Despite a slowdown during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, needlepunch investment has ticked up in the last 12-18 months.

“The needlepunch market over the years has enjoyed a solid growth rate and reacts in a resilient way when disruptive economic changes like in a pandemic are happening,” says J.P. Dilo, CEO of machinery specialist DiloGroup. “The influence of the pandemic prevailed for about six months when investment in new machinery or upgrades were largely stopped. However, already six months later orders started to come in in a highly accelerated way and soon reached or even exceeded the degree of the time before the pandemic.”

Of course, difficulties in the car industry caused a high impact to the branch of suppliers of needlepunched material, he adds.

At the beginning of the pandemic, major automakers halted production of vehicles, as they feared spread of the infection and fewer consumers were shopping for cars. As a result, nonwovens producers ramped down production for the market. The automotive market has also been dealing with a shortage of microchips that are used in cars, which has led to production delays and temporary shutdowns. Other supply chain issues and increasing raw material costs have also added to these challenges.

“With the outbreak of the Covid pandemic in 2020, the needlepunch market saw a reduction in investments and orders,” says Dr. Frank Heislitz, CEO of Freudenberg Performance Materials. “The automotive industry was hit quite hard due to the pandemic and to the crisis of supply chain, but in other markets, like for example the construction industry, it rebounded positively already in 2021. Today the major challenge we are facing with is surely the global crisis of the supply chain leading to price increases in raw materials, transportations and utilities.”

Guillaume Julien, head of sales, Needlepunch, Andritz Asselin-Thibeau, Elbeuf, France, adds that although needlepunch activity was negatively affected by the Covid-19 crisis in 2020, there was a clear shift in demand at the end of 2020 and in 2021. “Projects that had been postponed came back onto the agenda with an increased demand, notably in such segments as air and dust filtration and also infrastructure buildings and road construction due to the numerous government subsidies available,” he says.

The needlepunch sector has certainly benefited from the outstanding market situation over the past 12-15 months, boosting the number of new lines and equipment units ordered, he adds. As a result, Andritz achieved record results for needlepunch in 2021, and in 2022, the market trend is still very positive, with orders for complete lines already being secured in Asia, North America and Europe. “We remain confident for the rest of 2022 although the geopolitical situation in Europe may be a hindrance with unforeseeable consequences,” he says.

The lower start-up investment compared to other technologies, as well as the versatility and flexibility of needlepunch technology has allowed it to grow in a range of markets, from filtration and geotextiles to home furnishings and artificial leather.

According to INDA, the association of the nonwoven fabrics industry, needlepunch accounted for 23% of the North American capacity in 2020, in tons.

During the last 10 years (2011–2020), the average annual growth rate of needlepunch capacity in North America was 4.1%, as lines were added to meet the growing demand across a wide-range of end uses, most notably in transportation for vehicle components, home and office furnishings and filtration, according to INDA’s latest statistics.

Of those lines that started, 70% are making material for transportation (with 25% of the added lines exclusively for transportation), 38% are making material for home and office furnishings, and 29% are making filtration material. 

“It should be noted that investment continues in what some deem as ‘old technology,’ as through the 10-year period the ‘older’ technologies of needlepunch (and thermal bond) increased at an average annual growth rate greater than that of the ‘newer’ technologies of spunbond and spunbond/meltblown composites,” says Brad Kalil, INDA’s director of Market Intelligence & Economic Insights. “Part of the rationale for the discrepancy in growth rates is spunlaid lines tend to be shut down and removed from North America, while needlepunch lines that are closed tend to resurface somewhere else in North America.”

Describing trends in the needlepunch market, Marco Fano, CMO of machinery supplier Autefa Solutions, says the general trend for light weight fabrics, reaching the same product properties with less material, is still increasing. “Our customers require machines and lines that are able to produce light weight fabrics without any compromises regarding material strength,” he says. “Furthermore, growth in needlepunching technology is steadily strong; a good example is artificial leather, also in terms of sustainability. We see a growing demand for needled technical applications, e.g., the filtration business and for paper maker felts, with hygiene applications still growing. A considerable chunk of needlepunch nonwovens is used in automobiles for carpeting, ceiling, dashboard, trunk lining and sound insulation. Moreover, nonwovens are making progress in geosynthetics and farming.”

