Posted November 15, 2017

 

By Seshadri Ramkumar

 

LUBBOCK, Texas – Globally, the nonwovens sector will experience growth, according to Govind Periwal, CEO of Dahej of India-based Pioneer Hygiene Products.

 

The nonwovens sector is an established sector in developed countries, while some work needs to be done in markets where it is still at infancy.

 

Affordability and awareness are the two important factors that will push for the exponential growth of this sector. Quantity, consistent quality and price affordability are important for the nonwovens and technical textiles sector to grow in developing markets such as India, Periwal said.

 

On a foggy morning last Friday, having his flight from Dallas delayed by an hour, Periwal visited the Nonwovens and Advanced Materials Laboratory at Texas Tech University here to discuss new applications and opportunities for PE films in hygiene products.

 

Pioneer Hygiene Products, with a current annual capacity of 6,000 metric tons of PE films, is India’s largest breathable PE film manufacturer.

 

In the past five years, many companies are coming up in India to focus on hygiene products. India has global giants such as P&G, KC and Unicharm who are active players in the market. The issue is slow penetration in rural areas, Periwal said. When it comes to diapers, pull-up pants are gaining momentum in India.

 

Hygiene and infrastructural sectors will drive the growth of nonwovens. The single nationwide taxation policy on goods and services (GST) will help with promoting the nonwovens sector as it will push domestic manufacturing, Periwal said.

 

Dr. Seshadri Ramkumar, Ph.D, FTA (honorary), is a professor at the Nonwovens & Advanced Materials Laboratory at Texas Tech.

Continued growth in nonwovens expected, says PHE chief exec