Nakkila, Finland
www.suominen.fi
2024 Sales: $540 million

Key Personnel
Tommi Björnman, president and CEO; Janne Silonsaari, CFO; Markku Koivisto, executive vice president, EMEA and CTO, Markku Koivisto, interim executive vice president, Americas: Jonni Friman, executive vice president, TMO

Plants
Bethune, SC; Windsor Locks, CT: Paulinia, Brazil; Cressa, Italy; Nakkila, Finland; Alicante, Spain

Processes
Spunlace, wetlaid, thermal bond, chemical bond, SPC, Webril

According to executives, in 2024 Suominen encountered both successes and difficult moments. Commercial and operational excellence drove gradual improvements during the beginning of the year, but the second half presented challenges in the form of operational issues.

Regardless of these challenges, the company was able to increase EBITDA 8% to €17 million ($20 million) thanks to higher sales margins. Sales increased 2.5% to reach €462.3 million ($540 million).

New product development and innovation continues to be a driver for Suominen with new products, launched less than three years ago, comprising 34% of sales.

Investments, including a new carded-pulp-carded production line in Alicante, Spain, announced in August 2024, will continue to contribute to Suominen’s focus on sustainability and innovation. The €20 million ($22 million) investment is intended to address the growing demand for sustainable nonwovens in Europe. It is expected to be complete by the end of 2025.

Other recent investments include a €10 million ($11 million) upgrade to an existing line in Bethune, SC. The recently-completed line has strengthened capabilities in sustainable products in line with Suominen’s strategy and supports the company’s vision to be the frontrunner in nonwovens innovation and sustainability.

Prior to the Bethune upgrade, Suominen completed a similar investment at its plant in Naikkila, Finland where it spent about €6 million ($6.4 million) to enhance and upgrade a line there. At the time, the company said the improvements responded to increased demand for environmentally friendly products and also to enhance its operational performance in terms of safety, quality and productivity.

Amidst these investments, Suominen finalized the closure of its production site in Mozzate, Italy, in April 2023 after determining the existing equipment there was incapable of meeting European demand for disinfectant wipes made from sustainable materials.

Suominen’s operates through two divisions—the Americas and EMEA. In Europe, which comprises 38% of sales, all consumer wipe segments are highly fragmented and competitive and private labels are gaining ground. The EU’s single-use plastics directive are important drivers for sustainable products including wipes. 38% of sales. North America, meanwhile remains the largest consumer market for wipes with all categories, including private label products, growing strong. Household products have a fairly big share of the market.

South America is dominated by baby wipes but other segments are growing due to rising consumer awareness, high focus on sustainability and reducing single use plastics usage. Together, the Americas business comprise 62% of sales.

Looking forward, Suominen continues to focus on the long-term health of its business. In May 2025, the company announced a cost-savings program to secure profitable growth and ensure long-term competitiveness. According to executives, this program addresses Suominen’s structural costs across operations and global functions to secure profitable growth. This will improve competitiveness and profitability as the company continues to invest in innovation and sustainability.

The program is expected to result in savings of approximately €10 million ($11 million) over two years and will affect up to 60 positions globally.

Plants: Bethune, SC; Windsor Locks, CT: Paulinia, Brazil; Cressa, Italy; Nakkila, Finland; Alicante, Spain
Processes: Spunlace, wetlaid, thermal bond, chemical bond, SPC, Webril

With sustainability continuing to be its core focus, sales were reported at €450.9 million at Suominen Corporation, the world’s leading supplier of nonwoven materials to the disposable wipes market. By region, €288 million of sales were conducted in the Americas while the remaining €162 million were in Europe.

The highlights of the year included the introduction of several new products, particularly those focused on Suominen’s sustainability efforts. The company reported that sales of new products accounted for over 35% of the total sales for the year, with sustainable product sales increasing by 79% in 2023. Throughout the year, 12 new sustainable products were launched.

One of these new products, Biolace with cotton, is a 100% biodegradable and compostable cotton-enhanced wipe, that was launched in December 2023 to the American market. It is made by combining multiple sustainable fibers using filtered water. This material can help reduce solution add-on requirements compared to other 100% sustainable options due to a combination of fiber selection and process techniques.

Another new addition to the Biolace product family is Biolace with a Nubtex micro-dot pattern designed for those applications looking for more intense cleaning. Unique Nubtex micro-dot pattern combined with sustainable fibers for fluid management provide an exceptional material design for difficult cleaning tasks. The product is a 100% biodegradable and compostable nonwoven best suited for personal care, household and workplace use.

“Compared to a standard dot pattern, the Nubtex pattern creates a more abrading surface area that aids in loosening dirt and debris for improved pick-up and removal from surfaces and skin,” explains Andrew Charleston, manager, Category Management, Americas.

Efforts in this area will continue. In August, Suominen announced that it is installing a Card-Pulp-Card line at its facility in Alicante, Spain, as part of its sustainability initiatives.

“With this investment we respond to the accelerating demand for sustainable nonwovens in Europe. This investment is made to enhance our profitability and competitiveness,” says Tommi Björnman, president and CEO.

The new line, which represents an investment of approximately €20 million, will be complete in the second half of next year.

Other recent investments include a €10 million upgrade to an existing line in Bethune, SC, which will strengthen capabilities in sustainable products, is made in line with Suominen’s strategy and supports the company’s vision to be the frontrunner in nonwovens innovation and sustainability.

“With this investment we strengthen our position as the leader in sustainable nonwovens in the Americas market and respond to the increased demand of environmentally friendly products. This investment also enhances our operational performance in terms of safety, quality and productivity,” says Björnman.

This investment is expected to be completed in the first half of 2025.

Last year, Suominen completed a similar investment at its plant in Naikkila, Finland where it spent about €6 million to enhance and upgrade a line there. At the time, the company said the improvements responded to increased demand for environmentally friendly products and also to enhance its operational performance in terms of safety, quality and productivity.

Amidst these investments, Suominen finalized the closure of its production site in Mozzate, Italy, in April 2023 after determining the existing equipment there was incapable of meeting European demand for disinfectant wipes made from sustainable materials.

Meanwhile, at its Paulinia, Brazil, site, Suominen has reduced its greenhouse emissions through the installation of 2200 solar panels as it shifts to fossil-free electricity. This follows similar efforts in Europe where the company shifted to fossil-free electricity at all of its plans in 2021.

Suominen aims to reduce its energy and water consumption, landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions respectively by 20% per ton of product by 2025, compared to the base year of 2019. In 2022, its greenhouse gas emissions decreased by 20% per ton of product.

Plants: Bethune, SC; Green Bay, WI; Windsor Locks, CT; Paulinia, Brazil; Cressa, Italy; Mozzate, Italy; Nakkila, Finland; Alicante, Spain
Processes: Spunlace, wetlaid, thermal bond, chemical bond, SPC, Webril
Major Markets: Wipes, medical, hygiene

Net sales were $524 million in 2022 for Suominen, the world’s leading supplier of nonwoven substrates to the global wipes market, due to higher sales prices amid lower sales volumes. Other factors impacting business conditions included unprecedented raw material inflation, which increased from already inflated levels in 2022 after Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in February. Particularly Suominen’s U.S. business suffered from the high inventory levels in the whole supply chain, where imbalance started to normalize only during the second half of the year.

