Plants: Hazleton, PA; McElhatten, PA, Wuxi, China
Processes: Spunbond, spunmelt, spunlace

This is the last time First Quality Nonwovens will appear in the top companies report. In May 2018, the company announced that it would be sold to R2G, the majority owner of PFNonwovens (formerly Pegas Nonwovens), a Czech Republic-based manufacturer of spunmelt nonwovens. Analysts put the price tag of the notoriously private, publicly held FQN as high as $500 million. The company’s nonwovens business, with operations in Pennsylvania and Wuxi, China, is thought to use much of its output to feed its private label hygiene business, which includes baby diapers, feminine hygiene items, adult diapers, wipes and pet care products.

Jim Dodge, chief financial officer of First Quality Enterprises, said, “In the past 21 years, we have built First Quality Nonwovens into a global leader in the nonwovens industry through strategic investments, strong product development, and differentiation; with full commitment to our workforce, customers, and our communities in Hazleton, PA, and Wuxi, China. We are very pleased to pass along this legacy to a company which shares our principles and values. While it is extremely difficult to part with our nonwovens division and the fantastic team members that work there, we are pleased that, following the completion of the transaction, they will be part of the R2G family of nonwovens companies with similar core values as the First Quality Group. We are also excited about continuing to work closely with them in the years to come as they continue to supply First Quality with premium nonwoven materials.”

Not much is known about First Quality’s nonwovens operations but most experts agree that the company makes about 100,000 tons of spunbond and spunmelt nonwovens on eight lines at two plants in Pennsylvania. It also operates at least one line in Wuxi, China, which came onstream in 2013. It is believed the First Quality also has spunlace assets in Pennsylvania but it is unclear if they are included in the sale. The division will continue to supply nonwoven materials to First Quality’s hygiene business following the transaction.

According to reports, R2G, a Czech-based private equity fund started in 2016, is eyeing First Quality to expand its profile among its global customers in the disposable hygiene market. PFNonwovens currently operates nine lines at two plants in the Czech Republic, where it has a 10th line under construction, and has one-line operations in South Africa and Egypt. The majority of its sales are conducted within continental Europe and the company has made global expansion a top priority. R2G purchased the company in September 2017.

“We believe strongly in the nonwovens business,” says Michal Smrek, CEO Of R2G. “This transaction will enable us and our group companies to support our global customers across four continents. Post transaction, we will have state-of-the-art production facilities and unrivalled know-how and R&D expertise to ensure that our customers benefit from the premium products we offer and the joint innovation and synergies that this combination will bring.

“When we acquired Pegas (PFNonwovens), we said that this was the first step to building a global platform. This transaction is the second step and we look forward to now investing into our global platform and the people that have made the production companies a success.”

Combining PFNonwovens and First Quality Nonwovens will produce one of the world’s largest suppliers of spunbond and spunmelt nonwovens with lines on four continents. When its upcoming investments in Czech Republic and South America are complete, PFNonwovens will have an annual capacity of 131,000 tons while First Quality can make 97,000 tons in the U.S. as well as 24,000 tons in China. Together the two companies’ annual sales will be in the $550-600 million region. Both companies are major suppliers to the global hygiene industry.

The transaction is expected to be complete in the last quarter of 2018.

First Quality will continue to operate its sizable private label hygiene business, which included the former Covidien/Tyco diaper business purchased by the company in 2008, as well as FemPro, a Canadian brand of feminine hygiene products, which was acquired in 2015, and its heritage businesses in the private label feminine hygiene and adult incontinence businesses.

Plants: Hazleton, PA; McElhattan, PA; Wuxi, China

First Quality Nonwovens made headlines earlier this year when it promoted its ingredient brand, Dri-Fit. Dri-Fit innovations are found within Prevail incontinence, store brand feminine care and incontinence products, and help promote skin health by managing consumers’ microclimates – the small layer of air between skin and whatever consumers are wearing. With an innovative blend of natural and synthetic fibers, Dri-Fit provides features that reduce pressure, moisture and temperature to ultimately help keep skin more dry, comfortable and healthy.

