An in-depth analysis of the current development status and opportunities in the industry market

Non woven fabric is a type of textile that is similar in appearance and function to woven fabric. It is also known as non woven fabric because it is mostly composed of chemical fiber materials bonded together, rather than processed through weaving processes. Non woven fabrics have a wide range of applications in various fields, such as sound insulation, thermal insulation, electric heating pads, masks, clothing, medical, filling materials, etc.

The production raw materials for non-woven fabrics include polyester fibers, polyester fibers (PET), etc. It can be made into products of different thicknesses, textures, and hardness through needle punching technology. Non woven fabrics are also widely used in home decoration, such as wall coverings, tablecloths, bed sheets, bed covers, etc.

Since the beginning of this year, Hangzhou has taken the construction of the "415x" advanced manufacturing industry cluster (consisting of 4 world-class advanced industrial clusters, 15 "Zhejiang manufacturing" provincial characteristic industrial clusters, and a batch of high growth "new star" industrial clusters) as its core carrier, continuously promoting the construction of the five major industrial ecosystems, and accelerating the creation of a new paradise for industrial prosperity.

Currently, digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and visual computing are driving industrial transformation and upgrading towards automation and intelligence. Located in the town of artificial intelligence, Baizijian Technology is a pioneer in this field. As a provider of machine vision and advanced process automation solutions, Baizijian Technology is well-known in the industry, and its intelligent visual inspection and computer simulation products are exported to various parts of the world.

As a multinational technology company with global operations, Baizijian Technology was briefly affected by the sudden epidemic, but with strong market competitiveness, the company quickly overcame the impact and developed rapidly. "The revenue in 2022 has steadily increased compared to before the epidemic," said Ge Ming, Chairman of Baizijian Technology, and it is expected that the company's performance will continue to grow this year.

As a global leader in non-woven fabric production, China has established a complete non-woven fabric industry chain. The upstream of this industrial chain is the non-woven fabric raw material market, mainly including raw materials such as viscose fibers, polyester fibers, polypropylene fibers, and ES fibers. These raw materials are processed and processed to ultimately form the non-woven fabric we see.

The downstream application fields of the non-woven fabric industry are very extensive, mainly including medical and health care, civil engineering and construction, clothing, and automotive interior. These downstream enterprises further process non-woven fabrics to produce various products, such as surgical gowns, sanitary napkins, diapers, and wet wipes, ultimately pushing these products to end consumers.

According to relevant data, Pengchang Town, known as the "capital of non-woven fabrics", is home to numerous private non-woven fabric enterprises, accounting for 60% of the country's total non-woven fabric production and a quarter of the global market share. In the past two years, the small town that has been in business difficulties has been affected by the epidemic, and the local economy has suddenly risen. Everyone in the mask industry chain has made a lot of money.

However, behind the myth of economic prosperity and wealth, the moral bottom line of the mask market has been repeatedly refreshed, and everyone wants to get a share of it, leading to chaos in the market and leaving behind a mess for the urgently needed mature development of the Pengchang non-woven fabric industry.

As of April 10th, multiple departments in Xiantao have jointly cracked down on 273 illegal small workshops, seized over 46 million non compliant masks, confiscated 2.41 million unqualified masks, filed and investigated 154 illegal cases, transferred 9 cases to public security organs, and fined over 10 million yuan.

Viscose fiber is one of the important raw materials for non-woven fabric manufacturing. Between 2015 and 2022, the production of viscose fibers in China showed a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. However, by 2022, the overall operation of the viscose fiber industry was not ideal, and many enterprises were in a loss making situation, even having to reduce production. According to data from the China Chemical Fiber Industry Association, the production of viscose fibers in China was approximately 3.853 million tons in 2022, a year-on-year decrease of 4.42%.

This change indicates that although China has strong strength and a complete industrial chain in non-woven fabric production, there are still certain challenges in the production and supply of certain raw materials. This also reminds us that in order to maintain the sustainable and healthy development of the non-woven fabric industry, we need to closely monitor market dynamics, strengthen cooperation and integration of the industrial chain, and respond to various possible risks and challenges.

The non-woven fabric industry is a "newcomer" in the textile and clothing industry. Although its industrial production history does not exceed 70 years, it has been widely used in developed countries in Europe and America. In 2020, due to the impact of the epidemic, downstream industry demand grew rapidly, driving global non-woven fabric production to rise rapidly. However, by 2021, global non-woven fabric production has declined. In 2022, the total global production of non-woven fabrics was approximately 14.24 million tons, with sales revenue of approximately 58.75 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.11% and 8.29%, respectively.

In China, the production of non-woven fabrics in 2021 was 8.205 million tons. Although it has decreased compared to 2020, its compound growth rate still reached 12.62% compared to 2019. By 2022, China's non-woven fabric production was approximately 8.282 million tons, a year-on-year increase of 0.94%. From the distribution of provinces, Zhejiang Province, Shandong Province, and Fujian Province rank among the top three in non-woven fabric production.

The demand for non-woven fabrics in the market is huge, increasing from 3.091 million tons in 2012 to 7.177 million tons in 2022, with a compound annual growth rate of 8.8%. In addition, China's non-woven fabric products are mainly exported. According to data from the General Administration of Customs of China, the export quantity of China's non-woven fabric industry in 2022 was 1.208 million tons, a year-on-year decrease of 11.9%; The import volume was only 103000 tons, a year-on-year decrease of 23.7%.

Analysis of market opportunities in the non-woven fabric industry

At present, the non-woven fabric industry in China is in a critical period of structural adjustment and industrial upgrading. Traditional advantages such as demographic dividend and factor resources are weakening, while new advantages such as technology, talent, management, capital, and brand are emerging, becoming an important driving force for promoting sustainable development of the industry. Faced with the complex domestic and international environment as well as the changing non-woven fabric market, China's non-woven fabric industry should adhere to innovation leadership and continue to actively promote supply side reform.

In terms of raw materials, promote the application of natural fibers, bio based fibers, recycled fibers, and other high-performance fibers, endowing non-woven products with new functions and characteristics.

In the manufacturing process, we actively promote intelligent manufacturing and green manufacturing, increase the application of advanced equipment and software systems in the production process, improve product quality, reduce energy consumption and emissions, enhance the refined management capabilities of enterprises, and enable efficient collaboration between upstream and downstream enterprises in product development, inventory, and logistics, constructing core competitiveness of enterprises.

The non-woven fabric industry has experienced rapid development worldwide, especially in developed countries in Europe and America where it has been widely used. In China, the non-woven fabric industry has also shown strong growth momentum, but it also faces some challenges, such as fluctuations in raw material prices and constraints of environmental regulations. Therefore, the industry needs to further strengthen technological innovation and industry chain collaboration to adapt to market demand and respond to various challenges.