PGI will increase its European output, bringing its total capacity in the region to above 100,000 metric tons. At a news conference held at EDANA’s Outlook conference in Barcelona, Spain, the company said it would significantly increase its spunmelt nonwovens capacity in Tarragona, Spain by 2015 and add to its specialty carded capacity in Terno, Italy.
 
“PGI is constantly evolving its technologies to help our customers grow,” comments Jean-Marc Galvez, PGI President, Europe. “This capacity increases PGI’s position to assist customers with growing demand for specialty materials in hygiene and healthcare applications.”
 
Currently about 27% of PGI’s revenues are generated in Europe, where the company operates four manufacturing facilities in France, Holland, Italy and Spain. PGI acquired the Spanish facility from Tesalca-Texnobo in 2009. At the time of the acquisition the site was capable of making 50,000 metric tons of nonwovens on six lines and reported sales of about $87 million.
 
During the past 18 months, PGI has been embarking on an aggressive growth strategy, acquiring Companhia Providencia  and Fiberweb as well as investing in existing sites in North America and Europe. According to executives, these efforts have allowed PGI to continuously grow in specialty mateirals for personal care. PGI will continue this strategy, looking for investments in the Europe and Middle East Africa region.
 
Speaking of PGI’s specialty materials business, the company also used Outlook as a platform from which to launch a new portfolio of specialty soft products. The new portfolio, based on PGI’s proprietary soft technologies addresses the needs of the baby, incontinence and feminine care markets offering solutions for visual, tactile and haptic soft properties sought in today’s hygiene market.
 
The line includes: Premium Soft and Kamisoft, patented mechanically produced soft nonwovens available in two unique patters; Premium King Soft, targeting backsheet, cuff and top-sheet applications and offering a differentiated smooth or silk-like feel when compared to standard spunbond and PGI Soft, a special formulationproviding a silk like touch that is often desirable in fem care, incontinence bladder control pads and other top sheet applications.

Also including in the launch is Vista, a product range using PGI’s patented Apex technology to generate a highloft soft fabric. It is available in basis weights between 25-50gsm and helps to neutralize the impact of thinner diapers with a three dimensional image and a cloth like feel.

Meanwhile, PGI’s BiCo technology provides a soft hand that translates into comfort and softness attributes when converted into an end product; Airtenis a family of airthrough bond carded materials, which maximizes performance in hygiene applications; and TricTrac isPGI’s thermal bond carded material with a distinguished embossed pattern provides enhanced softness and visual aspect suitable for top sheet and outer cover applications.

This new Soft portfolio complements PGI’s existing, well established S-Tex technologywhich offers nonwovens that provide enhanced softness, elongation and aperture attributes used in topsheet, backsheet and elastic lamination applications.

“PGI´s focus is on innovative products to benefit consumers with safer, cleaner & healthier specialty materials,” says Galvez. “We have invested more than $400 million in innovation over the past three years.”