In the fourth quarter of 2017, Suominen’s net sales decreased by 2% from the comparison period to €98.7 million ($122.3 million). The decrease in net sales was primarily due to the changes in currency exchange rates. The weakening of the U.S. dollar compared to euro, Suominen’s reporting currency, decreased the net sales by €5.1 million ($6.3 million) in the fourth quarter. 

Suominen has two business areas, Convenience and Care. Net sales of the Convenience business area were €90.7 million ($112.4 million) and net sales of the Care business area €8 million ($9.9 million) in the fourth quarter. The Convenience business area supplies nonwovens as roll goods for a wide range of wiping applications. The Care business area manufactures nonwovens for hygiene products and medical applications. Due to the reclassification of a customer between applications, the figures for the comparison period have been restated.

In 2017, Suominen’s net sales increased by 2% from the comparison period to €426 million ($527.8 million), mainly thanks to improved sales volumes. The weakening of the USD compared to euro decreased the net sales of 2017 by approximately €4.8 million ($5.9 million). 

Net sales of the Convenience business area were €388.6 million ($481.5 million) and net sales of the Care business area were €37.5 million ($46.5 million). The main application areas for nonwoven materials supplied by Suominen were baby wipes (accounting for 41% of the sales), personal care wipes (21%), home care wipes (19%), wipes for workplace use (9%), and hygiene and medical products (9%). The shares of nonwovens for baby wipes, home care wipes and hygiene and medical products increased in the product portfolio.