Throughout the year, Suominen continued to implement its strategy published in 2020. The objective of this strategy is to achieve growth and improved profitability through sustainability, customer focus and efficiency. In 2022, Suominen announced an investment to enhance and upgrade one of its production lines in Nakkila, Finland. The investment is made in line with Suominen’s strategy to be the frontrunner in sustainable nonwovens and is expected to be completed in the second half of 2023.

Additionally, Suominen continues to focus on developing sustainable products. In 2022, sales of sustainable products were 99% higher than in the base year 2019, partially thanks to the introduction of 12 sustainable products including Suominen’s first carbon-neutral product, Biolace Zero.

Suominen developed Biolace Zero, a 100% biodegradable, compostable, plastic-free nonwoven made with Veocel Lyocel fibers from long-term partner Lenzing. It can be used for many types of wiping applications due to its excellent wet and dry strength and improved softness. Other recent product introductions include Hydraspun Circula, moist toilet tissue nonwoven made with recycled paper. Like traditional Hydraspun products, Circula contains virgin cellulosic fibers as well as fibers from recycled paper, without compromising the end product quality. The product received an INDEX23 Innovation Award.

“Hydraspun Circula demonstrates that innovations in nonwovens can support the circular economy and sustainable production. Receiving recognition for that is very rewarding,” says Johanna Kivistö, manager, Category Management, Europe. Hydraspun Circula was developed specifically for moist toilet tissues but can be used also in multiple other applications. It is biodegradable and meets EDANA/INDA GD4 flushability assessment according to internal testing. The increased focus on sustainable products has also led to the permanent closure of Suominen’s manufacturing site in Mozzate, Italy, which did not have the capabilities to process sustainable fibers.

“The demand for traditional blended fiber products in Europe is declining. Manufacturing sustainable nonwovens competitively requires production assets and processes optimized specifically for these products. Our lines at the Mozzate plant are not best suited for sustainable fibers, and this combined with high operating costs means that the plant is not competitive and the situation is not expected to improve materially going forward. We are constantly evaluating the performance and profitability of our assets, and in the current situation we have unfortunately come to the conclusion that we need to consider closing the production at Mozzate to improve the competitiveness of our European business,” says former interim CEO Klaus Korhonen during the closure announcement.

By region, European sales represented about 42% of Suominen’s sales. The company has two sites in Italy, one in Spain and one in Finland. According to Suominen, the European market is highly fragmented and competitive and the SUP is an important driver toward sustainability. Meanwhile, North American sales represented 58% of sales. As the largest consumer market for wipes, North America, where Suominen has three plants, continues to see growth across all categories for wipes and is particularly strong in the private label market. The South American market, where Suominen operates a Brazilian facility, is dominated by the baby care category and branded players.

Plants: Bethune, SC; Green Bay, WI; Windsor Locks, CT; Paulinia, Brazil; Cressa, Italy; Mozzate, Italy; Nakkila, Finland; Alicante, Spain
Processes: Spunlace, wetlaid, thermal bond, chemical bond, SPC, Webril
Major Markets: Wipes, medical, hygiene

For Suominen, the world’s largest producer of nonwovens substrates for wipes applications, business conditions varied greatly in the second half of 2021 compared to the first half. The year began with the same record volumes and sales seen in 2020, but third quarter sales dropped due to overstocking in the supply chain, followed by partial recovery in the fourth quarter. The overall result was the third best EBITDA in Suominen’s history, €47 million. Sales were €443.2 million or $524 million.

“Certain key customers especially in the U.S. continued to struggle with their inventory levels,” says CEO Petri Helsky. “This effected our sales negatively. We have been working to widen the product portfolio on the production lines especially affected by the inventory imbalance.”

Suominen has recently announced a number of new products focused on sustainability. One is Biolace Zero, a carbon neutral nonwoven, made using Veocel Lyocell fibers from Lenzing. The product is used for baby and personal care and household wips, is 100% biodegradable, compostable and plastic-free.

Additionally, in Europe, Suominen has introduced Biolace Silva, a pulp-based wetlaid nonwoven with exceptional cleaning power and even 50% lower carbon footprint than 100% viscose products. Besides being sustainable, it also offers convenience and a premium feel on the skin.

“The market for sustainable wipe products is gaining momentum supported by the single-use plastic directive in Europe, with brands and retailers adding sustainability as a cornerstone of their corporate strategy,” says Helsky. “With the entire supply chain focused on improving its carbon footprint, sourcing within the region of wipes consumption will become a more important part of the sustainable wipes solution.”

Part of this solution will likely be recycling and the use of recycled or repurposed products. Earlier this year, Suominen launched a nonwovens made from recycled paper. Hydraspun Circula, a moist toilet tissue substrate, was developed in cooperation with Codi Group and offers a variety of applications to meet consumers’ daily needs.

“The cornerstone of our strategy is sustainability, and we are continuously developing our offering and operations accordingly,” Helsky adds. “We are targeting to increase the sales of sustainable products by 50% by 2025 compared to the base year of 2019 and launch 10 sustainable products per year.”

In 2021, the sales of sustainable products were 47% higher than in the baseline year 2019 and during the year Suominen launched 16 sustainable products.

“We want to use resources efficiently and to operate with the smallest possible impact on the environment,” Helsky adds. “Suominen has concrete reduction targets for our greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, water consumption and waste to landfill and we progressed steadily towards these targets in 2021. As part of our work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, we shifted entirely towards fossil-free electricity in all our European sites and have installed a solar panel plant with 2,222 solar panels to our site in Alicante, Spain.”

Another example of Suominen’s concrete work in the field of product sustainability is a new compostability test center in Nakkila, Finland. There,s Suominen is able to determine the biodegradability of nonwovens made of renewable raw materials. The test center has both industrial and home compost conditions, but the aim is to study biodegradability also wider in different environments. Suominen Green Lab supports Suominen’s product development.

In investment news, Suominen is getting ready to begin an improvement project on one of its lines in Nakkila, Finland, enhancing and upgrading capabilities to support its vision of being a frontrunner for nonwovens innovation and sustainability. This marks the fourth line Suominen has improved recently. In 2021, it upgraded and restarted an existing line in Cressa, Italy, a €8 million investment to strengthen capabilities in Europe. In Italy, Suominen enhanced another production line to strengthen its ability to make sustainable products. This investment was valued at €4 million.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., Suominen has upgraded an existing wetlaid line in Bethune, SC, to widen its offerings and better support wipes demand. This wetlaid line largely focuses on hard surface disinfecting wipes and flushable wipes. Suominen serves this market, which has grown post-pandemic, with its Hydraspun portfolio of brands, and continues to innovate and expand.

