Neenah Technical Materials, a subsidiary of Neenah Inc., has announced an investment to increase production capacity for Cranemat to support continued strong growth in water filtration.

“Factors such as rapid industrialization and population development have led to a growing demand for clean water globally, which increases demand for effective reverse osmosis and other filtration solutions,” says Christoph Stenzel, vice president sales & marketing Global Filtration. “This investment illustrates a strong commitment to our global strategic customers to support the rapid growth in this category as well as a great opportunity to expand into new areas and with new customers.”

Cranemat is the registered trademark name for Neenah’s line of polyester and polyolefin wetlaid nonwoven membrane substrates, designed for the liquid filtration and membrane separation sectors. Known for its reliability and uniformity in the membrane casting process, Cranemat contributes to enhanced membrane performance and efficiencies. From its versatile uses in flat sheet, spiral wound elements, plate and frame for MBR, and disc filtration, Cranemat comes in various grades, designed for microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse smosis. These filters are used in desalination of salt, brackish and industrial process water, as well as industries such as electronics, dairy, juice, e-coat, mining, medical and pharmaceutical.

The Cranemat business, based in Pittsfield, MA, was acquired by Neenah in 2014 and has steadily grown since that time. Continuous improvements in quality and resulting increasing demand from customers have led to the need for increased capacity for Neenah’s Cranemat products. Utilizing an available idled machine, with a modest capital investment the additional capacity will almost double current capacity and be available by the end of 2020.