Download pdf - Technical Textiles 2009Categories of Technical Textiles SPESA2009 Orlando June 5,, 2009 7 Technical Textiles 2009 –State of the Industry1. Agrotech - Fabrics used in agricultural,

William C. (Bill) SmithIndustrial Textile Associates

Greer, SC 29650, USA

www.intexa.com

June 5,, 2009SPESA2009 Orlando1

Technical Textiles 2009

State of the Industry


What are technical/industrial textiles?

A casual definition: "if we don’t wear it as clothing

(apparel), if we don’t use it to decorate our homes

(home furnishings), then it is industrial."

While that may be a bit imprecise, and there is

much overlap, it is functional enough to show

perspective. And it is not too far removed from the

"actual" definition -- as best we have been able to

define it.

Technical Textiles 2009 – State of the Industry



Textile Institute (Manchester, UK) says:

Industrial Textiles are: "1) Textile materials and

products intended for end uses other than clothing,

household furnishing, and floor covering, where the

fabric or fibrous component is selected principally,

but not exclusively, for its performance and

properties as opposed to aesthetic or decorative

characteristics, and

2) A category of technical textiles used either as part

of an industrial process or incorporated into final

products."



Textile Institute (Manchester, UK) also says:

Technical Textiles are: "Technical materials and

products manufactured primarily for their technical

performance and functional properties rather than

their aesthetic or decorative characteristics, a non-

exhaustive list of end uses include: aerospace,

industrial, marine, medical, military, safety, transport

textiles, and geotextiles."



Textile Institute (Manchester, UK) also says:

Technical Textiles are: "Technical materials and products manufactured

primarily for their technical performance and functional properties rather than

their aesthetic or decorative characteristics, a non-exhaustive list of end uses

include: aerospace, industrial, marine, medical, military, safety, transport

textiles, and geotextiles.“

Sounds a lot like the definition of industrial textiles.

A lot like the “casual” definition as well. Confusing?

The industry is difficult to define as there are a lot of

overlapping areas and collected data does not

always agree as to what is counted where.



Categories of Technical Textiles



1. Agrotech - Fabrics used in agricultural, farming,

landscaping applications

2. Buildtech - Materials used in construction, civil engineering,

temporary buildings, etc.

3. Clothtech -- Technical components of clothing, shoes, etc.

4. Geotech -- Geotextiles and geosynthetics -- materials for

soil control, road reinforcement, landfill liners, etc.

5. Hometech -- Technical components of home furnishings

6. Indutech -- "Industrial" items not categorized elsewhere:

filtration, mechanical rubber goods, sound absorption, etc.



7. Medtech – Textiles for medical, hygiene, rescue use

8. Mobiltech - Automobile, truck, trains, buses, aerospace

9. Oekotech - Environmental fabrics; can be from many

other segments, such as filtration, erosion fencing,

and landfill lining.

10. Packtech -- Materials for packaging (i.e. lumber wrap),

protective covering systems, sacks, bulk storage bags

11. Protech -- Protection of persons or property -- firemen's,

chemical hazmat garments, clean room garments.

12. Sportech -- Sports and leisure active wear, outdoors

and sports equipment, sports shoes.







It depends on what you count –not every study agrees.

Pounds of fiber?

Square yards of fabric?

Dollars – production, retail?



Approximately 25% of all fiber consumed in US for TT

About 24 million tons of fiber worldwide

Roughly $120 billion worldwide

About $31 billion sales in US

CAGR 3.8%



So – Is Dilbert Right?

Numbers are great to have – and necessary to put things into perspective.

It depends on what/how you count!

Market shares, by segment (% total TT fiber usage)


Source: David Rigby Associates, Manchester, UK; World Market Forecasts to 2010


Shown to provide perspective


The state of the industry?

It's down – by some estimates 20-40%,

depending on what industry you consider –

and what segment.

The TT industry reaches into every facet of

our economy, and follows it’s up and down.

So, what is happening?



Technical Textile 2009 – State of the Industry

A giant lack of confidence!

People are scared, so they put off

buying cars, houses, big ticket

appliances, eating out, taking trips,

even getting their hair cut, and

it impacts the TT industry!




Technical textiles get into many areas of products of our every day life. Most we never see or know.

Using Automotive as an illustration, one can see the myriad of places where TT are used.

While this is one example, one industry, similar things could be developed for most any of the markets in our previous pie chart.



The NA automotive industry represents the largest market for technical textiles, in dollars –and by some estimates, the market accounts for about 23% of all technical textiles worldwide.



The NA automotive industry represents the largest market for technical textiles, in dollars –and by some estimates, the market accounts for about 23% of all technical textiles worldwide.

Global consumption of technical textile

and nonwovens in mobiltech – textiles

used in transportation - is/was forecast

to reach 3.34 million tons by 2010.

