Smithers Apex

A wider analysis has been carried out by IntertechPira (now Smithers Apex), which studies the nonwoven market in detail [3]. They recently forecast that the worldwide nonwovens market would exceed 40.0 billion by value in 2015. If achieved, this would represent a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 8.0% from its 2010 value [3]. The primary driver for this projected explosive growth was seen to be developments in the Far Eastern economies. IntertechPira estimated a total market in excess of 161 biUion square metres (m ). 

In a more recent study, Smithers Apex estimated that the global consumption of nonwovens in 2015 at 8.95 million tonnes. They valued this at over 37 billion and in excess of 23 billion m [4]. The global nonwovens market is valued at over 37 billion in 2015 and is projected to exceed 50 bMon by 2020, according to a new study by Smithers Apex [5]. 

The sector is difficult to precisely define, as it covers many markets. However, we have estimated that more than 3 million tonnes of technical nonwovens were produced in 2014. This fits with a recent review from Smithers Apex, which estimated that global consumption of nonwovens for industrial applications could increase to over 4.90 million tonnes by 2017 [5]. The demand for technical textiles in many Asian countries is believed to be growing at the rate of over 12% per year. 

Source Data Kellie Solutions Ltd, Smithers Apex, Industry Sources. 

The size of the sustainable nonwoven sector has been dimensioned by a ground-breaking work by Smithers Apex, The Future of Sustainable Nonwovens to 2015 Global Market Forecasts [6]. 

They estimated that the global sustainable nonwovens market would reach 12.2 billion by 2015. The growth rate for these materials was a CAGR of 12.7%. This is almost twice the 6.9% CAGR predicted by Smithers Apex over the same period for nonsustainable nonwovens. 

By 2015, Smithers Apex expects sustainable nonwovens to account for over 30% of all nonwovens in value terms, with a volume of almost 1.5 million tonnes by 2015. This would be near doubling of output since 2010 [7]. 

This is another powerhouse sector for technical nonwovens. Recent studies by Smithers Apex have estimated that the global nonwoven filter media market could exceed 5 billion by 2018/2019. The CAGR would exceed 5% [11]. 

Growth rates for nonwovens in filtration look excellent. Studies by Smithers Apex and Mcllvaine indicate that the use of nonwovens in filtration will exceed 4.5 billion by 2020. The CAGR is likely to be over 5.5% pa. The market sector for all type of filter elements is expected to exceed 36 billion by 2015 [11]. 

Studies by Smithers Apex and others indicated a compound annual growth rate in excess of 5% per annum in the range of applications in illness, including drapes, wound care, bandage, incontinence products, gowns, masks, etc. 

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