One nonwovens producer focusing on the geotextiles category is BontexGeo, which uses staple fibers to produce needlepunched nonwovens that can also receive a thermal fixation depending on the application and needed requirements. Its main applications include separation/filtration layers used in road and railway projects. BontexGeo’s heavy-duty nonwovens are also used frequently in protection applications, such as the protection of waterproofing membranes or in coastal applications behind rock armour. Other specific products exist for use in home and garden applications and as intermediate products for geocomposite products, such as drainage composites. 

Within the last 12 months the Belgian manufacturer, which was sold by Low & Bonar in 2019 to Nimbus, a Netherlands-based private equity fund, has grown through acquisition. In April 2021 the company bought 100% of the shares of the West Yorkshire, U.K.-based company ABG Ltd, a specialist in the development and sale of geosynthetic systems, and just last month it purchased 100% of the shares of Minas de Riotinto, Huelva, Spain-based company Geotexan S.A., which specializes in the production and sale of geosynthetics and fibers.

ABG Ltd designs, develops and manufactures high performance geosynthetic systems for use in a wide range of civil engineering, environmental and sustainable building projects.

“ABG had been a long-lasting partner of BontexGeo and the acquisition made a lot of sense when we were looking for potential growth,” says Kenny De Wolf, product & marketing manager, BontexGeo. “On one hand we wanted to reinforce our position in the United Kingdom. On the other hand, ABG has a lot of specialty products used in infrastructure but also in the wider construction industry such as solutions for green and blue roofs. So, it also enables a higher diversification for our company.”

Meanwhile, through the acquisition of Geotexan, BontexGeo improves it geographical presence across Europe.

Geotexan is specialized in the development, production and sale of nonwoven geotextiles (including needlepunch), other geosynthetics and fibers. It has a leading role in one of the largest countries in Europe with sales reaching into South America.

“This acquisition provides our group the possibility to further establish a strong position throughout Europe and creates a strong gateway into the Iberian Peninsula,” says Rob van der Valk, managing director of BontexGeo. “The addition of Geotexan to our group is in line with our strategy to strengthen and further develop our market-leading position in Europe. Geotexan and its portfolio form a great addition to the BontexGeo group and will allow us to continue to build on the success of both companies.”

For its part in the needlepunch market, Freudenberg Performance Materials, one of the world’s largest nonwovens producers, is setting up a new needlepunch line at its production site in Škofja Loka, Slovenia. Freudenberg acquired the site and two others in the country from Filc in December 2019. Production is scheduled to start in July 2022.

“In recent years needlepunch technology is continuously growing in the nonwovens market,” says Dr. Heislitz. “The result of this growth has led Freudenberg to invest in machinery advancements to develop new products and solutions in core applications like automotive, geotextiles, construction and filtration.”

In other investment news, U.S.-based nonwovens producer Bondex Inc. expanded its manufacturing capacity last year to increase its needlepunch nonwovens output and capabilities thanks to a new investment at its headquarters in Trenton, SC. The new line, supplied by DiloGroup, was designed to meet the growing demands of the filtration, personal protective equipment (PPE) and other industrial markets. The line was completed on schedule in December 2021.

“Capacity expansion at Bondex was necessary to drive our growth strategy and continue supporting customer demand,” says Brian Little, president, Bondex Inc. “This new production line is meant to be a workhorse producer of needled felts for roll goods up to 90 inches wide in both fiber-supported and scrim-supported products. Innovative solutions are adapted to this efficient and economical production system with an emphasis on the uniformity of fiber distribution as well as material savings effects. Individual customer requirements and applications can be met through this complete in-house nonwoven production process.”

Bondex needlepunch technology has the ability to operate with a variety of fiber types, fineness and staple lengths in a large weight range. Its components include fiber opening and blending, carding, crosslapping, drafting, needling and finishing which are necessary to produce to customer specifications in various markets. All components of the line were installed by Dilo as a general contractor and engineered and assembled to suit the high standards of Bondex in order to provide a state-of-the-art, economical production line for high quality nonwoven products, the company says.  

According to Little, industrial production activity in North America continues to drive demand in filtration, health and safety, automotive, medical and other industrial fabrics markets. “Particularly in filtration markets, our customers fabricate Bondex roll goods as filtration media for various applications of air pollution control and liquid filtration applications to meet their respective sustainability and efficiency objectives,” he says.

