Suominen, a leading supplier of nonwovens, announced new details about its growth investment in Bethune, SC. The investment in a new wetlaid production line was made public in 2015.
The new production line will supply nonwovens for several applications, including household and workplace wiping, medical products, flushable wipes and personal care applications.

“It is not by chance that Suominen is investing in these carefully selected market segments: They are growing markets and we know what are the needs in these applications,” says Saara Söderberg, vice president, marketing and product management at Suominen.

The offering will provide a broad basis weight range and extend from nonwovens made of 100% cellulosic fibers to reinforced composite products and 100% synthetic fiber products, their features being anything from dispersible to durable.

According to the company, the new production line will take wetlaid technology to a totally new level in the industry and will provide Suominen’s customers with unique advantages by adding exquisite capabilities for designing nonwoven substrates. This is a key action in Suominen’s growth strategy, for it will help to increase the share of products with higher added value in Suominen’s portfolio.

Suominen’s new production line in Bethune will be tailor-made, based on Suominen’s unique nonwovens technology expertise, which will ensure superior capabilities compared to any turn-key solution.
The main supplier and integrator of the project is Andritz. The total value of the project will be approximately €50 million ($57.4 million) and the production line will be installed during the second half of 2016.