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Oerlikon acquires Truetzschler’s staple fibre technology portfolio
Oerlikon announces on April 18, 2016 that it has signed an agreement to acquire the entire staple fibres technology portfolio of Trützschler Nonwovens & Man-Made Fibres GmbH, Egelsbach, Germany. This company is part of the German Truetzschler Group, which is a specialist in fibre preparation for the yarn spinning and nonwovens industries. The acquisition expands the Manmade Fibres Segment’s technology portfolio and opens up access to new customers in the market for synthetic staple fibres
Oerlikon is strengthening its technology and market position in its core business areas by taking advantage of the ongoing consolidation in the chemical fibres market, which was triggered by the market downturn in China. With the acquisition of the former Fleissner staple fibres technology portfolio and the intellectual property (IP) of Trützschler Nonwovens & Man-Made Fibres GmbH, the Segment becomes the leading technology and equipment provider in the global staple fibres market. The acquisition expands the Manmade Fibres Segment’s staple fibres technology expertise and broadens the Segment’s customer base and service business in the respective areas. As staple fibres projects are increasingly tied to continuous polycondensation facilities, already now the Manmade Fibres Segment is well positioned to operate as a provider of complete solutions. Both parties have agreed not to disclose details of the transaction. Truetzschler Group is discontinuing its staple fibre business and will focus on its core business activities.
Dr. Roland Fischer, CEO of the Oerlikon Group, said: “The acquisition of the staple fibres technology portfolio of Truetzschler is another important step in line with our strategy to strengthen our position outside the filament business, where we occupy a leading technology and market position. The ongoing consolidation in the chemical fibres market presents interesting opportunities and we are taking this step to ensure that the Manmade Fibres Segment will merge stronger from the current market weakness and profit from the positive long-term market perspectives.”
Staple fibres technology is one of the core technologies within the manmade fibres industry. In 2015, the produced staple fibres amounted to 18.5 million tons, or some 33% of the total synthetic fibres capacity. Synthetic staple fibres are produced by the main conversion steps: polymer production, spinning further down to baling. The liquid polymer is either produced in a polycondensation plant or polymer chips are melted in an extrusion line. Staple fibres are made from different polymers, including: polyester, polypropylene, polyamide, recycled materials (rPET) or renewable polymers (such as polylactic acid, PLA). Those fibres are used in various applications such as apparels, nonwoven fabric production, reinforcement, filling, insulation and further special applications.
Georg Stausberg, CEO of Oerlikon’s Manmade Fibres Segment commented: “The former Fleissner staple fibres technology portfolio of Trützschler Nonwovens & Man-Made Fibres GmbH is an ideal fit for our business. It enhances our existing technology offering and broadens our service business. Furthermore, it opens up attractive business opportunities with key customers in that field. Combining the staple fibres process solutions and key components of both companies will enable us to increase customer value through developing further innovations. In addition, we will be able to offer the entire range of customer services for all installed machines and plants of the former Fleissner staple fibres technologies.”