Thrace Nonwovens & Geosynthetics S.A.
20, Marinou Antypa str. – 17455
Alimos, Athens, Greece
+30 210 9875044-9
Fax: +30 210 9875040
Email: [email protected]
www.thracegroup.com

Thrace Nonwovens & Geosynthetics S.A. (Thrace NG) was established in 2010, assuming all the technical fabrics activities of Thrace Plastics, which was originally founded in 1977. Spunbond production started in 2001 and in 2007 Thrace NG introduced the production of needlepunched nonowvens. Production plants are in Xanthi, Greece.

Thrace NG produces per year 8,000 tons of polypropylene spunbond nonwovens and 6,000 tons of needlepunched nonwovens made of polypropylene or polyester staple fibers.

Thrace NG can be described as a mid- to large-sized company. Thrace Group as a whole is one of the top 5 producers of technical textiles worldwide.

“Our wide range of geosynthetics covers all possible engineering project needs,” says George Papagiannis, sales and marketing manager, Thrace Nonwovens & Geosynthetics S.A.

Other applications covered by Thrace NG products include agricultural uses, medical and hygiene, construction (roofing membranes, housewrap), furniture and bedding, filtration, automotive, industrial workwear and others.

Thrace NG primarily sells into Europe, the U.S., China and Australia. “Our selling network comprises more than 80 countries,” says Papagiannis.

Some markets, including geosynthetics, are experiencing difficulties due to cuts in government spending for public infrastructure works, according to Papagiannis. “The agricultural sector looks promising for the coming years, as does the filtration market,” he says. “We are looking to expand not primarily in volume, but rather in our product range.”

In terms of challenges moving forward, the continuing financial crisis in many parts of the world has made buyers very cautious and conservative, according to Papagiannis. “This uncertainty makes markets very nervous and it is difficult to plan,” he says. “So we have to find ways to overcome these issues by adapting ourselves to the new needs of the markets, like quick response and delivery and higher quality service. At Thrace NG we believe that it is very important to keep growing by penetrating new markets, developing new products and finding new applications for our existing products. This way we can assure the growth of our production capacity in the coming years.”

Thrace Group At A Glance

Headquartered in Greece, the Thrace Group focuses on materials and solutions. It has two business units—Technical Fabrics and Packaging—and is made up of 20 individual companies, including Thrace NG. Thrace Plastics, the original company behind the Thrace Group, was founded by Stavros Halioris in Xanthi, Greece, in 1977.

THRACE GROUP
• Operations in 12 countries
• 28 different production technologies
• 50% production is in Greece
• 15% sales in Greece
• Sales network in 80 countries
• Sales in 24 market segments
• FY 2012 Group Sales €265 mil
• 20yr Sales CAGR: 30%
• 20yr CAPEX > €160 million
• 1,590 employees