Plants: Bethune, SC; Green Bay, WI; Windsor Locks, CT; Paulinia, Brazil; Cressa, Italy; Mozzate, Italy; Nakkila, Finland; Alicante, Spain
Processes: Spunlace, wetlaid, thermal bond, chemical bond, SPC, Webril
Major Markets: Wipes, medical, hygiene

Record sales were reported at wipes substrate supplier Suominen Corporation. The Helsinki, Finland-based company’s sales reached €458.9 million ($560 million) with strong operating profit due to unprecedented demand for wipes. This demand has continued into 2021.

“We believe long term, Covid-19 may lead to a change in consumer cleaning behavior and thus maintain high demand for nonwovens for cleaning and infection,” says Lynda Kelly, senior vice president, Americas & Business Development.

Suominen’s investment strategy developed prior to Covid-19 strengthened its capabilities and increased capacity. Suominen announced several upgrades at its plants in the U.S. and Europe. In Bethune, SC, Suominen will have an upgrade to an existing line to widen its offerings. Bethune is the site with the company’s latest wetlaid investment which was well prepared to support the surge in wipes demand. Meanwhile, in Europe Suominen increased its spunlace capacity by upgrading and restarting one of its existing production lines in Cressa, Italy. This €8 million investment will strengthen its capabilities in Europe. Also in Italy, the company enhanced another production line to strengthen its ability to make sustainable products. This investment was valued at €4 million.

“The wipes market continues to have positive CAGRs in all regions supported by increasing penetration rates, new applications and new designs within existing and emerging brands,” says Kelly. “Given continued positive trends, the market will absorb these new capacity investments. With the entire supply chain focused on improving its carbon footprint, sourcing within the region of wipes consumption will become a more important part of the sustainable wipes solution.”

As the market leader for wipes, Suominen will continue to focus on delivering on its growth and profitability strategy. “We stayed true to our strategy during the unprecedented demand of Covid by continuing our investments and innovation plans,” Kelly says.

At the start of 2020, Suominen introduced a new strategy, which was ground up involving many functions, regions and perspectives to create strategy ownership from the beginning. The strategy highlights five focus areas—operational excellence, sustainability leadership, differentiation through innovation and commercial excellence, a great place to work and a dual operating model.

Furthermore, the company renewed financial targets for the strategy period 2020-2025 which includes net sales growth above market growth and an EBITDA margin above 12% by 2025.

“We are committed to continuously improving our production efficiency and the efficient utilization of natural resources,” Kelly says. “Our target is to reduce our energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and waste to landfill. We have concrete action plans to continue the work towards the targets.”

On the product side, Suominen’s target is to increase sales of sustainable materials by 50% and to have more than 10 sustainable product launches per year. In 2020, the company launched nine sustainable products and sales increased by 22.5%. “Sustainability is of growing importance to our customers and other stakeholders,” Kelly says. “We aid our customers to achieve their environmental targets by offering products made from renewable, recycled, compostable and plastic-free raw materials.”

As such the company has launched a number of sustainable options for the household market. In sync with this strategy, Suominen has introduced products such as Biolace Pure, a 100% plant-based product with superior cleaning power. The development of this innovative material with excellent liquid management and cleaning properties is based on Suominen’s long history and know-how in producing pulp-based products. Another sustainable household product launched is Biolace Bamboo, also with superior cleaning power. As the name indicates, the main raw material used in Biolace bamboo consists of bamboo—a perennial grass that is one of the fastest growing plants in the world. The speed of its re-growth after harvesting makes it a considerable alternative for use in place of other renewable raw materials.

Plants: Bethune, SC; Green Bay, WI; Windsor Locks, CT; Paulinia, Brazil; Cressa, Italy; Mozzate, Italy; Nakkila, Finland; Alicante, Spain
Processes: Spunlace, wetlaid, thermal bond, chemical bond, SPC, Webril
Major Markets: Wipes, medical, hygiene

As it increases its focus on sustainability, Suominen Corporation, the world’s largest supplier of nonwoven substrates to the global wipes market, continues to roll out new products featuring new sustainable fiber types and designs.

“Our strategic vision is to be the frontrunner for nonwovens innovation and sustainability,” says senior vice president, Business Development, Lynda Kelly.

Suominen’s current Sustainable Product Portfolio consists of products made of renewable, recycled and/or plastic-free raw materials as well as compostable and totally dispersible nonwovens. “We are constantly developing new products for this portfolio and we have a number of new products to be launched focused on this sustainable market trend,” Kelly continues.

One example of Suominen’s successes in sustainable product development revolve around flushable and dispersible technology. The company was the first nonwovens manufacturer to receive the Fine for Flush Manufacturers’ Generic Certificate from Water UK for its Hydraspun Royal product. Hydraspun Royal meets stringent flushability standards established in the U.K. market. “Receiving the Fine to Flush certification from Water UK is a remarkable achievement for us,” Kelly notes. “It demonstrates our commitment to innovation and being a nonwovens market leader.”

Additionally, Suominen’s 100% sustainable product line Biolace nonwovens, which was introduced more than a decade ago, continues to expand and grow.

Suominen launched its new strategy in January 2020. This strategy was built from the ground up involving many functions, regions and perspectives to create strategy ownership from the beginning. The strategy highlights five focus areas—operational excellence, sustainability leadership, differentiation through innovation and commercial excellence, a great place to work and a dual operating model.

Furthermore, the company renewed financial targets for the strategy period 2020-2025 which includes net sales growth above market growth and an EBITDA margin above 12% by 2025.

”There are two main targets we aim to achieve with this strategy—growth and improved profitability,” says Kelly. “We believe that we can grow together with our customers in the changing market by offering sustainable products which the end users are requesting. Our profitability will be improved by upgrading our assets, introducing new products while reaching our operational excellence initiatives.”

In April, Suominen announced it was investing about €4 million to enhance one of its lines in Italy in order to strengthen its capabilities for sustainable products. At the time of the announcement, CEO Petri Helsky said, “With this investment, we strengthen our leadership in sustainable nonwovens by allowing us to offer next generation products to the market.”

The project is expected to be finalized in the second half of 2021.

In other investment news, Suominen announced in August it would upgrade and restart an existing line in Cressa, Italy, to increase its overall nonwovens output. This €8 million investment is expected to be complete next year and will help meet demand for spunlace nonwovens globally.

“The demand for nonwovens is growing in all regions,” Kelly says. “The demand of nonwovens for cleaning and disinfecting wipes as well as nonwovens for medical purposes has increased due to the Covid-19 pandemic and consequently our sales volumes has increased in all our markets. In the longer term the Covid-19 pandemic may lead to continued increased demand for nonwovens for cleaning and disinfection applications.”

In response to increased demand for PPE, Suominen has also developed nonwovens—under the brand name Fibrella Shield—for various healthcare needs, including face masks and protective clothing. This material has been tested in Finland and has met the necessary criteria to be used by healthcare professionals. Currently the plant is capable of producing material for approximately 15 million mask per month, Kelly explains.

Suominen’s business areas are Americas and Europe. In 2019, Americas’ sales accounted for 64% of net sales and the European business accounted for 36% of sales.

