Invista™ Develops High Tech Niche In High End Polyester Filament Fiber
June 22, 2004
Charlotte, N.C.—Invista polyester filament is charting a course which calls for higher value, premium fibers that bring new technology to the market, according to Bill Jasper, business manager.
Jasper expects this approach will help fend off Chinese fiber and finished textiles competition over the next ten years. "Innovation will help our customers downstream in finished home textiles and upholstery," said Tonya E. Farrow-Chestnut, new business development and communications manager for Invista. "Our response time and innovative products will more than offset any cost advantage from the Chinese," Jasper feels, but he admits the entire U.S. textile industry will continue to shrink. As a result of this product innovation and quick response strategy, annual production of Invista polyester filament has been sold up since 2003 thanks to "our efficient manufacturing alliance with Unifi," Jasper said.
"There is no Chinese POY (partially oriented yarn) supplier as big as Invista today but there are 100's of other small Chinese fiber producers. They will eventually consolidate, within five years time," he feels.
Polyester is the fastest growing man-made fiber in the world today, Jasper says, "growing at a rate of six to eight percent a year. The staple and filament polyester market was 35 billion pounds in the year 2000 and is expected to be nearly 90 billion pounds in 2010, he adds. "Filament is growing faster than staple. The largest growth in demand for polyester by far will be in China."
Invista overall is the largest textile business in the world, a $6.3 billion business which includes Stainmaster® flooring, Lycra® and nylon fibers nylon and polyester intermediates. (Koch Industries hopes to buy Invista and is in the U.S. Government approval phase of the buying process.)
About 20-30 percent of the Invista polyester filament business lies in home furnishings, specifically top of bed and curtain applications; home and contract upholstery. In fact, Quaker Fabric Corp. is a major buyer of Micromattique™ microfiber, Invista filament polyester brand, Jasper pointed out. Micromattique is another of Invista's important premium products in a superfine .3 denier dpf (denier per filament) "finer and more durable than silk", Jasper said.
Jasper also pointed out that the patent on Micromattique is being violated in Asia and Invista "will defend its rights vigorously. What good is innovation if it's knocked off," Jasper asks.
"We produce approximately 150 million pounds of polyester filament in Unifi's facility in Yadkinville and approximately 380 million pounds in our plant in Kinston, N.C.," said Jasper, a 25 year veteran of the fiber business, 15 of those years with DuPont. Unifi runs Yadkinville and Invista handles the production scheduling and POY fiber sales for the alliance to Unifi, Dillon, Spectrum and Milliken among others who convert Invista's filament fiber into texturized yarn.
"The Yadkinville plant is more flexible and allows us to focus on higher value products in a very efficient way," Jasper explains. Invista produces its Dacron®Vibrance producer dyed products there in 1,000 different colors. "The dye is added to the fiber and produces unique styling and tactile properties as a result," Jasper says.
"Our customers need more innovative products more quickly. As a result, we have developed more new products in the last two years than we have produced in the last decade," Jasper added. "We can now produce products in Yadkinville we couldn't produce before. We want to give our customers the chance to buy smaller lots than before and be more responsive than the Chinese fiber supplier. Their costs are lower because of labor but we have an advantage in product innovation and responsiveness to our customers."
Invista is also developing recycled polyester and hopes to be a greater player in the future in contract upholstery, he adds. While Invista focuses on North and South American markets it still expects growth in nylon, Lycra® and intermediate sales in Asia, including apparel specialty fibers like Coolmax® and Thermolite®.
Tonya E. Farrow-Chestnut and Bill Jasper
Jasper expects this approach will help fend off Chinese fiber and finished textiles competition over the next ten years. "Innovation will help our customers downstream in finished home textiles and upholstery," said Tonya E. Farrow-Chestnut, new business development and communications manager for Invista. "Our response time and innovative products will more than offset any cost advantage from the Chinese," Jasper feels, but he admits the entire U.S. textile industry will continue to shrink. As a result of this product innovation and quick response strategy, annual production of Invista polyester filament has been sold up since 2003 thanks to "our efficient manufacturing alliance with Unifi," Jasper said.
"There is no Chinese POY (partially oriented yarn) supplier as big as Invista today but there are 100's of other small Chinese fiber producers. They will eventually consolidate, within five years time," he feels.
Polyester is the fastest growing man-made fiber in the world today, Jasper says, "growing at a rate of six to eight percent a year. The staple and filament polyester market was 35 billion pounds in the year 2000 and is expected to be nearly 90 billion pounds in 2010, he adds. "Filament is growing faster than staple. The largest growth in demand for polyester by far will be in China."
Invista overall is the largest textile business in the world, a $6.3 billion business which includes Stainmaster® flooring, Lycra® and nylon fibers nylon and polyester intermediates. (Koch Industries hopes to buy Invista and is in the U.S. Government approval phase of the buying process.)
About 20-30 percent of the Invista polyester filament business lies in home furnishings, specifically top of bed and curtain applications; home and contract upholstery. In fact, Quaker Fabric Corp. is a major buyer of Micromattique™ microfiber, Invista filament polyester brand, Jasper pointed out. Micromattique is another of Invista's important premium products in a superfine .3 denier dpf (denier per filament) "finer and more durable than silk", Jasper said.
Jasper also pointed out that the patent on Micromattique is being violated in Asia and Invista "will defend its rights vigorously. What good is innovation if it's knocked off," Jasper asks.
"We produce approximately 150 million pounds of polyester filament in Unifi's facility in Yadkinville and approximately 380 million pounds in our plant in Kinston, N.C.," said Jasper, a 25 year veteran of the fiber business, 15 of those years with DuPont. Unifi runs Yadkinville and Invista handles the production scheduling and POY fiber sales for the alliance to Unifi, Dillon, Spectrum and Milliken among others who convert Invista's filament fiber into texturized yarn.
"The Yadkinville plant is more flexible and allows us to focus on higher value products in a very efficient way," Jasper explains. Invista produces its Dacron®Vibrance producer dyed products there in 1,000 different colors. "The dye is added to the fiber and produces unique styling and tactile properties as a result," Jasper says.
"Our customers need more innovative products more quickly. As a result, we have developed more new products in the last two years than we have produced in the last decade," Jasper added. "We can now produce products in Yadkinville we couldn't produce before. We want to give our customers the chance to buy smaller lots than before and be more responsive than the Chinese fiber supplier. Their costs are lower because of labor but we have an advantage in product innovation and responsiveness to our customers."
Invista is also developing recycled polyester and hopes to be a greater player in the future in contract upholstery, he adds. While Invista focuses on North and South American markets it still expects growth in nylon, Lycra® and intermediate sales in Asia, including apparel specialty fibers like Coolmax® and Thermolite®.
Tonya E. Farrow-Chestnut and Bill Jasper