BUT – now it will obviously take a while

longer!



Automotive Textile Applications & Content

Cabin Air

FiltersDash Insulation

Seat Bolster

UpholsteryCarpet

Backing

Floor Mats

Wheel House

Insulation

Muffler

Wraps

Package Tray

Facings

Seat Back

UpholsterySunroof

Facing

Headliner

Facing Headliner Scrim

Backing

Sun Visor Facing

and padding

Air Intake Filter

Sound Proofing

Battery Separators

Door Insulation

Trunk

Liner

Rear Shelf

Insulation

Door Upholstery

Tire Reinforcement

Airbags

Seating

Belts and Hoses

Carpets

Seatbelts

Electronic and structural

Composites

Oil and transmission Filters

Eco-friendly dash composites

Gas tank filters


Adapted from Freundenberg Vitek:2008

June 5,, 2009SPESA2009 Orlando

Automotive Textile Application Categories

Facing

Seat Back/Bolster

Seating

Headliner

Carpet

Trunk

Door panel

Package Tray

Cargo facing

Load Floor cover

Pillar cover

Structural

Carpeting

Carpet backing

Headliner Substrate

Door panel

Air bag

Wheel House

Trunk Trim

Tires

Seatbelts

Composites(structural andelectronic)

Belts/Hoses

Filter

Engine

Cabin

Fuel

Exhaust

Transmission

Oil

Acoustic/Thermal

Door panel

Trunk

Dash Insulator

Seat

Anti-Squeak

Package Tray

Floor Insulation


Adapted from Freundenberg Vitek:2008



Each vehicle (cars and light trucks) uses, on the combined average, 33 square yards of textile materials in interior areas (including trunk), and approximately 21 kg of fibrous material.


Application Weight(kg)

Carpets, interiors 4.5

Upholstery 3.5

Belts, hoses 1.6

Tire cord 1.5

Seat belts 1.9

Airbags 1.2

Composites 4.5

Others 2.2

Total 20.9 kg


Automotive textile according to current usage(average numbers)

Article: Upholstery in Automobiles; D. Gopalakrishnan, Arpita Nayak;www.Fibre2Fashion.com 5/17/08


Technical Textiles2009 – State of the Industry

16,000,000 cars = 528 million sq ydsAnd that does not count many unseen “working textiles” – hoses, tires, etc.

10,000,000 cars = 330 million sq yards to be used

= Loss of 198 million square yards of fabric in 2009 if current economic situation continues


“The United States is a country that depends on the

motor vehicle for transportation, and many of

those vehicles will be made in the US. The

automotive industry will eventually continue to

provide opportunities for economic development

and jobs, and now is the time to plan and prepare

for that bright future …

Until 1984 the automotive industry’s presence in

the south was minimal – since then 32 plants and

42,500 jobs have resulted…”Center for Automotive Research, 3/27/09




Wall Street Journal –January 12, 2009

Detroit is Facing a Scary New Normalcy



Wall Street Journal –January 12, 2009

Detroit is Facing a Scary New Normalcy

2013 before back to “normal” 16 Mil car year


5256

68

85

0

10

20

30

40

50

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Milli

ons

Japan/Korea W. Europe North America

0

10

20

30

40

Millio

ns

Middle East/Africa South America

C/E Europe Greater China

Southeast Asia

43.2 45.4 45.547.9

45.5

8.910.4

22.1

36.8

2007-2013 Growth Rate 0.9%

2007-2013 Growth Rate 8.8%

The Global Outlook for Automakers

© 2008 CSM Worldwide

Global Light Vehicle Production by Region




A Wall Street Journal article in early 2009 stated that

at the present rate of growth, the Chinese auto

industry, with some 80 producers, would soon

reach over 10 million units produced per year as

well – relegating the US to second place. In July

2009, this was realized with China surpassing the

US in sales for 5 of 6 months with China up and the

US car sales down.

China has 25 cars per 1,000 people -- with a

population of almost 1.4 billion, that’s still a lot of

cars (35 million) and potential!


815

600220

25

25 600

125

Opportunities for GrowthCars per 1000 population

Little Growth Some to Moderate Growth Opportunities Great Potential

Data: Fredonia Group – 2006 Figures




Housing is a major technical textiles application



Amidst all the economic doom and gloom, there are a few bright spots:• Inflation has remained under control so far.• Prices are down for most materials.• The stimulus bill will help to mitigate some loss.• There is still a large amount of construction being

put in place.

Investment bank FMI forecasted nonresidentialconstruction would plummet in 2008 and begin atleast three years of contraction. The bottom, interms of both dollar volume and percent decline, will not be until 2010. Residential construction isnot expected to recover until 2011.


