The roofing and construction market is the largest durable market for nonwovens, and companies that do business in the segment can think positive.

Despite a 2% slip in U.S. housing starts from December 2014 to January 2015—at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.065 million—starts rose 18.7% from a year ago, according to the Commerce Department. What’s more, groundbreakings in the country surpassed one million for five months in a row—something that hasn’t happened since the recession began in 2008. Despite the dip in January, experts say the housing market’s gradual recovery continues.

Meanwhile, in early February, the Commerce Department said that construction spending in December rose 0.4% compared to November, and was 2.2% above the December 2013 estimate of $961.2 billion. Construction value for 2014—at $961.4 billion—was 5.6% above the $910.8 billion spent a year prior.

As nonwovens makers continue to produce innovative materials and make more investments, they can be optimistic that steady market growth will increase demand.

Johns Manville seeing growth
A big player in the roofing and construction segment is Johns Manville (JM). The company’s nonwovens are used in a variety of residential and commercial buildings as well as specialty industrial applications including roofing systems, carpet tiles, vinyl flooring, ceiling tiles, acoustic interior panels, duct liners, exterior sheathing, composites and filtration and energy storage.

“JM’s glass fiber and meltblown and spunbond products are cost-effective solutions in our customers’ end-use products that support critical requirements such as strength and dimensional stability, thermal protection, acoustic performance, surface aesthetics, mold and mildew resistance, coatability, printability and porosity,” says Enno Henze, senior vice president and general manager, Engineered Products at Johns Manville.

JM manufacturers highly specialized products such as hybrid mats consisting of glass and synthetic fibers, and Henze says these have “set new standards in terms of uniformity and smoothness.” Additionally, the company’s formaldehyde-free and TVOC (indoor total volatile organic compounds) product solutions meet sustainability targets and end-market requirements.

To focus on its building materials and engineered products in a business-to-business environment, JM sold its glass textiles business in Sweden last year to a German-based Preiss-Daimler group company. The business supplied glass wall coverings in Europe.  
“The glass textiles business is a segment driven by different market dynamics and channels than those driving our core businesses, and these differences meant there were few synergies between the businesses,” Henze explains.

JM made some other moves last year by announcing the merger of its engineered products business covering the company’s American, European and Asian activities. This segment of JM manufactures and markets premium-quality glass and polyester nonwoven products for the building and construction industry, filtration and battery separation media, reinforcement glass fibers for composites and specialty industrial glass products.

“While still in the early stages of this merger, the new organization is designed to give us the global reach we need to be competitive while keeping the regional support that our customers’ desire,” he says.

To support the company’s reorganization in this unit, JM announced an investment to its nonwoven glass mat production plant in Waterville, OH. Later in 2015, the company will upgrade an existing nonwoven mat line with advanced manufacturing technology that will allow it to better serve customers in growing segments of the global specialty glass mat market. JM anticipates the upgraded line will be fully operational in early 2016.

“This investment positions JM for business in new and evolving markets,” Henze says. “For example, in the energy storage space, fuel economy standards are driving new battery technologies. Additionally, as a leading supplier of glass mat nonwovens to the European vinyl flooring industry, this upgrade allows us to support the domestic growth of vinyl flooring companies as they continue to ‘on-shore’ their manufacturing to the U.S.”   

The Waterville investment also shows that JM is hopeful in the U.S. housing market. “We continue to see a steady rise in residential construction supporting improved growth for our business in the U.S. market,” says Henze.

JM is also optimistic about Europe as it’s seeing an end to the decline in the construction market. “With that said, we expect only limited growth over the next few years, starting from this significantly reduced baseline. It is also important to understand the different dynamics of the European construction industry on a regional basis. For instance, while Germany has recovered from the crisis, other countries, such as Italy, are still experiencing recessionary pressures. The uncertain development of the Russian economy is another risk factor for the European construction product streams,” he explains.

Meanwhile, in Asia-Pacific, he says the company is seeing “dynamic growth rates, especially for roofing products.”

Owens Corning invests
Owens Corning is a leading global producer of glass fiber reinforcements for composite systems and has been a staple in the building industry for decades. In October, the company announced it was building a new facility in Gastonia, NC, that will help meet demand for biobased products, including the company’s Sustaina glass fiber fabric.

