It’s not new news that India’s disposable hygiene products market is on the rise.

As the second most populous country in the world, India’s population is expected to exceed China by 2035. The GDP growth rate of the country for fiscal year 2012-2013 was 5%, and is projected to between 6-7% in 2013-2014. Currently, India’s economic growth rate ranks second among the world’s large economies, just after China.

The hygiene products market there has shown an explosive growth in recent years. In addition to wipes, the market for baby diapers, sanitary napkins and adult diapers are also growing rapidly.

While the growing market demand for hygiene products in India is offering a very promising future for the nonwovens industry there, other market sectors involving industrial applications are growing too.

Underscoring this is the arrival of Arvind OG Nonwovens, a new joint venture between India-based Arvind and OG Corporation of Japan. The new JV recently inaugurated its manufacturing facilities near Ahmedabad, Gujarat and will manufacture high quality nonwoven fabrics using needlepunch technology for bag house filtration, artificial leather and a variety of other applications. The JV also has a technology alliance with Kureha of Japan.

Arvind OG says it has installed custom-built machines specifically designed to achieve Japanese quality standards and capable of handling various fibers such as M-aramid, homopolymer acrylic, poly-phenelyene sulfone (PPS), polyimide polypropylene and polyester. The company says these will be manufactured at the newly installed facilities following the highest global standards of quality while leveraging the advantage of India’s cost of production.

The unit started production in May 2014 with one needlepunch line and represents a total investment of nearly INR 50 crore and targeting to reach turnover in excess of INR 100 crore in 3 years. Beyond this, Arvind says it will continue to expand capacities in this as well as other technologies within the nonwoven fabrics space, which will be an important pillar of Arvind’s technical textiles growth strategy going forward.

Next month we’ll have a full report on India’s nonwovens market and explore this deal in closer detail so tune in.

Your One-Stop Shop

The July issue of Nonwovens Industry is all about the International Buyers’ Guide, which has entered its 45th year. It offers a complete reference of players operating at all tier levels in the nonwovens supply chain around the world. This comprehensive database contains information on nearly every supplier and producer involved with the global nonwovens industry including machinery and equipment manufacturers, raw material suppliers, roll goods producers, contract service specialists, as well as consulting services and industry trade association groups.

If you think your company was left out, please contact me at [email protected]. And, don’t forget to check out the online edition of our International Buyers’ Guide at nitesh_non.rodpub.com/buyersguide. It’s updated regularly throughout the year to ensure up-to-date access to all the key players in nonwovens. We welcome any changes or additions and hope you enjoy this issue of Nonwovens Industry.