Plants: Bethune, SC; Green Bay, WI; Windsor Locks, CT; Paulínia, Brazil; Cressa, Italy; Mozzate, Italy; Nakkila, Finland; Alicante, Spain
Processes: Spunlace, wetlaid, thermal bonded, carded, hydroentangled, SPC
Major Markets: Wipes, medical, hygiene

Suominen continues to focus on fiber-based value added products within its wipes business and in other applications. The Helsinki, Finland-based company reported sales of €431.1 million ($509 million) in 2018, which was a essentially flat.

Earnings, meanwhile, were significantly lower at €4.6 million, compared to €15 million the prior year.

Describing results as disappointing, CEO Petri Helsky blamed the results on steep raw material prices as well as challenges associated with ramping up its latest line in Bethune, SC.

“I think even if the outcome of last year was somewhat disappointing, at Suominen we are doing a lot of great things that will pay off in the future,” he says. “We have worked out some pricing issues and we have progressed with ramping up our new line. We are on targets with our plans.”

Helsky assumed the role of president and CEO of the company in January after its recently appointed CEO Pekka Ojanpää died in an aviation accident in late November. He had been set to start his role at Suominen on December 1.

Helsky previously served as president of Metsä Tissue Corporation and prior to that as president of Pulp and Paper segment and the Asia-Pacific region and member of management board at Kemira Oyj and has extensive experience in international management positions.

In other organizational news, in July, the company reorganized its business structure into two new business areas, Americas and Europe in a move to be more efficient, focused and agile. As part of the reorganization, Suominen appointed Toni Tamminen as CFO and changed the responsibilities of some current members of its Executive Team. Ernesto Levy was named senior vice president of Americas, Markku Koivisto was named senior vice president of Europe; and Lynda Kelly was named senior vice president, Business Development. Meanwhile, senior vice president, Operational Excellence, Larry Kinn has announced his retirement.

Suominen has previously operated through a market-focused organization with two divisions, Convenience, which encompassed its wipes-related businesses, and Care, containing activities outside of wipes.

In 2018, the company’s Convenience business area accounted for 92% of its sales, and Suominen held onto its position as a global market leader in nonwovens for wipes with a marketshare of about 20%. Within this area, Suominen supplied the baby care, personal care, household wipes and workplace wipes markets and its customers include global consumer brands, private label manufacturers, retail chains and regional nonwovens converters.

Suominen’s latest investment, a new wetlaid line in Bethune, SC, was able to turn a positive gross profit in late 2018—after some problems relating to start up—and is allowing Suominen to develop new products serving value-added markets like flushable substrates and hard surface cleaning.

“We have stabilized the new line and we can run our main product with quality and good outcome while we further broaden the product line coming off of it,” Helsky says. “The idea is we can produce different products and technologies on the nonwovens line.”

In other investment news, Suominen announced in February 2018 it was going to add carding technologies on an existing spunlace line at its plant in Green Bay, WI, an investment that will improve its ability to supply high added value nonwovens for household, personal care, medical and workplace wipes. The new machinery is expected to be fully operational by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the business area formerly known as Care reported sales of €35 million last year, largely to the hygiene and medical markets.  Like the wipes business, Care was impacted by steep price increases. While Suominen did not launch any new products in its medical business in 2018, it did extend manufacturing of its colored Fibrella Zorb+ —previously made only in the U.S.—to Alicante, Spain. In hygiene, Suominen made three significant products launches in October 2018. Fibrella Cozy is a topsheet material for absorbent hygiene products such as panty liners that is superior in softness and excellent in fluid management. It is bonded with water and without any binders, making it an attractive choice for hygiene brands and converters. The other launches centered around extending Suominen’s more than decade old Biolace products line. Biolace Move for acquisition and distribution layers and Biolace Cozy for topsheets can both be used a components in absorbent hygiene products.

While the Care businesses no longer have their own business unit, growth outside of wipes continues to be important focus to Suominen’s business. “We have put a lot of effort into developing the ranges and the products in that market segment and we will continue to have some interesting opportunities here going forward. The business operating structure will not impact our efforts in this area,” Helsky says.

In 2018, Suominen launched a sustainable product portfolio to better highlight its environmentally sound products. While the company already has a large portfolio of products made out of renewable and biodegradable raw materials, it is continuously looking for alternatives to replace plastics.

“Suominen has extended its current offering by launching new products and is continuously developing new products for this portfolio which consists of products made of renewable, recycled, compostable and plastic-free raw materials,” he adds.

In 2019, Suominen launched Biolace Sensation, a 100% renewable material option made from plant derived cellulose that is chemically modified. Bio-based products like this provide an alternative to conventional oil-based plastics and have certain benefits such as lower carbon footprint, compostability and the ability to biodegrade in certain environments. For the hygiene segment, Suominen’s Biolace Cozy is designed to be the softest and driest topsheet made from fully renewable fibers to address the natural needs of female consumers.

In other new launches, in September 2018, Suominen introduced the Suominen Intelligent Nonwovens concept to the market. First of its kind in the world of nonwovens, the concept makes it possible to embed digital features into Suominen nonwovens. For example, with Suominen Intelligent Nonwovens,  product traceability and product safety can be taken to a new level. It also provides brands with a new kind of sophisticated marketing tool. These are only some examples of opportunities the concept offers.

The concept stems from Suominen’s research and development projects that have already led to the launch of High Definition Design Series, a revolutionary pattern selection for nonwovens. The Suominen Intelligent Nonwovens concept adds a unique technical capability into the mix and combines artificial intelligence with extremely high definition patterning. With Suominen Intelligent Nonwovens, all kinds of digital features can be embedded into the substrate without deteriorating other functionalities or aesthetic appearance of nonwovens.

“Innovation is a key focus area. There are plenty of reasons to innovate. One of them is all of the discussion around plastic use and single use plastic products and the other is offering new and exciting products for our customers,” Helsky adds.

Plants: Bethune, SC; Green Bay, WI; Windsor Locks, CT; Paulínia, Brazil; Cressa, Italy; Mozzate, Italy; Nakkila, Finland; Alicante, Spain
Processes: Spunlace, wetlaid, thermal bonded, carded, hydroentangled, SPC
Major Markets: Wipes, medical, hygiene

Sales continued to climb for Suominen, the world’s largest maker of spunlace nonwovens and other technologies for wipes applications, thanks to its changemaker strategy, which focuses on superior high value-added products.

“We have focused on understanding market and consumer needs and developing innovative products that meet those needs,” says Tapio Engström, interim president and CEO. “Whether it is the softest baby wipe or top sheet or even better dispersible toilet tissue, our new products are helping us deliver solid business growth.”

The healthy economic situation and solid GDP growth have created an environment conducive to this growth. Also consumer confidence remains strong in both North America and Europe, which are the company’s main market regions. Sales grew 2% to $511 million (€426 million,) while profits were lower than the 2017 level largely due to challenges facing the start-up and ramp-up of Suominen’s new line in Bethune, SC. The total negative impact of the costs of all growth investments, Bethune being the largest, was nearly $6 million in 2017. In addition, the unfavorable development of sales prices due to the competitive situation in Europe, as well as product mix change, affected gross profit and hence also the operating profit.

