China Liugui Group, Ltd. has signed a major order with Oerlikon Neumag for the supply of machines and lines for the production of industrial nonwovens. The order consists of six complete lines for the production of carded nonwovens. As the systems supplier, Oerlikon Neumag will undertake all the required engineering work and machine supplies under the direction and co-ordination of the Oerlikon Neumag Carding Group.

The six production lines will include the complete machinery supply from fibre preparation to the winder. The main components will consist of FOR WM 2+2 cards, Autefa Topliner CL 4002 crosslappers and three Fehrer NL 9/S, NL21 and NL 88 Quadropunch needle looms per line. The lines will be operated by an Oerlikon Neumag Process Control System with closed loop logic for an efficient production and optimized felt uniformity.

The lines will be located in Tengzhou City, Shandong Province. The installation and commissioning is sequentially planned between the final quarter of 2009 and the second quarter of 2010. According to Chang Song Gong, Vice President and Vice Chairman of China Liugui, “With this project we are continuing to implement our strategic growth objectives and have made a sustainable investment in lucrative markets with great future potential.”

The lines are to be utilised for the production of technical nonwovens products, which will largely be employed in the filtration sector. The market for filter products in China is growing rapidly and therefore the future production from the Oerlikon Neumag nonwovens lines will be used exclusively for the coverage of local demands.

Georg Stausberg, Managing Director of Oerlikon Neumag said: “For us as an equipment supplier, China is a highly competitive market and therefore we are extremely pleased to have captured this order. It also simultaneously confirms our efforts over the past three years, which were aimed at a systematic development into a supplier of complete solutions with engineering, product and process competence.”

The contracts were signed on 25 February in Berlin during the German-Chinese Economic Forum in the presence of Germany’s new minister of economic affairs Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg. Around 450 company representatives from Germany and China participated in this event and the Chinese delegation, which was headed by the Trade Minister, Chen Deming, signed contracts with European companies with a value of around EUR 11 billion.

About Oerlikon

Oerlikon is one of the world's most successful high-tech industrial groups, specialising in machine and plant engineering. The company is a leader in the field of industrial solutions and innovative technologies for textile manufacture, thin film coating, drive, precision and vacuum techniques. With roots in Switzerland and a long tradition stretching back 100 years, Oerlikon is a global player with a workforce of more than 19,000 at 170 locations in 35 different countries.