As a leading manufacturer and supplier of store brand feminine care and incontinence products, First Quality has focused on driving growing enthusiasm for store brand products by developing the Dri-Fit innovation, which drives break-through innovation not just for store brands, but the broader category. In fact, according to a report by Mintel, 97% of shoppers age 18-36 say they’re likely to buy a store brand, and 42% agree store brand products are more innovative than name brand ones.

“While millennials are leading the demand for store brand products, we’ve also seen a growing interest across older demographics and want to help consumers of all generations feel more natural when experiencing periods or incontinence,” says First Quality. “As an industry leader in the manufacturing and supply of store brand feminine care and incontinence products, we want products featuring the Dri-Fit logo to be known as innovative, accessible, and affordable options for consumers.”

Feminine care and incontinence products incorporating the Dri-Fit system span protective underwear, bladder control pads/liners, ultrathin maxi pads, thick maxi pads, and panty-liners, and can be found at all major food, drug, mass, dollar, e-commerce and club chains. Consumers can look for the Dri-Fit logo to easily differentiate which products contain this technology.

In other news, First Quality Baby Products LLC received another coup in April 2017 when a U.S. Supreme Court Judged rulled that the company did not infringe a handful of claims involving diaper designs in a dispute with Swedish rival SCA. District Court Judge Greg N. Stivers wrote in an April 10 opinion that SCA can’t prove that most of First Quality’s children’s and adult diapers violate provisions of SCA’s patent covering designs for “absorbent pants-type diapers,” saying the placement of elastic threads and absorbent pads in the accused products don’t align with SCA’s patent.

The court rejected summary judgment as to one product category, deciding that “there is a genuine dispute as to whether this portion of the elastic laminate material can no longer be considered part of an elastically stretchable region,” which would determine whether the element is consistent with SCA’s patent.

First Quality’s hygiene operations are largely fueled by its massive nonwovens business. While the company is tight-lipped on its activities in the segment, most experts agree that the Great Neck, NY-based company makes about 100,000 tons of spunmelt nonwovens at two plants in Pennsylvania where it also reportedly operates two spunlace lines.

First Quality’s hygiene business, which includes the former Covidien/Tyco diaper business purchased by the company in 2008, as well as its heritage businesses in the private label feminine hygiene and adult incontinence markets, was boosted in 2015 when the company acquired the Fempro brand of feminine hygiene products. Fempro Consumer Products, as it has since been known, has 20 years of experience manufacturing private label and national branded feminine hygiene products and absorbent food pads in Canada. Located in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, Fempro has a 180,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and a workforce of more than 150 employees.

Fempro’s complementary product lines further diversified First Quality’s feminine hygiene product portfolio and provided First Quality with a strategic physical presence in Canada from which to expand its product offerings to the Canadian consumer.

Plants: Hazleton, PA; McElhattan, PA; Wuxi, China
Processes: Spunmelt, spunlace
Applications: Hygiene, medical

The latest news coming out of First Quality Nonwovens’ parent company, First Quality Enterprises is the purchase of the Fempro brand of feminine hygiene products in August of 2015. The company already had a strong brand of private label feminine hygiene, baby diaper and adult incontinence brands which are to some degree fueled by its large nonwovens business, which is located at two plants in Pennsylvania.

Fempro Consumer Products, as it has since been known, has 20 years of experience manufacturing private label and national branded feminine hygiene products and absorbent food pads in Canada. Located in Drummondville, Quebec, Canada, Fempro has a 180,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and a workforce of more than 150 employees.

Fempro’s complementary product lines will further diversify First Quality’s feminine hygiene product portfolio. In addition, the acquisition will provide First Quality with a strategic physical presence in Canada from which to expand its product offerings to the Canadian consumer.

