From Nonwoven Report – avr
04. May 2016


The strategic orientation is clear: Lenzing is reinforcing cooperation with customers along the value added chain and plans to increase the share of specialty fibers by 2020. The Chief Commercial Officer, Robert van de Kerkhof, comments on the new strategy as follows: “We aim to secure and further extend the leadership role of Lenzing in the dynamic growth market for the nonwovens sector. In this respect we will concentrate more clearly on the most attractive segments of the specialty sector than before. In the future Lenzing will focus on value rather than volume. Our focus lies on profitable growth.” Convenience products, like wet wipes, continue to be a mega trend in industrialized countries and remain an important sales market for Lenzing. “As a result of the greater demand for hygiene products in the consumer markets, the sale of fibers for the nonwovens industry will undergo considerable growth,” van de Kerkhof explains.



More value in the product
Tencel is used in wet wipes for cosmetics and care products and has firmly established itself in the market place. “The fiber which comes directly from the botanic world, the raw material is wood, is firmly established in the market and has set a new standard in wet wipes in the nonwovens industry,” Wolfgang Plasser, Vice President Business Management Nonwovens, explains. “Tencel’s special properties such as its skin friendliness, fiber purity, and high storage capacity in relation to the lotions applied are what make wet wipes of Tencel a premium product,” Plasser continues. The especially high wet strength has advantages when producing wet wipes and these benefits are transferred to the end product. The consumer has a dimensionally stable, solid, and high quality wet wipe.



Tencel Skin has already proven very convincingly just how versatile the fiber can be. The inventive spirit and creativity of our customers know no limits when it comes to finding new applications for Tencel. “We are already testing several special types which demonstrate that Tencel generates a range of solutions for manufacturers and consumers alike,” Plasser explains. “The market launch of Tencel as a short-cut type for flushable wet wipes was only the beginning.” Wet wipes with short-cut are characterized by enormous fiber strength and are extremely tear-resistant as a result when compared to materials conventionally used such as pulp and Viscose. “With this special type, Lenzing has its finger on the pulse of the times. The fiber is of a high quality and particularly strong and yet it is still bio-degradable,” Plasser continues. “There is no limit to the innovative potential of Tencel. With our team we continue to work persistently on new solutions for the nonwovens industry,” Plasser concludes.

The specially-made fiber Tencel Skin has been developed specifically for face masks. A silky, smooth fiber surface
ensures a pleasant feel on the skin. And the translucent mask is light and delicate offering a special kind of care.

– Source: Lenzing AG