The company expects many industrial applications supported by needlepunch technology to grow faster than GDP as the manufacturing industry will continue to seek cleaner emissions and higher energy efficiency in their operations. “These growing needs will require nonwovens producers to deliver high quality materials with reliable lead times to support this growth,” Little says.

Elsewhere in the U.S., Precision Textiles opened its first plant located outside of New Jersey in October. The new plant in Troy, NC, will eventually double the manufacturer’s needlepunch nonwovens production and boost its highloft quilting fiber output by 50%.

In addition to its production capacity, the facility includes warehousing space and will ultimately add 100 jobs to the Troy area, including new employees as well as some experienced staff from the textiles company, Auria Solutions, the plant’s former occupant.

Precision is also opening a new facility in Phoenix, AZ, that will serve its customers throughout the western U.S. The facility will produce all of the company’s bedding product lines, further expanding its volume of high loft quilting fiber and needlepunch nonwovens in the U.S. to keep pace with its strong sales growth.

Additionally, in Waco, TX, Asten Johnson, a global textile manufacturer headquartered in Charleston, SC, will establish it eighth North American location—a needlepunch facility—sometime next year. The company will reportedly invest $40 million over the next two years to build the 220,000 square foot facility.

Kevin Frank, CEO and president says, “We are excited to add a new AstenJohnson facility in Waco, TX. The long-term prospects for our nonwovens business are excellent. Customer demand for our products has only been growing. This investment will allow us to satisfy the increasing demand and continue to offer more products and innovation. We are delighted to welcome future Waco associates to the AstenJohnson family.”

The plant will focus on nonwoven fabrics for growth markets including auto light-weighting and composite manufacturing. In addition to the latest needlepunch nonwoven technology in the world, the Waco plant will be clean, air-conditioned, and will have a strong focus on sustainable business practices.

“Waco is a unique location for AstenJohnson. It’s close to our customers, but more importantly, the spirit of innovation, integrity, inclusion, and teamwork is infused in the people of this region,” says Neil Johnson, president, Nonwovens. “These values are at the core of AstenJohnson and have made Waco feel like home as we begin our partnership. We’re here for the long haul and excited to offer stable career options to members of the community, along with competitive wages and a commitment to extensive training and development.”


The needlepunch market is also expanding in China. In February, Yanpai Filtration Technology Co., Ltd., a Chinese filtration media manufacturer, said it will be adding needlepunch capacity at its site in Tiantai, China, through the investment of four Andritz lines. The new lines will begin starting up in the third quarter of 2022 and should be complete in the third quarter 2023.

Andritz will deliver customized needlepunch lines for production of high-quality needlepunch filter felts. The lines will enable Yanpai to achieve state-of-the-art technical characteristics in terms of product quality and line performance. The drylaid web-forming equipment (cards and crosslappers) will be manufactured at the Andritz Wuxi premises, including 8 PRO 25-80 aXcess profile crosslappers for controlled web weight evenness. The 16 eXcelle needlelooms will be supplied by Andritz Asselin-Thibeau.

Yanpai is one of the leading Chinese producers of nonwoven filters for dust and air treatment and for woven filter fabrics used in solid/liquid separation. Established in 1990, Yanpai was at the forefront in the development of new industrial filtration fabrics. Yanpai has facilities in China and the USA.

In Jiangsu Province, China, Huafon Microfiber Co. Ltd. recently ordered three complete, state-of-the-art high capacity needling lines from DiloGroup for its new plant in Qidong.

All of these lines consist of DiloTemafa high capacity blending systems, DiloSpinnbau special card feeding systems and high capacity carding machines, DiloMachines high speed crosslappers with special air-guide system for the best layering performance, as well as numerous DiloMachines needlelooms with Hyperpunch technology. The Twinflow-system provides a homogeneous flock mat while “Webguide” and three-apron-layering system result in an excellent web quality with precise web edges. All lines are equipped with the CV1 system for the best end product uniformity.

Huafon Microfiber Co. Ltd was established in 2002 and is now one of the biggest producers of artificial leather made from sea-island fiber worldwide. The main applications of these artificial leathers are shoe, automotive, gloves, bags and sofas.

DiloGroup supplied the first complete needling line to Huafon in Jinshan, China, in 2003 and up to now Huafon has ordered more than 20 needling lines.

Technology Advancements

Although it’s considered an older nonwovens technology, developers of needlepunch machinery and equipment continue to launch new innovations to improve the fabrics that they make.

