In emerging markets where the market penetration rate is much lower than that of mature markets, the industry growth potential of nonwovens and related products is huge. Affected by factors such as population growth and increasing per capita disposable income, in the developing emerging markets, the consumption rate of baby diapers, feminine care products and urinary incontinence products is still very low.
Faced with this situation, manufacturers of nonwovens and related products are striving to seize the growth opportunities in the future market. The following will analyze the nonwoven market trends in the four major regions and countries of the world: Africa, India, Latin America and Southeast Asia.
The growing nonwovens market in Africa attracts the attention of the world's nonwovens and sanitary products manufacturers
As an emerging economy, Africa provides manufacturers of nonwovens and related industries with new opportunities to find the next growth engine. As income levels increase, health and hygiene education is becoming more and more extensive, and the use of disposable hygiene products in Africa will continue to expand.
Market research firm Smithers pointed out in its research report "The Future of Global Nonwovens to 2024" ("The Future of Global Nonwovens to 2024") that Africa will account for approximately 4.4% of the global nonwovens market in 2019, and it is expected to be by 2024. The annual decline is about 4.2%, because all regions have slower growth than Asia. However, the growth of African nonwovens production is still very impressive. It is estimated that the production will be 647,300 tons by 2024, with an annual growth rate of about 5.7% (2019-2024).
South Africa has become the focus of the African nonwovens market. Many nonwovens manufacturers and related health companies have responded to the expected growth of the South African market: PF Nonwovens recently invested in a 10,000-ton Reicofil in Cape Town. Production line; Adhesive manufacturer HB Fuller announced in June that it has opened a new business office in Johannesburg; Nonwovens manufacturer Spunchem will also increase the production capacity of its South African production line to 32,000 tons per year.
For the health market in Africa, the multinational company Procter & Gamble has been developing related businesses in Africa for a long time; Turkish manufacturer Hayat Kimya further expanded the product range of its high-end diaper brand Molfix last year; Kimberley launched a new diaper series Huggies in Nigeria; Ethiopia produces baby diapers that specifically meet the needs of African families.
The absorbent hygiene products market in Africa is gradually developing, and many local and foreign players have entered the market. People are becoming more aware of the importance of personal hygiene, the African hygiene product market has seen tremendous growth, and more companies are producing more of these products.
Demand for products such as baby diapers and feminine hygiene products in India is growing.
India is the second most populous country in the world, and its income level and population have grown significantly. As the government vigorously promotes modern hygiene practices, India's hygiene industry is continuing to grow rapidly. More and more advertising and promotional activities have also made consumers more aware of the importance of health protection, and the increase in public awareness has further stimulated the market demand in health and related industries.
In the non-woven material market, HB Fuller opened a new business office and R&D center in Pune, India, providing a dedicated area for experiments on related hot melt, water-based, anaerobic and cyanoacrylate technologies; Toray in Japan The Indian subsidiary has also set up a polypropylene (PP) spunbond plant in India to produce high-end nonwovens for diaper manufacturing.
According to industry insiders, disposable diapers are the most important application market in the sanitation industry, as well as the main application products of PP spunbond. Therefore, with the economic development of India, the increase of personal income and the change of people’s sanitary lifestyle, non-woven materials Market demand will increase significantly, and many sanitary product manufacturers are actively entering the Indian market and further expanding their business.
The nonwovens market in Latin America still has huge potential, and global sanitary equipment manufacturers are making corporate acquisitions and investments in Latin America
Despite facing economic challenges, the Latin American market is still considered to have great potential in the nonwovens market. In recent years, most sanitary equipment manufacturers have made corporate acquisitions and investments in Latin America, and market interest in the region has continued to grow.
After European hygiene products manufacturer Ontex acquired 100% of Grupo PI Mabe's shares, it established a component division in the Americas in 2016 to expand its business scope. On the other hand, Drylock acquired two Brazilian personal care companies in 2018; Japan Hygiene Manufacturer Daio Paper Corporation and Marubeni Corporation reached a final agreement to jointly and indirectly acquire all the shares of personal care product manufacturer Santher in June this year.
In the nonwovens industry, Brazilian nonwovens manufacturer Fitesa acquired Freudenberg’s South American sanitary nonwovens business in February. Its staff said that in the past few years, the sanitary market has changed from a regional market to a global market. , South America’s economic and political development has had a significant impact on the consumption of sanitary products such as diapers. However, the instability of the Brazilian market accounts for 50% of the total demand in South America, which has affected the growth of the region for several years. It is expected that any health care market will not see strong growth in the short term.
Southeast Asia has become the largest retail market for disposable hygiene products.
According to Euromonitor International's survey, the Asia-Pacific region is currently the largest retail market for disposable hygiene products. This is supported by a large but underdeveloped consumer base, increasing product awareness, and ever-increasing spending power. In the Asia-Pacific region, Southeast Asia achieved a retail sales of US$5 billion in 2019, and in the next five years, the retail industry in Southeast Asia is expected to grow healthily at a compound annual growth rate of 8%.
Last year Vinda Group Southeast Asia started the construction of its regional headquarters in Malaysia, manufacturing and selling four different product categories, namely baby care, incontinence care, feminine care and tissue products; Unicharm's baby care product sales in Thailand It is growing at a steady rate; DSGCL Group has production lines for disposable diapers for babies and adults in Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.
In the non-woven material market, Fitesa acquired a 51% stake in CNC International headquartered in Rayong, Thailand in 2018, and is expanding its business in Southeast Asia. At the same time, Asahi Kasei is expanding its subsidiary’s new production line in Thailand. To expand the production capacity of spunbond nonwovens in Thailand.