Despite the challenges faced in the start-up of the new line in Bethune, the company remains optimistic for its success as production volumes continue to flow in the right direction and customer demand continues to exist. Toward the second quarter of 2018, improved stability and reliability helped turned the new line positive on gross profit and the company expects the line to reach its full potential by the end of 2018.

The new line, which features proprietary technology to target key value added segments, such as workplace and household wipes, was developed after a review of megatrends, key customer trends and consumer trends, Engström says.

“This new, very flexible composites line satisfies our need for additional capacity, provides a platform to improve our products with colors, chemistry treatments and textures, but it also does a lot more,” he says. “We call it a Laboratory of Opportunities because you can use pretty much any fiber, from 100% synthetic to 100% natural; produce wetlaid or composite products—it has really unique capabilities.”

In addition to dispersibility, the new line allows Suominen to create nonwovens ranging from super soft to abrasive allowing it to serve markets like moist toilet tissue as well as industrial wipes that require durability and strength. For home care, the line can deliver excellent patterns/textures and apertures for great particle pickup. “So from here, it is evident that the line supports all high-value added segments, while we first focus on workplace and home care and to the products that we already know,” Engström says. “Once the line is fully up and running, it is time to get even more innovative. “

Suominen has been upgrading existing lines around the world to promote its focus on value added products. In Green Bay, WI, where it operates two spunlace lines, Suominen has invested €6 million to install new carding machinery on an existing line, expanding the product range made at the site.

“Once upgraded, the production line will, for its part, improve Suominen’s capability to supply high value added nonwovens for home care, personal care and workplace wipes as well as for hygiene and medical applications, i.e. categories where Suominen seeks to grow. Moreover, the investment offers more efficient supply of nonwovens for baby wipes for Suominen’s customers. The investment again demonstrates that Suominen is serious about growth. It represents also a clear upgrade to our current production technology base, expanding our product offering globally and increasing our production capacity.”

Other investments include a line upgrade in Paulínia, Brazil, which allowed Suominen to launch Fibrella Wrap, a high-performing material for undercast paddings and cushions used in wound care, to the South American market, Suominen’s initial foray into the growing medical market of South America. In Alicante, Spain, the investment expanded the plant’s product offering and increased its capability and capacity to supply also products with high added value. The focus of the investment was particularly on workplace and medical segments.

With upgraded operations in South America, North America and Europe, Asia, the world’s largest market for nonwovens in the world, represents a hole in the company’s manufacturing footprint. As part of its strategic plan, announced in 2017, the company said Asian expansion is a priority.

“At the moment we operate there only through agents, and it has always been clear to us that in order to really succeed commercially in Asia, we need to have local manufacturing, Engström says. “The two basic options for Suominen to expand to Asia are greenfield investment or acquisition. Both options are being considered and both have their pros and cons. While the expansion to Asia is currently being seriously explored, at the moment there is nothing more to communicate about that.”

In terms of market segments, Suominen’s sales are grouped into two categories—Convenience and Care. Convenience represents about 92% of sales and comprises the company’s activities in the disposable wipes segment. “Wipes continue to be central to Convenience’s growth as is the transformation of our portfolio to drive growth of higher value applications such as dispersible wipes, home and workplace cleaning wipes,” says Ernesto Levy, senior vice president, Convenience. “This is important because these segments truly value the innovation we are able to bring.”

In addition to improvements in dispersible technology, Suominen has introduced a line of workplace wipes called Genesis Pro that deliver superior absorption and its Design Series, which offers personalization and customization capabilities.

“Innovation is the key to our growth. The only way we will grow will be via innovation. Our strategy to be a market driven product leader requires us to understand trends and needs a then address these needs with innovative nonwovens that others cannot develop,” Levy says.

Suominen’s business outside of wipes, including products for the medical and hygiene markets, is contained within its Care Division, which continues to be an integral part of Suominen, supporting the company’s vision of becoming a leader in fluid management. “The learning and development within fluid management is a common thread in wipes, hygiene and medical articles,” says Lynda Kelly, senior vice president, Care. “We are a relatively new player in the global hygiene market offering a focused product line for select product applications. Growth in these segments takes time and we are doing the right things to grow in the future. “

While the predominant technology in the hygiene and medical market is spunmelt, Suominen continues to see smaller pockets of opportunity for spunlaced applications in hygiene. The company has found success with its Fibrella Move product line for acquisition distribution layers in feminine hygiene and light incontinence products. The recently published EU directive proposal supports the demand for plastic free products, which will provide a broader platform for spunlaced nonwovens in hygiene applications.

In medical, Suominen continues to grow in niche medical applications utilizing its unique thermal bond line called Novonette nonwovens. This technology offers unparalleled hold and release characteristics of fluid necessary for many niche medical applications. Meanwhile, Webril, the company’s 100% cotton nonwovens line of products, continues to meet the rigorous needs of the medical cast padding and medical market. To support the transition from medical wovens to nonwovens, Suominen launched Fibrella Wrap in Brazil. The company sees strong growth in Latin America, high single-digit figures, and aims to expand its business there leveraging its modern manufacturing capability in Brazil. It recently invested in this plant, and thanks to that it can now efficiently supply also medical products to this very lucrative market. On top of the replacement of traditional textiles with nonwovens in, it also sees totally new application areas.

Plants: Bethune, SC; Green Bay, WI; Windsor Locks, CT; Paulinia, Brazil; Cressa, Italy; Mozzate, Italy; Nakkila, Finland; Alicante, Spain
Processes: Spunlace, wetlaid, thermal bonded, carded, hydroentangled, SPC
Major Markets: Wipes, medical, hygiene

Fresh off a successful three-year growth strategy, which included investment in a new U.S. line as well as retrofits to existing assets in Spain, Brazil and Finland, Suominen Corporation has unveiled its strategy for the 2017-2021 time period. Central to this strategy is achieving profitable growth as well as its continuous effort to increase the share of its products with high added value. To help it achieve these goals, Suominen will rely on the robust competitive edge it developed during this previous growth strategy.

“From now on we can draw on the determined work done in past years,” says Nina Kopola, president and CEO. “Our new investments in product development, marketing and customer interface as well as the largest investments we have ever made in manufacturing technologies on three continents have created a sustainable competitive edge for Suominen and, consequently, a good foundation for our future success. Moreover, the market outlook remains favorable—according to recent independent forecasts, demand for nonwovens will continue to grow, especially in the applications Suominen is focusing on.”

During the strategic period, Suominen will also examine its opportunities to expand its  business operations to new regions, particularly in the Asia-Pacific, which is the largest nonwovens market in the world. Suominen currently operates in the Asian markets through sales agents.

Back in the U.S., a new wetlaid nonwovens line recently started up in Bethune, SC, and is a major part of Suominen’s expansion plans. At a reported cost of over €50 million, the new line represents the largest single investment in Suominen’s history, and the new line will continue its growth trajectory in markets as diverse as industrial, household and flushable wipes.

Currently, nonwovens for wipes comprise the lion’s share of Suominen’s sales, led by the baby wipes market which represents about 38% of sales and personal care, which contributed 25% of sales last year. Suominen aims to continue to be strong in baby wipes while growing more rapidly in value added wipe categories like workplace, personal care and household.