Dilo has achieved success by concentrating and specializing on the important sector of needling technology where customers increasingly rely on complete solutions which include fiber preparation, cards, crosslappers and many different styles of needleloom. Working widths range from 0.6 – 16 m needle densities are available up to several multiples of 10.000 needles/m/board and throughput speeds reach ca. 150 m/min. “Technologies for structuring surfaces, in patterns or as velours, show a great variety of applications including interior material made of moulded composite parts for the automotive industry where needlefelts are in demand due to their weight saving characteristics,” says J.P. Dilo.

Recent innovations include a new needle arrangement, the “8000X” design, which offers more even needlefelt surfaces with almost no stripes and undesired patterns. The “8000X” produces an even stitching distribution with less dependency on advance per stroke compared to classical random needle arrangements.

Moreover, the latest research work at Dilo concentrates on a completely new sector for web forming and needling which may be best defined by the term “additive textile manufacturing,” Dilo says. The basis is an even needlefelt which gets a topologically varied fiber mass distribution in 3D by the controlled placing of fibers. This three-dimensional web forming technology allows the placing of fibers directly where they are needed: as stock for subsequent moulding, to provide support for further strength and stiffness, sound insulation or as protection in case of accidents. “The new ‘3D-Lofter’ shows us the future of current needlefelts as a homogenous semi-finished product where textile lightweight constructions as in the automotive industry can meet further weight saving challenges,” he comments.

Meanwhile, over the last 18 months Andritz has committed to developing new technologies and equipment to achieve a better visual surface aspect for needlepunched nonwovens as well as obtaining higher productivity, according to Julien.

The company’s PA.3000 cylinder pre-needler containing Andritz needling technology with elliptical movement enables production at large widths (6.75 m) and up to 18 m/min for outstanding, draft-free pre-needling, resulting in significant improvements in the visual aspect of the fabric, which is very important for low-weight products.

Additionally, Andritz has upgraded the SDV-2+2 double-velour needleloom and now provides its customers with fast offline or inline production, with great versatility, as well as improved loop quality and regularity, meeting the most demanding requirements of the automotive industry.

“The needleloom’s ability to guide the fabric and process an unrolled, thermo-bondable layer for production of composites, containing bi-component fibers for instance, is an asset that improves recycling ability and cost impact, both layers being consolidated mechanically rather than chemically (latex-free process),” Julien explains.

And although the automotive market is not performing its best for reasons including the shortage of electronic components, the trend towards electric vehicles, very low demand due to Covid-19 and uncertainty due to the geopolitical situation, Julien says that Andritz has collected a few important new market references for SDV-2+2 velour needlelooms over the past 12 months, highlighting the successful trials conducted at the Andritz pilot line in Normandy, France.

With regard to customer demands, a constant requirement in the needlepunch market over the past few years has been to chase higher line productivity with greater web weight evenness. “[This] has been a very challenging objective so far,” he admits.

Last year, however, Andritz launched the ProWin automatic web weight correction system, which was developed in order to offer both an improved CV% compared to ProDyn and also a 15% increase in end-of-line speed thanks to this patented Andritz technology. “The new Andritz development was intended to improve producers’ profitability and quality, and the needlepunch market has already responded positively to the ProWin innovation with numerous orders in 2021 as well as in Q1 2022,” he says.

For Autefa Solutions, its focus is to continuously offer new ways to increase productivity, improve quality and at the same time reduce energy consumption as much as possible.

The product quality in Autefa Solutions’ needlepunching lines can be monitored and improved with its 3-level Closed Loop Control System. A scanner determines the weight distribution of the final product while the control system corrects the profile in the crosslapper and the feeding section of the card. The crosslapper Topliner in combination with Web Profile Control WebMax prevents the increased weight of the fabric in the edge areas. WebMax profiling is also integrated into the 3-level Closed Loop Control System which ensures that the fabric is profiled equally in both material direction and cross direction. “This results in an excellent uniformity in the fabric and, thanks to a considerable saving of materials, a reduction in material and operating costs,” Fano says.

Autefa Solutions’ needlepunching lines distinguish themselves by easy operation, less energy consumption/gms, excellent and reproducible product quality with reduced operation costs. And, the needlelooms of Autefa’s Stylus product family can process all fiber types. “High-speed and an improved quality have been set as key targets by customers,” Fano explains. “The needle looms are designed to suit the required output and speed by adjusting the number of the drive modules.”