Special Feature
Against the continuing expansion of the production capacity for synthetic fiber, mainly polyester fiber, cellulosic fiber production capacity remains at nearly the same level on the whole. Nevertheless, a selection of firms and a concentration of production are actually in progress through withdrawals on the one hand and expansions on the other.
Expansions and Withdrawals
According to a study by the Saurer Group, a textile machinery builder, global synthetic fiber production in 2000 was 28,630,000 tons, up 6.7% from the preceding year. By contrast, cellulosic fiber output was 2,647,000 tons, slightly up 0.7%. The breakdown of cellulosic fiber was: filament yarn, 546,000 tons, up 5.8% and staple fiber, 2,101.000 tons, down 0.6%.
The growth of cellulosic fiber production was high in the U.S. (up 18% to 160,000 tons), China (up 17% to 650,000 tons), India (up 12% to 300,000 tons) and Indonesia (up 8% to 200,000 tons).
China, the world's largest polyester fiber producing nation, has also become the world's largest producing country for cellulosic fiber as well through remarkable expansions. China has been pushing the modernization and streamlining of fiber and textile industries on a governmental level. In the cellulosic fiber business as well, China is attempting the development of large-scale producers with competitiveness through the curtailment and integration of feeble small manufacturers.
The Aditya Birla Group based in India has reinforced its group operations as the world's largest viscose rayon staple fiber producer. The Aditya Birla Group operates three viscose rayon staple fiber plants of Grasim Industries Ltd. in India, as well as PT. Indo-Barat Rayon in Indonesia and Thai Rayon Public Company Limited in Thailand. Furthermore, the Aditya Birla Group owns AV Cell Inc., a pulp plant, in Canada. These firms were once operated under separate identities. However, the Aditya Birla Group has newly strengthened an integrated identity of its group as the entire pulp and fiber business. To pursue a common identity and character for the entire operation of the Group, the Aditya Birla Group has newly adopted a common `umbrella brand' called "Birla Viscose". Thai Rayon, a member company of the Group, has switched one line of its three production lines to fiber for nonwoven fabrics, while reducing the equipment for commodity rayon from 62,000 ton/ year to 25,000 tons.
The EU Competition Commission has prohibited the integration of Lenzing AG and Acordis. Lenzing, a producer of viscose rayon staple fiber, modal and lyocell, owns viscose rayon staple fiber firms in the U.S. and Indonesia in addition to Austria Acordis includes viscose rayon filament yarn, acetate filament yarn and acrylic staple fiber as well as viscose rayon staple fiber and lyocell. Dutch investment company CVC Capital Partners, which owns 64% of the shares of Acordis, tried to own both firms, Acordis and Lenzing, under its control by acquiring nearly 40% of the share of Lenzing AG. Especially, the focus was on the future of two major lyocell fibers, namely, "Tencel" by Acordis and "Lenzing Lyocell" by Lenzing. However, this plan collapsed.
In Japan, cellulosic fiber producers have withdrawn successively this year from viscose rayon filament yarn and staple fiber. As for viscose rayon staple fiber, in the wake of the withdrawal of Kohjin Co., Ltd. in 1999, Toyobo Co., Ltd. stopped production at the end of March 2001, followed by Fujibo Ehime Co., Ltd. and Toho Rayon Tokushima Co., Ltd., which ceased manufacturing at the end of September. (The production at Fujibo Ehime actually came to a complete stop at the end of October because of operations for stockpiling.) Left behind in the production of viscose rayon staple fiber are only two producers, Daiwabo Rayon Co., Ltd. and Ohmikenshi Co., Ltd. Despite the retreat of the three producers, fiber prices remain slackened because of the sagging demand itself and a sizable volume of production for stockpiling. Daiwabo Rayon and Ohmikenshi have intensified their shift to fiber for nonwoven fabrics.
Now Collaborations
With the production of viscose rayon staple fiber coming to an end, Fuji Spinning Co., Ltd., a parent company of Fujibo Ehime, announced that it would transfer the technology to Formosa Chemicals & Fiber Corporation (FCFC) in Taiwan and negotiate a business tie-up with FCFC on an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) basis. The key point here is the technological transfer of polynosic "Junlon", which Fujibo Ehime was manufacturing. Through subsequent developments, Fuji Spinning has made it clear that it is considering the transfer of "Junlon" manufacturing equipment itself to FCFC as well. FCFC's annual production capacity of viscose rayon staple fiber is nearly 150,000 tons. FCFC has intensified exports of HWM (high-wet modulus) fiber to Korea and its competitiveness will be further strengthened if polynosic is added.
As for viscose rayon filament yarn, Kuraray Co., Ltd. stopped its production at the end of February 2001 and closed the marketing of stockpiles at the end of September. Asahi Kasei Corporation ceased manufacturing viscose rayon filament yarn at the end of September, while the marketing of stockpiles is scheduled to end at the end of March 2002. Now, there is no firm to produce viscose rayon filament yarn in Japan
In response to requests for replacement yarn from users in the Hokuriku and other textile-producing districts, Kuraray has provided technological guidance to Jilin MMF Co., Ltd., China. Jilin MMF, China's largest rayon producer, has an annual production capacity of 57,000 tons (filament yarn, 22,000 tons and staple fiber, 35,000 tons). Jilin MMF plans to increase its filament yarn production capacity to slightly more than 30,000 tons in the spring of 2002. In answer to user's requests, Kuraray studied prospective overseas producers and concluded that Jilin MMF is the best choice- because of its new equipment and high management level. Kuraray has sent its engineers to give advice concerning the process management to improve and stabilize the quality since the fall of 2000. For the future, local yarn dealers will import yarn and supply to weavers and others.
