Suominen, a leading supplier of nonwovens, will be exhibiting its range of nonwovens for workplace wipes at the upcoming ISSA/INTERCLEAN North America 2016 international cleaning industry exhibition, which is taking place from 25-28 October.

The company is putting an emphasis on the increasing demand of wipes in professional cleaning at workplaces all over the world, in response to a rising trend of health and safety, making disposable industrial wipes a preferred option over traditional textiles.

According to the company, the forecasted global growth in this segments is as much as 7% per year, which illustrates the market potential. The market leader in nonwovens for wipes, Suominen already has some 11% of its business in the workplace segment. “The upward trend in demand for industrial wipes – or workplace wipes, as we call them – is no surprise for us at Suominen. We have seen the signs for some time and we know what the needs in the market are,” explained Eileen Calder, Product Manager.

Growth drivers

According to the manufacturer, the main factors behind this trend are based on consumer behaviour, business efficiency and regulation.

The first driver is, therefore, related to young people spending over 54% of their food budget eating out every month, which is one of the reasons why the amount of casual restaurant chains is on the increase. Those restaurants use workplace wipes that are specifically engineered for the job because they save time and money and are easy to use. This chain reaction benefits wipes manufacturers’ in food service applications, the company explains.

The second main factor, according to the company, is the need to ensure safe working environment. Sick employees cost the US economy USD 225.8 billion every year. A big share of this loss is caused by unclean work environment. Business owners have become aware of that, which has put more emphasis on improving employee safety. Easy-to-use, pre-dozed sanitizing wipes have become essential for keeping the workplace safe.

Finally, In the US, after the completion of EPA Wiper Rule, wipes used at workplace are now on an equal footing with laundered cloths. The Rule relieved disposable wipes used in industrial setting from stringent waste regulations and enabled easier disposal, which has already increased the demand for workplace wipes, the company reports.

Adding production capacity

Investing in nonwovens for workplace wipes has been a strategic choice for Suominen. Today, the company’s portfolio is used in a wide variety of workplace applications, including sanitizing tables in fast food restaurants, disinfecting in hospitals and being used in factory workshops where aircraft parts are made.

“Before last spring, we didn’t make too much noise about our offering for workplace wipes. We have been, however, in the market all the time and working backstage: Suominen’s R&D department has had the needs of the workplace wipes market as its priority, new Suominen@work product line was launched in May 2016, and we have recruited new personnel and formed a global team dedicated to serve our customers in the workplace segment,” said Eileen Calder.

The company has recently invested in a new wetlaid production line in Bethune, SC, USA, representing next-generation technology. The investment, worth of approximately EUR 50 million, adds both capacity and capabilities to supplying nonwovens for workplace wipes. Customer deliveries from the new production line are planned to commence in early 2017.

www.suominen.fi