“There will be no large or sharp movement or change in direction,” says Saara Söderberg, vice president of marketing and product management. “The direction set is the direction we will continue.”

Part of Suominen’s past direction, or strategy, has been diversification and Söderberg reports that the company’s efforts to target new products with more value added materials has been successful, as they now comprise about 62% of total sales, up from 53% in 2012.

These efforts have led to the creation of products such as Genesis Pro All Purpose, a professional wiping substrate that was created using Suominen’s latest wetlaid technology. Among its attributes are strength, thickness, unbeatable absorption capacity. It is also lightweight but can outperform its heavier competitors in key performance areas.

“This is not a typical nonwoven product but a typical Suominen product since it was engineered with the end-user in mind,” says Eileen Calder, product manager for Workplace applications at Suominen. “That is why Genesis Pro All Purpose delivers results with speed and ease in everyday cleaning tasks that are critical to business performance. The professional employees may just focus on getting the job done, confident that the wipes do not let them down, nor in light neither heavy-duty tasks.”

Genesis Pro All Purpose is available globally and is part of Suominen@work nonwoven product offering, which was officially launched in May 2016 as a line for workplace applications.

Also in the industrial wiping space, Suominen launched Airlace for Workplace in early January 2017. This new product, possible through line improvements in Alicante, Spain, is designed for both wet and dry wipe products where it delivers a superior combination of strength, absorbency and low linting with its optimum blend of cellulose and synthetic fibers. The integration of pulp makes it ideal for cleaning oil spills and grease.

Suominen’s new Designer Series also helps diversify the company’s offerings to the wipes market. Featuring high resolution patterns, the Designer Series was designed by professional designers to fulfill the modern day needs of both consumers and brands when it comes to wipes materials. The wipes substrates’ feature distinct patterns clearly indicating softness or cleaning efficiency or both.

“When the team started with the Designer Series, we took an approach no other company in the nonwovens industry had taken before. We partnered with professional designers whose interpretation really challenged Suominen to test what its improved production technology is capable of,” Vish Mazumder, product development manager, says.

In addition to product development, Suominen is diversifying its market focus. In 2014, the company split into two divisions, Convenience and Care. While Convenience contains the bulk of Suominen’s business, 92% of sales, and represents its more established wipes businesses, Care, representing just 8% of sales, is committed to broadening Suominen’s role in markets beyond wipes like medical and hygiene applications.

“It is small and they are in a position of challenger as they build relationships with new customers,” Söderberg says. “There are very different customers compared to the wipes business, and building relationships takes time.”

This business received a boost in 2016 when its Fibrella Lite product received the RISE Durable Product Innovation Award. Fibrella Lite is a spunlace product that combines strength, softness and stretchability while remaining light weight and is used as a stretchable component in absorbent hygiene materials.

Other key products in the Care division include Fibrella Zorb for surgical wipes, Fibrella Perf for woundcare and Fibrella Wrap, a material for undercast paddings and cushions, which is sold in South America.

“In South America, cotton wadding is the most typical material used under casts and in wound care but it has two major weaknesses: it has no strength and it can be difficult to apply for the clinicians,” says Marika Mäkilä, product manager for Medical applications at Suominen. “Fibrella Wrap has no such weaknesses. Its safety and cleanliness is proven and when we add Suominen’s local production into the mix, we may say that Fibrella Wrap is the superior padding material available in the market.”

Products like Fibrella will help Suominen to expand its role in the spunlace market as new capacity investments continue to drive up supply. “As we focus on more value added technology, the path ahead of us will be strong,” Söderberg says.

Plants: Bethune, SC; Green Bay, WI; Windsor Locks, CT; Paulínia, Brazil; Cressa, Italy; Mozzate, Italy; Nakkila, Finland; Alicante, Spain
Processes: Spunlace, thermal bonded, carded, hydroentangled, SPC
Major Markets: Wiping, medical, hygiene

In the midst of a three-year global growth strategy, Suominen continues to aim at growth as it awaits the completion of a major U.S. investment as well as smaller upgrades in Europe and South America. The manufacturer of primarily spunlaced nonwovens, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, began its three-year global growth strategy in the beginning of 2015. The company originally announced it would invest €30-50 million in this program but in August 2016 the company reevaluated the scope of the total program, estimating that its total value may exceed €60 million due to an unexpectedly rapid increase in labor costs in South Carolina, among other things. Key tenets of the program, which is designed to help Suominen deliver superior value in select market areas and hopefully drive its sales upward to roughly €500 million before its completion, include the construction of a new line dedicated largely to nonwovens for household and workplace use as well as flushable substrates in Bethune, SC as well as upgrades to its sites in Alicante, Spain and Paulinia, Brazil.

In 2015, Suominen’s sales continued to climb, increasing 10% to  €444 million, thanks to the strength of the U.S. dollar. With sites in the U.S., Europe and South America, Suominen continues to focus on new product development and investment—in both its sites and its people—to achieve growth.

“We definitely focus on research and development through investment in talent and processes bringing new products to our customers,” explains Saara Söderberg, vice president, marketing and product management.

Currently, Suominen operates through two business areas: Convenience and Care. Convenience is by far the larger of the two business areas representing about 92% of sales in 2015 and comprising Suominen’s global wipes businesses. Care, meanwhile, includes Suominen’s activities in the hygiene and medical markets. While it represented just 8% of the company’s global sales in 2015, a strong focus on new product development should help Suominen grow this business in coming years.

“In wipes we are an established player but in hygiene and medical applications, we are a relative newcomer,” Söderberg says. “But we are seeing spunlace providing a nice substitute for spunbond nonwovens in some areas of the diaper—not in the backing or in the core but in the surface areas that touch the skin.”

Within this segment, Fibrella Move nonwovens was launched in October 2015 for the global hygiene market. The material uses state-of-the-art forming, bonding and finishing technologies, offering a major step forward in fluid acquisition and management for feminine hygiene and other absorbent hygiene applications.

“Fibrella Move is another new statement product from Suominen which raises the bar of expectations for materials in the construction of absorbent hygiene products,” says Lynda Kelly, senior vice president, Care. “This launch is a further step in our company’s vision to offer new, high performance nonwovens in our care business, meeting the important standards of our converters and consumers.

Meanwhile, in the medical arena, Suominen has introduced three new Fibrella products. Fibrella Zorb and Fibrella Zorb+ bring added value benefits to the critical care environment and Fibrella Perf is a range of nonwovens for wound care and gentle cleansing with an aperture structure that makes them soft and skin friendly.

Back in its core business, wipes, Suominen has focused on balancing its portfolio within this market. Its largest market for wipes, baby wipes, represented 38% of wipes sales last year, and the company would like to see growth come from other wipe products like personal care, household or industrial.