Moreover, Asahi Kasei's textileconverting subsidiaries Kyokuyo Sangyo Co., Ltd. and Shin Tokyo Asahi Co., Ltd. announced that they will import viscose rayon filament yarn for apparel from Enka GmbH & Co. KG (Germany) of the Acordis Group and start marketing within Japan from the fall of 2001. This is to meet user's needs for the supply of high-quality yarn on a continuing basis after the withdrawal of Asahi Kasei from its viscose rayon filament business. Imports will be centralized on Kyokuyo Sangyo, while Kyokuyo Sangyo and Shin Tokyo Asahi will share in marketing cooperatively. With three plants in Germany and one plant in the Netherlands, Enka is the world's largest viscose filament yarn producer with the annual production capacity of 31,000 tons. Currently, nearly 90% of the output is sold within the EU region, while selling nearly 10% to Asia. The company opened a marketing and sales office at the end of August 2001 in Hong Kong and started marketing in the AsiaPacific region on a full-fledged basis.
The establishment of a jointventure firm for acetate filament yarn between Teijin Limited Japan) and Celanese Acetate (the U.S.) is expected to be considerably delayed from January 2001 scheduled initially to April 2002. Teijin has attempted to carry on the streamlining of production by utilizing flakes made by Celanese Acetate, but the start of a new company has been postponed, while no solution is being given to the issue of compatibility.
In this situation, cellulosic fiber producers and their users have further intensified their inclination to materials with individual characters, as in the following:
EU Prohibits Acquisition of Lenzing Shares by CVC
New Fiber Company Cancelled
The EU Competition Commission has prohibited CVC Capital Partners' acquisition of the majority of Lenzing AG shares because of no-compatibility with existing EU competition laws. Since Bank Austria sold Lenzing's share majority to the CVC Group, which owns 64% of Acordis' shares, with the relevant antitrust reservations, quite deliberately no steps have been taken to date in the direction of merging Lenzing and Acordis. As a result of this decision, the formation of a new fiber company (NewCo) within the CVC Group will not occur.
In connecting with EU's decision and cancellation of NewCo, Acordis has announced establishing a new specialty cellulosic fiber business by linking "Tencel" and viscose staple fiber operations within the Acordis Group. Mark Lejman, CEO of Tencel, heads the new business. Important synergies between the two Acordis companies, Acordis Cullulosic Fibers and Tencel, and the introduction of new product variants in the coming months are expected to establish the new cellulosic grouping as a leading player in both textiles and nonwoven fabrics. The focus will be on value-added cellulosic fibers through investment in research and technology in both fiber production and down stream processing.
"Tencel is now a leading brand both in the trade and in the retail market. The viscose business has a well-established track record, particularly in the nonwoven fabric sector," said Mark Lejman. "The two businesses are extremely complementary and can benefit from each other's strengths.
"We see Tencel as a performance enhancing fiber and our aim is to enable the trade to make more competitive, profitable fabrics. We are proud of our technical excellence in downstream processing and will continue our program of technical support to the mills. The viscose operation will benefit from the adoption of a similar approach.
"New product variants are about to be launched in the nonwoven fabric sector and the prospect of being able to market Tencel and viscose alongside each other is extremely exciting."
Jochen Werz, Spokesman for the Board of Management of Lenzing, emphasizes, "We regret the decision taken by the EU. However, this decision does not provide us with any problems - not even in the long run - because no transaction will materialize. The Lenzing Group has just had an outstanding business year, and the current year also shows that we are in a first-rate position. We have achieved our goal, namely to generate high profits in good years, as well as to produce a satisfactory result when less favorable market conditions prevail. We will apply all our energy to continue along our chosen course."
According to Lenzing, the dayto-day business operations of Lenzing AG are not affected by the EU decision. Moreover, the decision will not have any impact on its production sites and the employees of the Lenzing Group.
New strategic orientation and structural improvements, together with an optimization of the product mix, as well as cost-reduction programs of recent years are impressively reflected in the business results. Although cyclical conditions vary from region to region and raw-material prices have gone up massively in the course of 2001, the Lenzing Group succeeded in gaining market shares and in expanding its unique position as full-range supplier for the fiber sector. An essential step in the direction of securing sustainable earnings for the Lenzing Group was - above all - reducing their dependence on the fiber textile cycle by putting major emphasis on increasing nonwovens products.
Despite difficult market conditions during the first semester 2001, the Lenzing Group continued to develop positively after finishing fiscal 2000 with excellent results. During the first semester 2001 consolidated sales went up by 7.2% (from 311.8 million euro to 334.3 million euro), as compared to the first six months of 2000. The operating result (EBIT) amounted to 24.4 million euro, which is an increase of 13% over the same period last year. The result before taxes and minority share (EBT) rose from EUR 21.2 million euro to 23.0 million euro.
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