China's nonwoven show to be held in June
February 02, 2019 - China
Being the largest producer and exporter of nonwoven fabrics, as well as having the largest consumer market for products made from nonwovens, China’s biennial show on nonwovens - China International Nonwovens Expo and Forum (CINE – supported by Techtextil) - has special significance. This year’s is event scheduled to take place during June 3-5 in Shanghai.
“The nonwovens market has been one of the fastest growing sectors of the Chinese textile industry over the last decade, and we expect this to continue in the coming years,” Wendy Wen, senior general manager of the fair’s co-organiser, Messe Frankfurt (HK) commented. “The demographic changes, evolution of the manufacturing sector and greater awareness of environmental protection that have driven growth in China, among other factors, are also evident in a number of markets in the region, particularly Southeast Asia, so we anticipate production growth will remain strong to meet export demand, even if the Chinese economy slows further.”
The previous edition of CINE was attended by 100 exhibitors in the expo section of the fair and 3,977 trade buyers from 16 countries and regions. The top five overseas visitor countries were Korea, Japan, India, the Czech Republic and Indonesia, while the most common business nature categories of the buyers were nonwoven manufacturer, textile and chemical manufacturer, trading company, machine manufacturer and import and export company. Brands such as 3M, Asahi Kasei Medical, Hengan Group, Honeywell, Johnson Control, Kimberly-Clark, Lydall, Milliken, P&G, Toyota Boshoku and Vinda were amongst those that attended in 2017.
As part of the forum which was held concurrently with the expo, industry experts from nonwovens producers as well as the academic field attended a well-received one-day symposium to share their latest insights on industry trends and product developments.
Participants in the previous edition were full of praise for its effectiveness. “The largest advantage of this show is the good number of suppliers here, allowing us to compare brands at the same time,” explained Zhang Xianhui, a buyer from Chinatex Oriental Trading, China. Kim Meng Ng, a speaker during the forum from TWE Group, Germany, said “The forum is a well-structured programme covering various topics on technology and industry trends, delivered by experts from different fields, such as commercial players, technical persons and academic professionals.”
Exhibitors also found the 2017 event productive. “This fair is one of the most important for us in the industry,” Shi Hailang, a representative from Zhejiang Kingsafe Technology, one of the leading companies of hygiene products by sales volume in China, commented. “CINE is undoubtedly the right platform for us to showcase our company and develop the market further,” Cui Yuanwen, a representative from Blue Sky Environmental Protection Group explained. According to Zhang Shuzhen, marketing manager of Qingdao Textile Machinery, a spunlace equipment manufacturer, “CINE is the most professional nonwovens show of its kind in China.” One of the most well-known Chinese producers globally, Foshan Nanhai Beautiful Nonwoven, also participated in 2017, and reported strong growth in the personal care product consumer market in China.
Reports by the China Nonwovens and Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA), the Freedonia Group and Smithers Pira support this. Nonwovens output in China grew year-on-year by 9.67 per cent for the first 11 months of 2018, exceeding the corresponding figure for 2017 of 8.71 per cent, while demand for nonwovens is predicted to reach 4.9 million metric tons in 2022, a 6.9 per cent per year increase over this period.
Turning to the region, in 2015 Asia occupied 43.1 per cent of the global nonwovens market – with China alone accounting for more than half of the share – with this figure expected to increase to 47.1 per cent in 2020. The Freedonia report also notes that healthy growth in markets nearby to China such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam will also fuel nonwovens output in the country to meet export demand.
Globally, nonwovens demand is expected to increase 4.4 per cent per year to 12.2 million metric tons in 2022, with developing regions being the main driver of this, in particular within Asia-Pacific. In the PP nonwovens sector, output is predicted to nearly double between 2013 and 2020, with the major drivers of this growth being baby diaper, adult incontinence and feminine hygiene products. In the durable nonwovens sector, annual growth of 6 to 7 per cent for the period 2017– 2023 is also anticipated for filtration, engineering construction and packaging uses. (SV)