As part of its efforts to fuel growth in these markets, in April, Suominen launched suominen@work, a product line designed to serve manufacturers of workplace wipes—used in places like restaurants, healthcare facilities and factories. “The key to a good workplace wipe is to provide the user with a time-saving solution that delivers required functionality and provides tangible cost savings in use,” says Eileen Calder, product manager for the workplace market segment.Another category strong on Suominen’s radar is flushable wipes. The company has been offering a product to this category, under the brand name Hydraspun since the 1990s and has worked to continuously improve the technology ever since. In early 2015, the company introduced Hydraspun Dispersible Plus, which breaks up more than three times more quickly than the standard Hydraspun Dispersible substrate, according to the company.

Suominen’s optimism over this technology and the market it serves has best been illustrated by the construction of a new wetlaid in Bethune, SC, which is on track to be installed by the end of this year.  According to Suominen, the new wetlaid line, which represents the lion’s share of the company’s growth investment program, will take wetlaid technology to a totally new level in the industry, providing customers with a unique advantages by adding exquisite capabilities for designing nonwovens substrates. This will allow Suominen to increase its share of products with high added value, which is a key component of its growth strategy.

The new line would provide a broad basis weight range and extend from nonwovens made of 100% cellulosic fibers to reinforced composite products and 100% synthetic fiber products—their features being anything from dispersible to durable.

In other investment news, Suominen has upgraded plants in Paulínia, Brazil and Alicante, Spain. In Brazil, an existing line has been upgraded to expand its role in the South American wipes market and diversify its product output for the hygiene and medical markets, while in Spain the investment is targeted at medical and industrial wipes applications.

Plants: Bethune, SC; Green Bay, WI; Windsor Locks, CT; Paulínia, Brazil; Cressa, Italy; Mozzate, Italy; Nakkila, Finland; Alicante, Spain
Processes: Spunlace, thermal bonded, carded, hydroentangled, SPC
Major Markets: Wiping, medical, hygiene

Sales continued to climb upward at Suominen as the company initiates its ambitious growth strategy across all of its businesses. The largest supplier of nonwoven substrates to the global wipes market, Suominen is currently underway with one large-scale investment in North America and smaller endeavors in Spain, Finland and Brazil to help support growth in all markets–in wipes, medical and hygiene applications.

In 2014, the company’s sales hit a record €402 million. Suominen’s executives have stated that through successful execution of its strategy, Suominen would become a company with net sales of roughly €500 million by the end of 2017. To realize this scenario, the company seeks to increase both its sales volumes and the share of products with higher value-added in its portfolio.

“It is good to keep in mind that we indeed grew slightly faster than the market in 2014, even though our main focus was elsewhere—in corporate transformation, building of shared company culture and improving profitability,” says president & CEO Nina Kopola. “The outcome of our diligent work to execute strategy and transform the company was also reflected in Suominen’s operating profit, which increased to €26.9 million.”

One of the key milestones for Suominen in 2014 was the finalization of the acquisition of a Paulínia facility in Brazil from Ahlstrom, a deal that was announced along with the rest of the acquisition of Ahlstrom’s Home & Personal business in 2011 but took longer to execute than the businesses in North America and Europe. Already, Suominen is underway with a plan to expand this plant’s product offering to strengthen its position in the South American wipes market and to enable supply also to medical and hygiene markets.

“The country’s economy may struggle today but we do see Brazil and the entire South American market as an attractive market offering promising opportunities for growth,” Kopola says. “The acquisition provided us a foothold in this huge market region and it further enhances our capability to serve our global customers.”

In new product news in this region, Suominen introduced Fibrella Perf, a new range of apertured substrates for the South American medical markets.

Suominen is investing considerably in North America, which remains Suominen’s largest market—accounting for some 60% of sales—with plants in Connecticut, Wisconsin and South Carolina. In May, the company announced it would add a new wetlaid line in Bethune, SC, initially targeting household, industrial and flushable wipes market. The installation of the new line, which represents the biggest single investment in Suominen’s growth investment program, will be complete in late 2016.

Increasing Suominen’s share in key markets and growing the share of products with higher value-added materials in its portfolio are at the heart of company’s strategy for coming years. Moreover, Suominen is also seeking growth through adding capacity.

One area of considerable focus is flushable nonwovens. In addition to the new line under construction, the company added capacity in this segment in Windsor Locks, CT in 2014. Moreover, Suominen has expanded its manufacturing co-operation with Ahlstrom’s Ställdalen plant in Sweden and continues to allot considerable research and development efforts to this market.

Efforts made in product development bore fruit in January 2015 when Suominen launched the next generation product to its flushable category. Hydraspun Dispersible Plus is a substrate that breaks up more than three times faster than the standard Hydraspun Dispersible and clearly passes the INDA/EDANA 3rd edition flushability assessment test protocol. Suominen has filed a patent for the range of products.

“There is a strong consumer demand for flushable products that supports the favorable market development,” says Saara Soderberg, vice president, Marketing & Product Management. “I believe the best way for the industry to secure the business in the future is to comply with the flushability assessment test protocol and to support consumers by educating them on what is flush-friendly and what not to flush. We are confident that our range of flushable nonwovens, which we keep developing, continuously meets not only consumers’ needs but also the expectations of the municipal water systems,” she adds.

Following the divestment of its Codi Wipes and Flexible Packaging businesses in 2013 and 2014, respectively, Suominen is now entirely focused on nonwovens. In the very beginning of 2014, the company split itself into two business areas—Convenience, which represents today 92% of sales and includes the substrates for wiping applications; and Care, which comprises approximately 8% of sales and includes nonwovens for medical and hygiene markets.

“We have determinedly shaped Suominen into a 100% nonwovens company through acquisitions and divestments during the last four years,” Kopola says. “Clear focus provides us more resources to concentrate on what we are good at—developing and supplying nonwovens for customers in wiping, medical and hygiene sectors. The rationale behind the organizational renewal in the beginning of 2014 was to provide space for the growth of Care business area.”

Spunlace technology, which is central to Suominen’s operations, has promising opportunities to grow its share in selected segments within medical and hygiene, Kopola  adds. “The soft, cloth-like feel of spunlaced nonwovens makes it a perfect material for all end uses close to the skin.”

One new area for Suominen is the global hygiene market, which the company is targeting with a wide range of products including  Fibrella Lite, a range of lightweight spunlace products that meet the exacting requirements for a light yet stretchable materials for absorbent hygiene products.

Meanwhile, for the home spa market, Suominen is selling materials  under the Biolace Skin brand and was developed in cooperation with cellulose fiber maker Lenzing. The range consists of nonwoven substrates, featuring unique attributes for applications like facial sheet masks, cosmetic pads and patches. These products can help bring the professional spa sensation to consumers in the comfort and convenience of their own home.

The development of these new product brands fall in sync with Suominen’s growth strategy. “The product brands mentioned above, together with all new products we have recently introduced to the market, bring added value to the customer and have, therefore, an essential role in our strategy, as we aim to increase the share of products with higher added values in our portfolio,” Kopola says. “In general, new products—that we have more in the pipeline—also take us step by step closer to our vision of becoming a market driven product leader.”