Is everything down? Not quite - - A new report by the

trade group IFAI shows

Military fabrics to be up10% in 2009

Protective clothing will be up 5%

Coated fabrics to be up 3%

Geosynthetics up 5%

The report projects downturns of 4-5% in awnings,

truck covers, and marine fabrics, while lightweight

structures will be down 2%. Source: Industrial Fabric Association International 2009



The report says that with the exception

of the military, many of these markets

are heavily impacted by imports, not

just from Asia, but a growing number

of other low-wage areas, including

India and Eastern bloc countries.

Most is in finished products, not fabric(That. Obviously, affects SPESA companies)



The military has always been a major

force in developing new technology

and applying it – and will continue

to be.

Example: Protective Clothing



The military has always been a major force in developing new

technology and applying it.

It’s protective clothing developments

have been instrumental in adopting

new high performance fibers, and

the fabrics are now being utilized by

the civilian fire service and police,

emergency service providers, and

homeland security.




Gelevenor Textiles

Offreay

Protective Clothing

Military

Civilian

Fire Service

www.globalsecurity.org


The military has always been a major force in developing new technology and applying it.

It’s protective clothing developments have been instrumental in adopting new high

performance fibers, and the fabrics are now being utilized by the civilian fire service and

police, emergency service providers, and homeland security.

As the situation winds down in Iraq and new

emphasis on Afghanistan, and the overall

concern to reduce the defense budget, it is

difficult to determine the continued needs of

the military. The Berry amendment (buy

American) is a big help in US companies

supplying the military and now Homeland

Security.




Carbon Composites

Ever expanding applications

Siource: Zoltek



Carbon composites in aerospace

Source: Paul Pendorf, AMTII for TTNAS 2009



Medical – a growing dynamic in technical textiles


What to do?



The secret to prospering in the

industry is to find the areas of

opportunity and potential (and they

are there), up and down the chain -

and outward - line extension, and

exploit them.

Leading companies are doing this.



The secret to prospering in the industry is to find the areas of opportunity

and potential (and they are there), up and down the chain - and

outward - line extension, and exploit them.

Companies must build on what they do

best: use innovative and creative ideas

and techniques, develop new

applications, appropriately use new

technology, add value, differentiate

themselves from the competition



Technology?

Nanotechnology

Carbon nanotubes

New variants of older fibers

New fibers - electrospinning

Smart/Intelligent materials

Electronic integration

Green applications

Developing new technology is one thing –

how you apply and use it is the key.



Behold – the inflatable car!


XP Industries



XP Industries


Skeptical?

Think Zodiac boats!

Think Outside the Box!


XP Industries

Whether things good or bad may depend on where

you are on the chain



Fibers

Fabrics

Fabricator

User

weavers

knitters

nonwovens

chemicals

finishers

spinners

coaters, laminators

producer, end products

industrial

consumerMany/all areas interact

Whether things good or bad may depend on where

you are on the chain



Fibers

Fabrics

Fabricator

User

weavers

knitters

nonwovens

chemicals

finishers

spinners

coaters, laminators

producer, end products

industrial

consumerMany/all areas interact

Imports

Domestic


An important point:

In virtually every sector, there are areas doing

well, even if the segment as a whole is down.

Example: Within the composites section, while

fiberglass composites are down, certain

segments of carbon reinforced composites are

doing well.



Most economists see recession end in '09 – AP 5/27/09

US Housing Starts Surge, Inflation Slower - 3/17/09

(April housing starts decline dramatically – sales of previously

owned home rose 2.9 percent in April -- it’s a roller coaster ride)

Worst Might be Over – 3/26/09

Consumer Spending Increases for Second Straight

Month – 3/27/09

US consumer mood lifts – Reuters - 5/26/09 Biggest 1 month

jump in consumer confidence since April 2003

“… (US) economic recovery will be a long, slow slog, with a key

manufacturing indicator (factory activity in the Mid-Atlantic region)

showing only marginally less weakness and an outlook for rising

unemployment even when growth resumes. – Reuters 5/21/09


Some Recent Headlines


Conclusion: I have

optimism for a

Great Future,

How about you?



The state of the industry? It's down –

yes, but it is amazingly resilient.

The country needs/uses technical

textiles in so many areas.

As the economy improves, we'll emerge

from this down time to be stronger than

ever! We have before and we will do it

again.


• Change culture from reactive to proactive; textiles

still have the ability to provide an environment that

attracts the best people

• Your products are a commodity ONLY if you treat

them so; low margins are only for those who

accept them

• Innovation is not dead in the textile business; it

must be driven by customer needs

• Look upstream and downstream for opportunity

• Dream, and excite your business like never before

We control our own destiny!

June 5,, 2009

a

aaaa

Rick Black, Performance Fibers, April 21, 2009 TTNAS


TTSNA 200956 SPESA2009 Orlando


For further information about this presentation, contact:

Bill Smith, ITA864-292-8121

[email protected]
