Interview Mr Pierre Wiertz -General Manager , EDANA
EDANA, the international association serving the nonwovens and related industries (previously known as the European Disposables and Nonwovens Association) has 220 member companies in over 30 countries. Its Mission is to create the foundation for sustainable growth of the nonwovens, absorbent hygiene products and related industries through active promotion, education and dialogue. The association organises every year a number of international conferences and is the sponsor of INDEX, the world’s leading nonwovens exhibition.
Mr Pierre Wiertz is General Manager of EDANA, who started with EDANA in 1982, as General Manager since February 2004. As head of the organisation, he is responsible for the association’s strategy and operations and has initiated a new business orientation for its activities and membership benefits.
From 1982 to 2004, Mr Wiertz has held several other positions within EDANA. He began his professional career after graduating in Economics from the University of Liège (Belgium) in 1979, where he worked for three years as a researcher in Labour Economics and Demography. He has authored and co-authored various scientific reports and papers on these subjects.
Mr Wiertz regularly speaks at European and international conferences on topics related to nonwoven materials, hygiene and medical disposables.
Speaking with Ms Madhu Soni, Sr Editor & Correspondent – Face2Face, Mr Pierre Wiertz delves out more about Nonwovens Industry worldwide and his association’s role in it.
fibre2fashion:
Nonwovens are everywhere. Can we know at length the role that EDANA plays in the interest of this omni present industry? What all are EDANA‘s activities?
Mr Pierre Wiertz
EDANA provides a comprehensive range of services and supplies its members with the information and data necessary for them to enhance the industry’s goals and performance.
With strategic advice from the Board, EDANA coordinates a diverse network of Committees, Working Groups and Task Forces on behalf of its members, enabling them to:
• undertake joint initiatives in non-competitive areas
• exchange information, experiences and knowledge
• act on emerging issues and define common industry positions
• contribute expert advice and technical assistance to standards organizations and to legislators during the policy-making process
In addition, the diversity within the association, while complex, is undoubtedly one of EDANA’s major strengths, as it provides unparalleled opportunities for information exchange, joint-industry initiatives and networking in a different form and setting than individual commercial relationships.
fibre2fashion:
Nonwovens has wide application areas. Amongst these, which industrial sectors are likely to be developing the most?
Mr Pierre Wiertz
Health and hygiene sectors remain strong, and according to our statistics for 2009, published less than a month ago, the medical nonwovens industry is growing, reflecting the importance of infection prevention and control for both the patient and the healthcare professional. In addition, we expect the filtration sector to strengthen in the future.
fibre2fashion:
Global consumption of fibres in nonwovens industry is-
Mr Pierre Wiertz
The EDANA nonwoven production statistics show that production for 2008 was 1,609,819 tones, a decline of 6.3% from the year before. While trade flows for both exports and imports slowed in 2009, the EU27 trade balance of nonwovens roll goods was still highly positive, in both volume and in value. Moreover, for each subcategory of nonwovens, EU27 is still a net exporter. This positive trade balance helped contain the unfavourable trade balance of the overall European textile industry.
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