Sustaina launched in the U.S. in 2012 and was introduced to the European market in 2013.

“It is one of several formaldehyde-free, bio-based binder systems that we use in our specialty nonwovens,” says Steven Vermeulen, vice president and managing director, Engineered Solutions, Composite Solutions Business. “It is currently used in carpet tiles but will also be used in other products. As part of our commitment to sustainable practices, we have opted to proactively develop and design our plants to run non-formaldehyde binder systems.”

These systems require different equipment, he says, and the new plant, which will start production later this year, is being built to use non-formaldehyde binder systems.

Adding to its eco-friendly efforts, Owens Corning has been setting goals for sustainability since 2002. Last year was the third year the company reported against its 2020 goals. “Introduced in 2011, the company’s 2020 goals were designed to expand the scope and further raise the bar on our commitment to sustainability,” says Frank O’Brien-Bernini, chief sustainability officer.

According to O’Brien-Bernini, a few highlights reported in 2014 include: extending the company’s product life cycle sustainability and transparency—Owen’s Corning expects to meet its goal of publishing transparency documentation on all core products by the end of this year; recycling one million tons of asphalt shingles in North America, which represents approximately 10% of the market; and doubling its freight miles driven on natural gas (converted from diesel), which paved the way to run 15% Natural Gas Miles in 2014—the company is aiming for 50% by 2020.

Owens Corning has also been recognized by major organizations for its environmental efforts. For five years in a row, the company was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and in 2014, it received the Green Cross for Safety Medal from the National Safety Council, according to O’Brien-Bernini.

“We are striving to be a net-positive company that meets the needs of the present without compromising the world that we leave to the future,” he says.

The company shows commitment not just to the environment, but also to its customers, and Vermeulen says that the company’s offerings evolve with their clients’ needs. “We continue to innovate in areas where traditional materials lack performance characteristics that the market is calling for, and when we see the opportunity to help customers increase productivity or upgrade the performance of their products,” he explains.

As Owens Corning looks ahead, Vermeulen says it will continue to work with its customers to develop and launch new solutions, using the company’s expertise in science and technology research and manufacturing. “The industry is really at the beginning stages of exploring the performance attributes that specialty glass nonwovens can deliver, and we are excited to be positioned to collaborate with customers.”

Texel sets goals
For nearly 20 years, Texel has been producing materials for construction, first supplying nonwovens for concrete boards. Today, the company is offering roofing fleece for liquid application systems, acoustical floor/wall underlayment, its new Tekboard 3D Acoustical panel and the company is developing new lightweight veneer, according to Alex Alexis, business unit manager, Texel.   

The Tekboard 3D Acoustical panel debuted in 2013, and is a nonwoven composite with a honeycomb core that is a high quality,

lightweight alternative to heavy solid materials. Alexis says the combinations of felt and cardboard offer many possibilities, and applications are almost infinite. “These are cost-effective, ultra-light alternatives to traditional materials,” he says.

Alexis notes that the company has a positive outlook on the North American market, but it’s not because of the uptick in housing; they are seeing further demand for acoustical material for new and existing housing. “Noise pollution brings us new challenges. The needlepunch technology will deploy more products against the sound pollution. For the roofing market, the liquid application systems are taking more marketshare especially for the skyscraper market,” he says.

Adding to the company’s confidence, Alexis says Texel expects to double its business segment this year, mostly because of Tekboard.

“But we also expect a 25% growth in our roofing fleece business dedicated for the liquid roofing market,” he adds.
Like most in the industry, Texel is putting efforts toward environmental sustainability. They are currently creating a new lightweight, natural fiber veneer panel slated to be ready next year. “We are expecting a growth in the use of natural fiber such as linen, hemp and kenaf,” he says.

Additionally, the company would like to make a recycled fiber lightweight panel with its Ecoduo concept, which contains a certain percentage of recycled or regenerated fibers. “Since our goal is to design products that use decreasing amounts of virgin fibers, we work hand in hand with our customers to develop lightweight panels that meet their specifications while advising them to use recycled fibers where it is possible,” Alexis says.

Efficiency a focus for Sandler
A key product among Sandler’s offerings in the roofing and construction segment has been its fibercomfort polyester nonwovens. Fibercomfort achieves energy efficiency in various applications for new buildings and building restoration, according to Ronny Schröder, sales technical products for Sandler.

