Fitesa will add a spunlace line in Latin America at its facility in Jacarei, SP, Brazil, which was acquired from Freudenberg in December 2019.

“I am proud to introduce this complementary technology to our portfolio, knowing it will enable us to add significant value to local and regional partners in yet another growing application”, says Mateus Inacio, senior vice president for Fitesa in Latin America.

The investment will primarily serve current and new customers in the baby wipes market and is planned to start-up in the first quarter of 2022. The line is equipped with the customized Jetlace hydroentanglement unit and neXdry through-air-dryer from Andritz and will produce premium quality of spunlace roll goods. The line is designed to operate a variety of raw materials, including biobased, recycled and circular fibers.

The past 12 months have been marked with strong investmetn from Fitesa, the world’s sixth largest nonwovens producer. In November, the Brazilian company announced it would add 55,000 tons of capacity to its global manufacturing footprint including a new spunmelt line in Brazil as well as meltlblown assets in Latin America, Europe and the U.S. In January, the company added to this expansion plan with the addition of a new spunmelt line in Simpsonville, SC, which is scheduled to be complete in mid-2022.

Meanwhile, on the acquisition front, Pantex has brought several companies into its fold including films specialist Tredegar in August 2020 and Fiber Dynamics, a North Carolina manufacturer of carded and meltblown nonwovens in September.