While the tight-lipped company has made no mention of what this will mean for its nonwovens business, the company has not announced a new U.S. line since 2007. It has however started operations at its first Chinese line, located in Wuxi. This line is a multibeam Reifenhauser line incorporating the latest technology available. It will allow First Quality to provide premium nonwoven materials to hygiene and medical markets in China and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

In announcing the new site, First Quality reported it would eventually house two lines but so far details on a second line have not been announced. According to executives at the nonwovens producer, which also makes diapers, feminine hygiene items and other consumer goods for the private label market, the company’s investment in China is a clear demonstration of its commitment to the global nonwovens industry and its dedication to satisfying the needs of the domestic Chinese market by providing innovative and high quality products.

According to sources close to the company, the new Chinese line is serving merchant customers in the hygiene and healthcare markets of China. First Quality has not formed any strategy to expand its private label business in Asia.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Great Neck, NY-based company is said to make about 100,000 tons of spunmelt nonwovens at two plants in Pennsylvania where it also reportedly operates two spunlace lines. Much of this output supplies First Quality’s massive private label business, which includes the former Covidien/Tyco diaper business purchased by the company in 2008, as well as its heritage businesses in the private label feminine hygiene and adult incontinence markets.

Plants: Hazleton, PA; McElhattan, PA; Wuxi, China
Processes: Spunmelt, spunlace
Applications: Hygiene, medical

In 20014, First Quality continued to feel the effects of its first foreign investment, a nonwovens production site in Wuxi, China. The U.S.-based maker of spunmelt nonwovens announced in 2010 it would establish a Chinese nonwovens operation in Wuxi to better serve customers in the Asian hygiene markets; the new line came onstream in early 2013.

The new line, described as a multibeam Reifenhauser machine incorporating the latest technology available, will allow First Quality to provide premium nonwoven material to hygiene and medical markets in China and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

In announcing the new site, First Quality reported it would eventually house two lines but so far details on a second line have not been announced. According to executives at the tight-lipped nonwovens producer, which also makes diapers, feminine hygiene items and other consumer goods for the private label market, the company’s investment in China is a clear demonstration of its commitment to the global nonwovens industry and its dedication to satisfying the needs of the domestic Chinese market by providing innovative and high quality products.

According to sources close to the company, the new Chinese line is serving merchant customers in the hygiene and healthcare markets of China. First Quality has not formed any strategy to expand its private label business in Asia.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Great Neck, NY-based company is said to make about 100,000 tons of spunmelt nonwovens at two plants in Pennsylvania. Much of this output supplies First Quality’s massive private label business, which includes the former Covidien/Tyco diaper business purchased by the company in 2008, as well as its own interests in the private label feminine hygiene and adult incontinence markets.

In other news, First Quality began making spunlaced nonwovens last year on a 3.6-meter-wide hydroentanglement line, which will reportedly feed its private label baby wipes business. The company is said to be adding a second line to this operation already.

First Quality had previously concentrated its nonwovens business only on spunmelt technology. The company’s eighth spunmelt line was added in late 2008.

In 2014, First Quality’s private label wipes business hit a road bump when it initiated a nationwide voluntary recall at the retail level of all lots of baby wipes made under the brand names Cuties, Diapers.com, Femtex, Fred’s, Kidgets, Member’s Mark, Simply Right, Sunny Smiles, Tender Touch and Well Beginnings, because some packages may have contained bacteria.

After receiving a small number of complaints of odor and discoloration, Nutek —a First Quality company— conducted microbial testing that showed the presence of a bacteria, called Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia), in some of these products.  Soonafter, in early October, the company initiated a voluntary withdrawal of lots that had tested positive for the bacteria, as well as other baby wipes in the surrounding timeframe. The wipes were placed back on store shelves without concern in early 2015.

Plants: Hazleton, PA, U.S.; McElhattan, PA, U.S.; Wuxi, China
Processes: Spunmelt, spunlace
Applications: Hygiene, medical

First Quality Nonwovens started off 2013 with a new production site in Wuxi, China. The U.S.-based maker of spunmelt nonwovens announced in 2010 it would establish a Chinese nonwovens operation in Wuxi to better serve customers in the Asian hygiene market.