“Their porous structure—in which fine fibers form a ‘fiber skeleton’ and create a large inner surface—makes these textiles efficient heat and sound insulators,” Schröder says. Fibercomfort nonwovens, which feature low thermal conductivity, are also easy to handle and don’t cause skin irritation, thus, there’s no need to use protective equipment when handling the material, he adds.

For interior walls, fibercomfort nonwovens insulate heat, lowering heating costs and energy consumption, while also reducing sound. For the roof, these nonwovens are applied for insulation in between rafters, keeping warmth inside buildings during the winter and preventing rooms from getting too hot in the summer months. The line also offers insulation nonwovens that can be applied on the rafters. These nonwovens earned the INDEX14 Award in the “raw materials” category at last year’s INDEX trade show in Geneva, Switzerland. Even at a low product thickness, Schröder says these tread- and waterproof materials provide exceptional thermal insulation for the roof.

In January, the company earned the building inspectorate approval for major product groups of fibercomfort. The main criterion for this approval was the material’s low thermal conductivity and consequently high level of insulation. Another criterion was the nonwovens’ flame-resistant qualities. “When subject to blaze, sparks or open fire, they do not catch fire immediately. When ignited, these structures do not continue to burn, but extinguish after a specific time,” Schröder explains.

To expand capacity, in 2013, Sandler announced the investment of a line that produces insulation. Called VS 32, the line makes thermal bonded and needlepunched nonwovens, or a combination of both, available as roll goods or panels. Schröder says VS 32 “sets new standards in the manufacture of these materials” by producing more efficiently, making higher basis weights and product thicknesses and increasing the uniformity of the materials.

While new construction continues to be stagnant in Europe, Schröder says the company is seeing growth in renovation and reconstruction. “At the same time, requirements regarding energy efficiency and energy saving as mandated by building legislation are constantly being raised with a view to achieving the goals of the climate change policy.”

Because of this, he says, insulation is becoming more efficient and the required product thickness is going up. “Simultaneously, considerable shifts in the market shares of the different insulation materials are taking place,” Schröder explains, adding that eco-friendly materials that contribute to natural resource conservation are in high demand. The company’s fibercomfort falls in line with these demands as it’s made partially from recycled fibers and can also be recycled after use. Also, along with fibercomfort’s energy saving qualities, low product thickness reduces raw material input.

“Preserving the environment and conserving valuable resources is a focal point for Sandler,” he adds. “With our newly developed, innovative, durable products, we are hoping to further establish nonwovens as a textile alternative in this market, contributing to lowering energy consumption while conserving natural resources at the same time.”

Kimberly-Clark joins the club
Construction is a new market for major corporation Kimberly-Clark. In 2014, the company entered the building industry with BLOCK-IT House Wrap.

Scott Tennison, global director of building materials for Kimberly-Clark, says patented technology in the house wrap “channels liquid away from the wall assembly and to the ground,” while moisture stays out and allows vapor to escape to keep structural materials dry.

“Most other house wraps on the market today sacrifice breathability for a complete liquid barrier or vice-versa,” says Tennison. “With BLOCK-IT House Wrap, there’s no need to choose between the two. It offers affordable, easy-to-use protection that gives builders and homeowners the confidence they need in the weatherization of their structure.”

The product features a nonwoven material that resists tears, abrasions and punctures, doesn’t allow snags from tools or nails and is non-slip, even when wet, according to Tennison.

K-C’s vast experience with nonwoven, breathable materials is one of the reasons why it entered the market, he points out.  

“Our entry into this market is another example of how Kimberly-Clark leverages our nonwovens expertise to provide trusted performance to our customers,” he adds. “We spent serious time and effort learning customer needs and requirements for this product. We connected with top customers in the industry to develop an advantaged product for the market that aligns with our primary product platform: superior protection for our customers and consumers.”

With the construction market slowly trending upward, K-C is showing it wants a piece of the pie and plans to expand its product portfolio in this segment.

“Current trends show that new home construction is on the rise, and building material sales are growing annually,” Tennison adds. “We are currently developing other building products to both complement our house wrap but also to expand beyond weatherization systems.”