Industrial wipes--delivering new value: hard working products move into mainstream nonwovens applications.

Hard working is the image that comes to mind when industrial wiping tasks are identified. Hard working is also the image projected by industrial wipes producers and marketers. Now, it appears their time has come to move, if not into the spotlight, at least into the mainstream of nonwovens applications.

Market Growth

Beginning with the landscape for wiping products, industrial wipes are sharing in overall growth. This means industrial wipes are playing a solid role in global dollar growth expected to be 6.5% per year. According to the new Freedonia Group wipes study (see accompanying sidebar on page 38), two-thirds of the total is within the U.S. and Western Europe. According to the report, "Many developing areas are experiencing rapid economic and industrial expansion, providing opportunities for wipes used in manufacturing processes, as well as in janitorial activities in service sectors and various other businesses."

Categories

While the Freedonia references to industrial wipes are interesting, it's still relatively unusual for the industrial segments to be thoroughly detailed in any studies. One of the problems is in defining industrial products. Some reports miss a number of the segments; others overlap consumer categories. With that noted, these are the areas often cited and, yes, they overlap too:

--Shop towels, including automotive, solvent, oil, grease and water cleanup items

--Janitorial wipers for general cleaning, glass cleaning, dusting

--Specialty wipes for abrasion resistance and polishing

--Spill cleanup and emergency wipers

--Hand cleaners to remove solvents, grease and contaminants

--Hand wipes with additives to lotionize and more

--Surface and sanitizing cleaners for general and task-specific uses

--Geotextiles for agricultural, road bed and construction uses

--Light, medium and heavy duty task wipers

--High-tech and critical task wipes

--Low linting, precision and delicate task wipes

--Parts cleaning and preparation wipes

--Instrument and lens cleaners

--Corrosion removal, paint removal, removing weld marks

Performance

The general, shop towel, cleaning and janitorial areas comprise the large and commodity volumes. Besides their usage for a wide range of tasks, better understanding and comparisons with rental towels have also spurred momentum for industrial wipes. Buyers and users are finally understanding that these disposables have an environmental story that competes well with rental towels. In addition, websites and promotions by marketers such as Kimberly-Clark make economic comparisons between disposable and rental shop towels claiming annual savings of 10% and higher.

INDA has led the way for the industry on the regulatory side with its work to have products compared fairly. As reported by Karen Bitz McIntyre in this publication last year (see the October 2006 issue of NONWOVENS INDUSTRY), the struggle goes on, but "some inroads into leveling the playing field" are occurring.

Disposables have another benefit. Workers are drawn to products and procedures that help them avoid contaminants that often remain on reusable rental towels. Employers have become attuned to worker complaints about reaching into the unknown contaminants in those "rag" piles. Further, the latest generations of industry shop towels often come with a training system for usage that results in fewer employee hazards and better cleanup of parts.

Leading Brands

An overview of three market leaders in the industry reveals their current market emphases. Brawny, Tork and Wypall cover the industrial usage front. Leading brands of industrial cleaning wipers typically include a full array of products comprised of hydroentangled, double-recreped and blended fiber materials, plus airlaid and tissue substrates.

"Our line of wipers for industrial applications-including light, medium and heavy duty--is more robust than ever," said Donald Ward, Georgia-Pacific's director of sales and distribution for the wiper group.

"In addition, our usage systems in Brawny Industrial Refillable Bucket and goRag automatic hands-free wiper system are unique in the industry, allowing for one-at-a-time, fully-opened dispensing through a pop-top lid or an automatic hands-free, wall mounted dispenser." GP's Brawny Industrial Refillable Bucket system is a reusable plastic container with a large coffee cup-like shape where a handle makes it easy to grab onto the container. From an employee in the shop using goRag to an on-the-go contractor carrying the Brawny

Industrial Refillable Bucket in the back of the truck, GP offers an efficient dispensing solution. GP is also competing with rental towels and disposable rags offering users an economic and hygienic alternative.

Tork wipers by SCA are available for industrial tasks in boxes, rolls and folded options. Emphasizing these wipers as assisting "where productivity counts," SCA promotes easy, one-hand dispensing in factory environments where they supply centerfeed dispensing systems. SCA touts its one-at-a-time, open-towel feature through dispensers.

Kimberly-Clark's Wypall and Kimtech brand wipers cover virtually every industrial application need. From machine and part wiping to cable lubricant removal, hydraulic leak soakers/wiping and conveyor cleaning, K-C offers niche performance attributes. Specialty markets for the K-C brands branch out from general industrial to specialty cleanrooms, high-tech, semiconductor, biotech and other industries.

Converters

Dozens of other marketers and manufacturers serve the wiper industry, mostly consisting of dry products. Companies such as Atlantic Mills, Berk Wiper, Bro-Tex, National Wiper and Swanson Wiper have been in the industry longer than most. They have seen the transition from all-commodity, fiercely price-competitive wipers to more value-added growth.

According to Dennis Reimer, president of Midwest Specialty Products, Winneconne, WI, industrial wipers are often contracted by the big marketers to converters who are flexible and can move quickly to meet a range of specialty needs. "Our business in industrial wiping has increasingly moved to contract partnering relationships," said Mr. Reimer. "Demonstrated expertise, when coupled with investments in technology, is essential in this kind of business."