Plants: Bethune, SC, U.S.; Green Bay, WI, U.S.; Windsor Locks, CT, U.S.; Paulínia, Brazil; Cressa, Italy; Mozzate, Italy; Nakkila, Finland; Alicante, Spain
Processes: Spunlace, thermal bonded, carded, hydroentangled, SPC
Major Markets: Wiping, medical, hygiene

The July 2014 divestment of its flexible packaging business unit made Suominen a company completely devoted to nonwovens. As a leading producer of nonwovens for wipes, Suominen is now fully concentrated on executing its nonwovens strategy, according to CEO Nina Kopola, and a significant part of this strategy is growing its business in areas with increased value-added; both beyond wipes and in the specific segments in wiping.

These efforts were well illustrated by Suominen’s announcement in September 2013 that it would reshape its corporate structure, dividing its nonwovens unit into two business areas, Convenience and Care. The larger of the two units, Convenience, generating some 90% of the company’s net sales, focuses on serving customers mainly in wipes but also in travel and catering segments while the Care business area targets customers in medical and hygiene segments.

“Reshaping the company structure and operating model is an essential and, at the same time, logical step in the strategic path we have chosen,” Kopola said at the time of the restructuring announcement. “Among other important objectives, we seek to speed up our capability to create new business and launch new products with higher value added to the market. We will, on top of our leadership presence in wipes, actively utilize that current position with new and exciting products to strengthen our share in the medical and hygiene segments as well. In May, Lynda Kelly joined Suominen as senior vice president for Care business area, adding strong expertise and experience in medical and hygiene business in Suominen’s management.”

Suominen also continues to reinforce its globally leading position in the wipes business. Also in wiping, the company seeks to increase the share of products with higher added value, for instance through investing in the growth of flushables. In spring 2014, Suominen completed its investment in the capacity increase of flushable nonwovens in its Windsor Locks, CT site in the U.S. Further, the company expanded the flushables manufacturing collaboration with Ahlstrom at their Stalldalen, Sweden plant.

In March 2014, Suominen announced that its Hydraspun Dispersible Substrates  flushable technology, which was first developed in the late 1990s, had passed the third generation flushability assessment protocol jointly developed by INDA and EDANA. This protocol was introduced in 2013 and allows products to claim flushability in wastewater systems. At INDEX14, Suominen also launched a new registered logo to depict to consumers the flushability of Hydraspun substrates. Suominen continues to take various measures in order to retain its leadership position in this segment.

On the new product front, in May 2014 Suominen launched Biolace Skin to the home spa market. This range of nonwovens can be used in home spa applications such as facial sheet masks, cosmetic pads, patches and exfoliation sheets. The new product Biolace Skin was developed in cooperation with Austrian company Lenzing AG using their Tencel Skin fibers with unique nano fibril structure. The combination of Suominen’s nonwovens technology and Lenzing’s Tencel Skin fibers has resulted in a product that has a smooth and silky touch, flexibility and high strength to maintain facial shape and excellent lotion management.

Another example of the company’s activities outside of its traditional wipes is the introduction of Novolino nonwovens for tabletop products in February 2014. This range of substrates brings a new dimension to the tabletop market. With its soft and silky touch, Novolino nonwovens offer users a disposable alternative to traditional linen or other textile napkins.

“The demand for nonwovens for wiping, medical and hygiene applications is high in volume and enjoys a healthy growth globally, driven by megatrends such as middle class growth, aging of the population and urbanization,” says Kopola. “There are however differences in both regional demand and supply and thus in the balance of the two. The spunlace supply in Europe continues to exceed the regional demand. As a result, margins in oversupplied markets like Europe tend to be tight for the entire supply chain.”

Suominen became a leading maker of nonwovens for wiping applications in the world in 2011 when it acquired the assets of Ahlstrom’s home and personal business area in North America and Europe; and reinforced this position when the acquisition of Ahlstrom’s Brazilian operations was finalized in 2014. The deal provided Suominen with a foothold in a new, dynamic market region.

“We remain very committed to the wipes market,” Kopola says. “The reasons for this are clear—it is a healthy, growing industry. There are continuous possibilities for expansion and we have a long history serving this market.”

Plants: Bethune, SC; Green Bay, WI; Cressa, Italy; Mozzate, Italy; Nakkila, Finland; Windsor Locks, CT; Alicante, Spain
Processes: Spunlace, thermal bonded, carded, hydroentangled
Major Markets: Wipes, medical, hygiene

Sales climbed for Suominen in 2012 as it continued to integrate Ahlstrom’s former home and personal business, which was acquired in 2012. Not only has this acquisition brought Suominen’s sales up to $602 million, it has propelled it to the top of the nonwovens industry, making it the largest maker of spunlaced materials for the wipes market.

“This rapid growth was not without its own challenges,” says director of marketing and communications, Alistair Brown. “The creation of what was effectively a whole new company included a crucial task to merge a mix of international company cultures.”

In its new form, Suominen, which is based in Nakkila, Finland, operates three nonwovens plants in the U.S. in Wisconsin, Connecticut and South Carolina, and others in Brazil, Italy, Spain and Finland, a considerable change from the one-site producer it was prior to the acquisition.

“The integration comprised also the retention and development of customer relationships around the globe. Becoming truly global after being mainly focused on Europe was another important step in the process of creating New Suominen,” says Brown. “Significant markets, such as the U.S. and Asia, were reassured by a global marketing campaign to support Suominen Nonwovens statement of, ‘Now the biggest name in nonwovens for wipes.’”

As the biggest producer of nonwovens for wipes, Suominen this year launched the “We Love Wipes” campaign to strengthen its understanding of the need of consumers and consequently ensure it is better able to serve its customers and increase the share of the higher value added products in its portfolio. Bolstered by a campaign hub website at www.welovewipes.com as well as a variety of social media activities, We Love Wipes also aims to raise the overall awareness of wipes and the wide range of uses for them.

“Innovation at Suominen is not just about products but about changing the way business is done and challenging traditional long-held views. The market is very dynamic and it is clearly in our interest to become faster to market with the right products. This is one aspect we aim to further improve, with the support from the consumers, the genuine experts of wipes,” says Jean-Marie Becker, executive vice president of Suominen Nonwovens at the time of the campaign launch.

On the new product front, in April Suominen launched Exodus and Hercules Nonwovens for personal care and industrial applications as part of its strategy to strengthen its share of the higher value-added products. Both products provide customers with a quality performance in industrial and household wipes and contain cellulose and synthetic fibers, a combination that ensures optimized strength and absorbency with dimensional strength.

“Despite its toughness, Hercules Nonwoven has a soft, cloth-like feel, which makes it perfect also for cleaning hands quickly and conveniently while working. Both are available in four basis weights.

“We are always improving nonwoven product characteristics in such areas as texture, feel and cleaning through enhancements to the technologies we use in our processes,” Brown says.

Another area strong on Suominen’s radar is flushability. In June, the company said it would invest €2.5 million to increase the production capacity of Hydraspun substrates, some of which are defined as flushable by industry guidelines developed by INDA and EDANA, the industry associations.

“Suominen is constantly looking at the markets in which it operates,” Brown says. “Where we see opportunity to add value with nonwoven products will determine where we take our future offering.”