One relatively new area of use of nonwovens is office design & interior acoustics
Sandler AG develops and manufactures nonwoven roll goods for the hygiene and wipes industry, home textiles as well as technical applications. Dr Ulrich Hornfeck, board member and chief commercial officer at Sandler AG discusses the latest trends dominating the nonwovens industry.
Which are your biggest markets and where does Asia feature in your growth strategy? Which are the countries seeking more of nonwovens?
Sandler exports about 60 per cent of its production annually to customers all around the globe. A large share of them is located in Europe, but we also have customers in North America and of course Asia. In 2004, we established a sales office in Shanghai, working with a local partner. The staff members at this sales office advise Chinese customers on all matters concerning nonwovens, particularly for technical applications. In 2011, a further sales office was established in New-Delhi, India. Additionally, Sandler works with representatives around the globe, who liaise with customers in their respective countries and administer the order processing.
The Sandler Nonwoven Corporation in Perry, Georgia, USA, established in 2015, is our active point of entry into the North American market, supplies customers with Sandler nonwovens "made in USA" and helps us further improve customer service for longstanding clients in this region.
Which domestic and global fairs do you plan to attend? What innovations will be at display?
In 2017, Sandler will be exhibiting at the Index in Geneva and will also be participating in the Filtrex conference, which will be held within the scope of the Index 2017. We will also be among the exhibitors at Techtextil 2017 in Frankfurt as well as Techtextil North America in Chicago.
How has your business grown in the last 2 years and what is your target growth for the next 2 years?
In recent years, Sandler has invested in a new production and warehouse building as well as a new production line in Schwarzenbach/Saale, Germany. This year, we also set up our first foreign production plant-the Sandler Nonwoven Corporation in Perry, Georgia, USA. In September 2015, we officially announced the establishment of this new plant. A year later, the production of Sandler nonwovens "made in USA" started.
Sandler plans to continue to grow-both in Germany and in the US. To that end, we will also continue to invest.
Where do you see the application of nonwovens increasing?
Owing to an extremely large number of combinations between web-forming, bonding and finishing technologies as well as extensive possibilities of further processing, nonwovens continue to tap into new markets and are constantly opening up new areas of application.
One relatively new area of use is office design and interior acoustics. Modern offices should ideally combine a pleasant working atmosphere, conducive to concentrating on the task at hand, and a state of the art design. Sandler polyester nonwovens are applied in acoustic ceilings, partition walls, acoustic furniture and wall decoration as well as in office chairs. In acoustic components, they efficiently absorb noise owing to their open-pore structure, thus creating a sense of quiet during the hustle and bustle of workdays. These materials are supplied in the form of self-supporting panels - ideal for partitions or wall elements. These textiles can be printed with a customised design, laminated with coloured fabrics or integrated into acoustic wall or ceiling structures. Thereby, they support individual room layouts and designs.
In office chairs, nonwovens for seat upholstery offer high, durable seating comfort. They are air permeable and support an optimum micro-climate of the seat. In addition, they are drapeable and can be adapted to the chair's contours.
What are the trends in the different product segments at Sandler and what new can be expected from this field?
There are different trends shaping each industry.
In the transportation sector, for example, lightweight construction and the reduction of fuel consumption and emissions are major trends that still shape product development. Fulfilling these demands, Sandler launched the Sawasorb advanced product line in 2016. These absorber nonwovens feature excellent sound absorption throughout the frequency range at low product thickness. This characteristic makes them ideal for narrow installation spaces. At a thickness of just 6 mm, Sawasorb advanced meets acoustic requirements designed to be met by absorbers of about 15 mm thickness.
In the filtration sector, indoor air quality and energy efficiency are major topics. Sandler's new synthetic pocket filter medium Sawascreen EnAIRsave answers to both: An efficient depth filter medium featuring a multi-layer structure. EnAIRsave combines optimum performance and reduced energy usage. Different layers and the use of finest submicron fibres create a particularly large inner surface. Large quantities of dust can be deposited in the coarser layers. Even if the filter is loaded with dust, air can keep flowing through it; the pressure drop increases only very slowly during use, effectively reducing energy consumption.