An appealing aspect recognized by industrial wiper marketers is that Midwest and a number of other manufacturers have a history of being quiet, competent partners. "We understand business-to business converting relationships, and their expertise is in marketing their brands," said Mr. Reimer. MSP converts nonwovens as well as Scrim and Double Re-creped

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Cellulose (DRC). Midwest and many other converters also have a history of being close to the tissue industry, so Midwest understands when to recommend 2-, 3- and 4-ply reinforced tissue and when to supply hydroentangled nonwovens.

On the investment front, converters such as Midwest Specialty Products are optimistic about the growth of the industrial wipes industry. They will let others concentrate on the consumer wet wipes industry and apply their dry wipes and disposables experience to the products dedicated to industrial, cleaning, janitorial, automotive and growing specialty task segments. An exhibition such as ISSA (International Sanitation and Supply Association--www.ISSA.com) is where one finds these suppliers.

Printing

Dry and industrial wipers have a longer history of printing on each unit than wet wipes. "Printing is becoming more common on wipes of all kinds, and within industrial wiper niches," offered Brian Dahlin, director of sales of Nichols Paper, Nichols, WI. "It helps brand the marketer's product with each use." Nichols is receiving new levels of inquiries to print parent rolls of various nonwovens prior to further converting. Nichols is one of the high efficiency flexo printing companies that make this added feature possible. In addition, as industrial wipers gradually move into more value-added and premium segments, printing becomes affordable as part of the total product offering.

"We have printed on nonwovens ranging from airlaid to hydroentangled and spunbonded fabrics," noted Mr. Dahlin. "Some of the printed nonwovens cross market application areas, for example, from kitchen towels to general industrial cleanup categories." Nichols and other printers for industrial wipes are mostly outputting jobs in one or two colors. Mr. Dahlin also pointed out that their ability to slit rolls, laminate and handle other converting processes makes it easier to support packagers and finished nonwovens wiper manufacturers. "It's allowed us to grow into the nonwovens arena with our ability to 'customize identity,'" he said.

Many converting investments support needs of brand leaders, offer specialty options and even "in-between" steps such as coating, specialty rewinding and folding. American Custom Converting (ACC) is one of those specialty converting suppliers. "We offer a number of processes that are so special that most other manufacturers would rather outsource," said Mark Kyles of ACC. "Our wide width slitting, to 130 inches, plying, and specialty folding operations are examples." ACC has just expanded its facilities to support specialty needs.

Smart working is the reality in the hard working industrial wiping environment. Stay tuned to the likely acceleration of developments in this arena.

RELATED ARTICLE: Global Wipes Demand On The Rise

Research firm The Freedonia Group, Cleveland, OH, has published a report on global demand for consumer and industrial wipes. Entitled World Wipes, the study forecasts growth will increase 6.1% per year to $7.8 billion in 2011. According to The Freedonia Group, what began as a convenience item for parents during infant diaper changes has turned into a vast, task-specific product market where there is a wipe for nearly every need. There have been signs of maturity as new product introductions begin to slow and become centered around the improvement of existing product lines.

The report also found that the majority of the global wipes market is in the developed areas of the U.S., Western Europe and Japan, which together accounted for 72% of global demand in 2006. Just the U.S. and Western Europe together accounted for 64% of the total. Propelled by a significant manufacturing base, a large affluent population and lifestyle trends focused on time-saving products, these areas will continue to lead the global wipes market.

The study also suggests that more rapid gains will be linked to developing nations such as China and India. Many developing areas are experiencing rapid economic and industrial expansion, providing opportunities for wipes used in manufacturing processes, as well as in janitorial activities in service sectors and various other businesses. These areas are experiencing urbanization and increases in personal income levels, allowing a greater number of individuals the monetary resources to indulge in value-added consumer items such as facial cleansing wipes and household cleaning wipes. China alone will increase its demand for wipes to nearly $500 million in 2011 and will surpass Japan as the leading market in the Asia/Pacific region soon after that.

The large baby wipes market will be limited by market maturity, particularly in developed countries, and declining birth rates throughout the world. Though the overall category will be restrained by slowing growth in demand for baby wipes, strong gains by wipes in household, hand and body, and a number of niche applications will continue to propel advances. Demand for industrial wipes is forecast to approach $3 billion in 2011, increasing 6% annually. New and innovative offerings providing task-specific performance properties will increasingly replace established cleaning alternatives.

The 293 page report is available for $5400 from The Freedonia Group. More information: www.freedoniagroup.com.

By Susan Stansbury

Converting Influence

About the author: Susan Stansbury is executive director of Converting Influence and CEO of industry consulting firm Right Angle Concepts. Ms. Stansbury can be reached at [e-mail].

WORLD WIPES DEMAND (million dollars)

                                      Annual   Growth
                                      2001-    2006-
Item             2001   2006   2011    2006     2011

World Wipes      3934   5785   7770     8.0     6.1
United States    1146   1645   2210     7.5     6.1
Canada & Mexico   222    350    480     9.5     6.5
Western Europe   1556   2060   2470     5.8     3.7
Asia/Pacific      653   1135   1750    11.7     9.0
Other Regions     357    595    860    10.8     7.6

data provided by The Freedonia Group