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The global synthetic fibers market in 2004 has seen continued growth driven by Chinese expansion and the strength of polyester. Demand for polyester is expected to grow 7 percent this year, following similar growth in 2003. All other synthetic fibers together reported less than 0.5 percent growth. Polyester now accounts for 40 percent of the global fiber market, with cotton at 36 percent. Despite the demand, overcapacity at the fiber level, particularly in polyester filament, stemming from Chinese capacity growth has resulted in low operating rates. This problem will be aggravated in 2005 when India expands its capacity.
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- INVISTA
Total: 1.5 million tons
Invista, a unit of Koch International, manufactures and markets premium fibers, resins and intermediates. The company has a presence in every major market and garment region worldwide. Its brands and trademarks are among the best known and include Lycra, Teflon, Supplex and Tactel. - FORMOSA PLASTICS CORP.
Total: 1.4 million tons
Formosa Plastics is Taiwan’s top petrochemical company and one of the world’s largest producers of polyvinyl chloride, with annual revenues approaching $2 billion. Formosa Plastics produces acrylic fiber and yarn and acrylic acid, among other things. - RELIANCE INDUSTRIES
Total: 1.1 million tons
Dhirubhai Ambani, the Indian founder of the $13 billion conglomerate Reliance Industries, died in March after suffering a massive stroke. Ambani, who set up petrochemical plants to manufacture synthetic fibers, ventured into oil and gas exploration and built refineries. The company is now run by his two sons, who are building a national fiber-optic network. - TUNTEX
Total: 910,000 tons
Tuntex, based in Bangkok, manufactures polyester fiber for nonwovens and yarn-manufacturing applications. The company also makes polyester chips and various filament yarns for weaving and knitting. Included in the total output are separate operations in Taiwan and China as there is some common ownership or control. - SINOPEC CORP.
Total: 760,000 tons
China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. (Sinopec Corp.) is the country’s largest producer and marketer of oil products, such as gasoline, and a top supplier of major petrochemical products, such as synthetic fiber and synthetic rubber. Sinopec’s output does not include its Yizheng facility, which is quoted separately below. - YIZHENG CHEMICAL FIBER CO. LTD.
Total: 745,000 tons
Yizheng Chemical Fiber Co., a unit of Sinopec Corp., is located near Nanjing, China. It said it is the nation’s largest producer of chemical fiber and chemical material. - HUALON CORP.
Total: 715,000 tons
Synthetic fiber became an important industry for Malaysia in the early Nineties. Hualon’s synthetic textile plant became operational in 1995 and contributed to the country’s textile output that year. Hualon Corp. is owned by Hualon Corp. of Taiwan. - FAR EASTERN TEXTILE LTD.
Total: 710,000 tons
The company was founded in Shanghai in 1942 as Far Eastern Knitting Factory Co. Ltd. to produce Skyscraper brand underwear. In 2002 FETL invested in Far Eastern Polychem Industries Ltd. FETL formed a joint venture with DuPont USA, which acquired DuPont’s polyester plant in Suzhou on mainland China and transformed it into a plant for industrial fibers. - TEIJIN
Total: 665,000 tons
Formed in 1918, Teijin, based in Osaka, Japan, makes polyester, spandex and nylon, along with textiles and pharmaceutical products. Its best-known brand of polyester, Tetoron, was first manufactured in 1958. A more recent product introduction is Morphotex, a nanotechnology-based structurally colored fiber used in fashion. - HUVIS CORP.
Total: 660,000 tons
Huvis Corp., based in Seoul, is a leading polyester producer. It’s Jeonju and Ulsan factories have developed new products and added a direct-spinning facility. Huvis has a deal with Invista to license and distribute brands such as Tactel and CoolMax exclusively in South Korea.
SOURCE: PCI Fibres, Spartanburg, S.C., thepcigroup.com/fibres, A consultancy monitoring global markets for synthetic fibers, their raw materials, related plastics and associated markets such as those for natural fibers