The new line, described as a multibean Reifenhauser machine incorporating the latest technology available, will allow First Quality to provide premium nonwoven material to hygiene and medical markets in China and throughout the Asia Pacific region.

In announcing the new site, First Quality reported it would eventually house two lines but so far details on the second line have not been announced.

According to executives at the tight-lipped nonwovens producer, which also makes diapers, feminine hygiene items and other consumer goods for the private label market, the company’s investment in China is a clear demonstration of its commitment to the global nonwovens industry and its dedication to satisfying the needs of the domestic Chinese market by providing innovative and high quality products.

According to sources close to the company, the new Chinese line is serving merchant customers in the hygiene and healthcare markets of China. First Quality has not formed any strategy to expand its private label business in Asia.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Great Neck, NY-based company is said to make about 100,000 tons of spunmelt nonwovens at two plants in Pennsylvania. Much of this output supplies First Quality’s massive private label business, which includes the former Covidien/Tyco diaper business purchased by the company in 2008, as well as its own interests in the private label feminine hygiene and adult incontinence market.

In other news, First Quality began making spunlaced nonwovens last year on a 3.6-meter-wide Rieter hydroentanglement line, which will reportedly feed its private label baby wipes business. The company is said to be adding a second line to this operation already.

First Quality had previously concentrated its nonwovens business only on spunmelt technology. The company’s eighth spunmelt line was added in late 2008.

Beyond nonwovens, in August 2010, the company’s baby care arm, First Quality Baby Products, LLC, said it would modernize its absorbent hygiene manufacturing facilities in Macon, GA, which was acquired with the Covidien deal.

Within the company’s adult care business, First Quality has teamed up with Healthcare Academy to introduce a quality management initiative for long-term care facilities. The concept behind this initiative is to deliver an integrated approach with a low fee that is cost effective and results in management efficiency and consistency.

Plants: Hazleton, PA; McElhattan, PA; Wuxi, China
Processes: Spunmelt, spunlace
Applications: Hygiene, medical

First Quality Nonwovens started off 2013 with a new production site in Wuxi, China. The U.S.-based maker of spunmelt nonwovens announced in 2010 it would establish a Chinese nonwovens operation in Wuxi to better serve customers in the Asian hygiene market. The new line, described as a multibean Reifenhauser machine incorporating the latest technology available, will allow First Quality to provide premium nonwoven material to hygiene and medical markets in China and throughout the Asia-Pacific.

In announcing the new site, First Quality reported it would eventually house two lines but so far details on the second line have not been announced.

According to executives at the tight-lipped nonwovens producer, which also makes diapers, feminine hygiene items and other consumer goods for the private label market, the company’s investment in China is a clear demonstration of its commitment to the global nonwovens industry and its dedication to satisfying the needs of the domestic Chinese market by providing innovative and high quality products.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Great Neck, NY-based company is said to make about 100,000 tons of spunmelt nonwovens at two plants in Pennsylvania. Much of this output supplies First Quality’s massive private label business, which includes the former Covidien/Tyco diaper business purchased by the company in 2008, as well as its own interests in the private label feminine hygiene and adult incontinence market. As First Quality continues to vie for a top spot in the disposable diaper market, it is unclear how much of its new Chinese investment will feed an expansion of its consumer products into Asia.

In other news, First Quality began making spunlaced nonwovens last year on a 3.6-meter-wide Rieter hydroentanglement line, which will reportedly feed its private label baby wipes business. The company is said to be adding a second line to this operation already. First Quality had previously concentrated its nonwovens business only on spunmelt technology. The company’s eighth spunmelt line was added in late 2008.

Beyond nonwovens, in August 2010, the company’s baby care arm, First Quality Baby Products, LLC, said it would modernize its absorbent hygiene manufacturing facilities in Macon, GA, which was acquired with the Covidien deal.

Within the company’s adult care business, First Quality has teamed up with Healthcare Academy to introduce a quality management initiative for long-term care facilities. The concept behind this initiative is to deliver an integrated approach with a low fee that is cost effective and results in management efficiency and consistency.