Challenge
Polymer Group, Inc. (PGI) is the third largest nonwoven company in the world. PGI has a traditional market presence in hygiene, wipes, medical drapes and gowns and selected industrial markets. The company felt it was important to expand into the filtration business. The problem was that most nonwoven filtration media in the market was no more than materials developed for traditional nonwoven markets. To differentiate PGI from competition, a successful business would require materials designed specifically as filtration media.

Process To make an impact, the objective was to understand what nonwoven fabric constructions customers require and not what the company and competition historically offered. Every important filtration application was identified and systematically categorized. Application and customer requirements were compared against internal capabilities and competitive market offerings. A series of developments were initiated to create nonwoven media, which were both differentiated and profitable, a critical goal in a market accustomed to commodity nonwoven fabrics.

Solution
A series of gradient density constructions were created to access several markets possessed high-flow, superior dirt holding and low pressure drop capabilities. To accomplish the task required constructions adaptable to equipment capabilities, which would yield media with extraordinary even fiber distribution. One such development was UltraLoft™, which achieved the American Filtration & Separations Society Product of the Year Engineering Excellence Award in the year 2000. In 2003, Durapex received Chemical Processing magazine 2003 Vaaler Award for a development that offers significantly enhances plant operations and economics. Another important construction, Durapex™, is an alternative to needlefelt fabric for use in baghouse filtration. Durapex has significantly outperformed the very best needlefelt fabrics and is recognized as the technology of the future in this $400 million nonwoven fabric market.