In the construction industry, nonwovens are increasingly applied as insulation materials in walls and roof. Again, they efficiently insulate heat as well as sound, helping create a comfortable home while contributing to lowering the requirement for heating and therefore reducing energy consumption.
These are only a few examples. Nonwovens continue to open up new applications and they are also applied in composite materials, for instance for automotive components, where their textile properties complement those of plastic materials.
What are your views on sustainability in nonwovens and how can sustainability be integrated into nonwovens manufacturing companies?
Sustainability continues to be a vital subject in all industries. Depending on the application, Sandler nonwovens contribute to sustainability and the conservation of resources in different ways:
In transportation, the textile materials contribute to lightweight construction. Nonwoven absorbers for application as engine covers, for example, insulate engine noise as well as heat, thereby slowing the cooling of the engine during a standstill and helping prevent cold starts. Both, their properties and functions contribute to lowering fuel consumption and emissions.
Nonwoven insulation materials for construction and technical insulation help reduce energy consumption by efficiently insulation heat.
In filtration, nonwoven filter media offer high efficiency and high dust holding capacity at a comparatively low pressure drop. In this way, they contribute to lowering the energy consumption during operation of the filtration plant. The new Sandler filter medium EnAIRsave was specifically designed to further optimise energy efficiency during use.
In our wipes segment, we reduced the basis weight of a product series, while maintaining established performance. Under the motto "Less is Best to Nature", these nonwovens help conserve resources.
Single-polymer polyester nonwovens for the transportation industry, for construction or office furnishings are also fully recyclable, even after many years of use. These materials - manufactured without any chemical additives just as all Sandler nonwovens are - can be integrated into a closed cycle of materials. Where the process and the end application allow, they are partially made from recycled fibres themselves.
In our own processes, we strive to keep energy utilisation and water usage as low as possible, we implement measures for environmental protection and we support environmental, social and charitable institutions in our home region.
With all new product ideas, we carry out preliminary checks with regard to the possible ecological impact of their production and use, and optimise them accordingly. We also test the energy consumption and emissions of all new machinery.
Our internal goods flows were restructured in 2007 in connection with this objective. Thanks to this initiative, we were able to achieve a significant reduction in CO2 emissions from internal transport. In shipping finished goods, we combine economically feasible optimisation of our transport operations with efficient route planning. In doing so, we aim to offer an optimal supply service while also avoiding detours and empty runs.
Our premises in Schwarzenbach an der Saale are in a truly "green" area: the Lamitz river runs between our factory buildings. In the mid-1980s, part of the river bed south of the company premises was restored to its natural state. Since then, a wetland biotope has developed here, creating a habitat for numerous animal and plant species. In order to preserve this habitat, we cooperate closely with the relevant authorities and cultivate the biotope extensively with minimal interference in its natural development. Today, almost a quarter of our land is classified as a biotope. Extensive protective measures and emergency scenarios have been put in place to protect the Lamitz habitat in the event of a production accident. Whenever we introduce new plants in the course of renovations and building work on the company premises, we use only native trees in order to preserve the ecosystem. To compensate for our construction activity, several areas have been set aside for extensive cultivation; some of these are also classified as a biotope.
What are the near future plans at Sandler AG?
Sandler plans to continue and expand our long-term partnerships with customers and other partners and to grow with them. Together, we will develop our products further and tap into new areas of application, conveying the fascination with nonwovens and enriching it through new, innovative uses.
The markets for wipes today are drifting towards flushable wipes. To what extent has Sandler been successful in implementing?
The importance of flushability in wipes substrates depends on the application. It is certainly a vital characteristic for toilet wipes. However, this market is not one of Sandler's target applications.
Our main focus is on personal care wipes and for these areas of application-baby wipes, cosmetic wipes and also industrial cleaning and disinfection wipes-flushability is not a vital subject.
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