Z.I de l’inquétrie
4 Rue de la Capelle
62280 Saint Martin Boulogne, France
+33.(0)6.32.82.41.12
[email protected]
www.wipnpro.fr

Based in Saint Martin Boulogne in the north of France, Wip’N Pro was founded in 2009 after the purchase of a nonwoven converter in bankruptcy. It was then integrated into a French family holding company. The president of the holding company, an owner of a hygiene and cleaning products distribution business, decided to enter the wipes market because he wanted to have his own wipes offering in order to no longer be dependent on the major players in the market.

Wip’N Pro mainly produces dry wipes for the B2B market but is also expanding its business due to commercial development in other sectors. In 2020, the company began manufacturing surgical face masks.

Wip’N Pro converts mainly spunlace nonwovens (22 to 130 gsm) into flat, folded and rolled wipes. The company recently installed a slitter rewinder enabling it to produce all types of rolls—from small rolls dedicated to wet wipes to industrial wiping rolls from spunlace, wetlaid and hydrophilic spunbond, etc. Additionally, early this year Wip’N Pro will be adding an interfolding machine to its facility.

To date, Wip’N Pro mainly operates in the French market. However, its geographical position allows it to approach the Belgian, Dutch, German and U.K. markets, according to Frédéric Ferreira, sales business development manager, Wip’N Pro.

In France, its wipes are supplied to hospitals and other industries. The company also acts as a subcontractor for wet wipes manufacturers.

Ferreira says they have seen a slowdown in the wipes market since September 2020. “Many customers bought opportunistically when their usual supplier could not meet the demands. The situation has returned to normal with many new players and a lot of stock of goods,” he adds.

He also describes the wipes market as ever-changing. “Today, there is a strong emphasis on ecology with biodegradable products. Ecology also involves purchasing materials in Europe, which allows products to have an extremely favorable carbon balance compared to materials produced in Asia.”

Ferreira adds: “The Covid crisis has allowed European producers to become better known and to do well when Asian producers were no longer able to deliver or when the cost of sea freight exploded. The future, in my opinion, lies in the manufacture of complex nonwovens.”