Plants: Harima, Mikawa, Masuda
Processes: Spunlaced, thermal bonded, needlepunched
Major Markets: Wipes, coverstock, plaster bases, facial masks, filters

Daiwabo produces nonwoven fabrics in Japan and Indonesia. The company has produced spunlaced nonwoven fabrics, thermal bonded nonwoven fabrics and others materials with a capacity of 16,000 tons in Japan. Its Indonesian subsidiary, DNI, makes 6000 tons of thermal bonded nonwovens per years. Additionally, the company makes bicomponent fibers, the raw material fibers of thermal bonded nonwovens with a capacity of 36,000 tons per year and it is the only company that makes rayon fibers in Japan. These rayon fibers are used to make nonwovens for wipes and Daiwabo Rayon supplies them to many nonwovens producers.

Nonwovens made by Daiwabo are widely used for disposable products such as face masks, sweat wipe sheets, wet wipes and cleansing sheets. The use of biodegradable nonwoven fabrics or biomass fibers for these products is better for the environment. The company offers a spunlaced nonwoven made from rayon that can biodegrade in marine environments with the trade name Apitas E, a spunlaced nonwoven made of cotton (Apitas C), a biodegradable biocomponent fiber (miracle fiber KK-PL) and a spunlaced nonwoven fabric available for the acquisition of the FSC certificate (Apitas B).

Plants: Harima and Mikawa, Masuda, Japan; Jawa Barat, Indonesia
Processes: Spunlace, thermal bonded, needlepunch
Major Markets: Wipes, coverstock, plaster bases, facial mask, filtration

Daiwabo Polytec produces 15,000 tons of spunlace nonwovens in Japan and Indonesia,. Although the capacity scale is small, Daiwabo Polytec, the top maker of the spunlace nonwovens in Japan, has also produced needlepunch nonwovens. Meanwhile, Daiwabo Nonwoven Indonesia (DNI), a subsidiary of Daiwabo Polytec, has manufactured thermal bonded nonwovens with the production capacity of 6000 tons/year in Indonesia. In addition, it has produced composite fiber, the ingredient of the thermal bonded nonwovens, with the capacity of 36,000 tons/year in Japan.

The main raw material of the spunlace nonwovens  made in Japan, is rayon, and face masks, cleansing sheets, handkerchief sheets and sanitization sheets are made from main materials. The demand for nonwovens in these purposes has been increasing steadily, especially for face masks and handkerchief sheets to wipe sweat are seeing great demand.

The use of thermal bonded nonwovens has expanded to diaper and sanitary products at the DNI company in Indonesia and product made here are also exported to China and India, to a smaller extent. Currently, the company is looking how to expand its sale in India as a top prioirty.

Daiwabo Polytec has produced composite fiber, the ingredient of thermal bonded nonwovens, in-house, so they have a clear advantage over the other makers because they are able to improve the quality of nonwovens adjusting processes and raw materials. The company is also looking to bring fiber development in-house.

Plants: Japan, Indonesia
Processes: Spunlaced, thermal bonded, needlepunched
Major markets: Wipes, coverstock, plaster bases, facial masks, filter media

Daiwabo Polytec produces nonwovens in Japan and Indonesia. The current production capacity is 15,000 tons/year of spunlaced nonwovens, and 6240 tons/year of thermal bonded nonwovens. Daiwabo Polytec has produced and merchandised heat seal textile for nonwovens and related industries.

The company’s spunlaced operation is in Harima, Japan; it makes spunlace and needlepunch nonwovens in Mikawa, Japan and  spunlaced nonwovens in Masuda, Japan. The largest manufacturer of spunlaced nonwovens in Japan, Daiwabo’s needlepunch operation is significantly smaller.

In 2012, the company established a wholly-owned subsidiary,’ Daiwabo Nonwoven Indonesia (DNI) and started making thermal bonded nonwovens with the capacity of 2400 tons/year in November 2013. In August 2015, this operation was expanded with a second line, which brought the annual capacity to 6240 tons. This operation has benefitted from increased demand for baby diapers and sanitary products in Indonesia, and with it, the demand for thermal bonded nonwovens has escalated greatly. Daiwabo Polytec has already announced plans to scale up the production capacity in Indonesia to 12,000 tons/year (four lines).

Daiwabo Polytec is a large producer of heat seal fiber, used for thermal bonded nonwovens. They have a production facility with an annual capacity of 28,000 tons/year, in Japan. The heat seal textile is used by manufacturers of thermal bonded nonwovens. Daiwabo Polytec has mainly exported these products to avoid the competition in Japan.

The spunlaced nonwovens made in Japan are used for wipes, particularly in the baby care market, but demand for crude materials of face mask for females is increasing rapidly. Therefore, Daiwabo has been outsourcing some materials from Chinese suppliers.

Additionally, Daiwabo Polytec takes advantage of the textile of Daiwabo Rayon, which is one of the group businesses of Daiwabo Polytec, producing rayon. The two companies are developing nonwovens jointly.