textiles can be used to achieve that goal. Shores and infrastructure need to be protected from increasingly aggressive weather. Again, technical textiles fill the bill. And people want more comfort in their workwear without sacrificing performance. Technical textiles meet these new requirements.
Future Outlook
Looking at the future of technical textiles, there remains significant upside potential. That’s good news for cotton producers looking to expand their existing business in technical textiles or for others tapping the market for the first time. Still, a careful, strategic approach is best.
“The outlook depends very much on the market that is concerned,” de Vries says. “In general, the defense-related markets and the markets related to safety and protection will keep growing. Demand for protective fabrics in Europe and the United States for industrial applications will, in general, decrease further, in line with the international employment rates. However, a shift may take place to economically priced new added-value materials that may win market share. Protective fabrics will be a growing market for the coming years, mainly on the basis of a higher degree of protection of armies. In Eastern-Europe, we see strong growth potency for protective fabrics.”
In geographic terms, van Delden provides a valuable overview. “In the past, production of state-of-the-art technical textiles took place more or less in Europe, the United States and Japan. In those regions, we see volumes recovering to 2007 levels not before 2012,” he says.
“China is emerging as a strong global contender. The Chinese government has written a global role for the Chinese technical textile industry into its latest five-year plan and China is starting to produce machinery for technical textiles in the country partially using components from western suppliers,” van Delden reports. “China is already showing strong growth — in many areas of the country, use of technical textiles has been made mandatory — and has suffered little in the economic crisis. China will continue to grow at above average rates and start to export technical textiles in a major way. Today, for example, China already represents 35 percent of world production in high-tenacity industrial filaments.”
In addition, van Delden notes that India is strengthening its position in the market: “India is starting to show high growth after the government launched a huge infrastructure program, foreign automotive original equipment manufacturers are setting up plants and imports are replaced in many areas by local production, such as in protech and defense articles.”
Ten Cate’s de Vries sees a bright future for technical textiles and the organizations — including cotton-related entities — that can innovate and collaborate. “Next to technological innovation, creating a system approach instead of selling fabrics per square meter will support growth,” de Vries says. “Linking technical textiles with other technologies or trends, where the industry creates platforms for alliances with other industries, technical textiles will create solutions for complex challenges.”
photo:
Handrik H. van Delden
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