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Inauguration of Lenzing AG´s Worldwide

Today, the official inauguration ceremony is held at Lenzing. Customers from the nonwovens business and important representatives of the business communities in Europe and Asia feature among the many invited guests.

Jochen Werz, Spokesman of the Board of Management of Lenzing AG, is pleased to say: "We are particularly proud that 90 per cent of the input for this high-tech production line originated in Lenzing. Lenzing Technik, our subsidiary, was the main contractor for its design and construction here at the location."

Nonwovens – An Important Expanding Market

As much as 58% of the production output of the Lenzing site are specialty fibers, including nonwovens fibers. The new line is especially designed for the requirements of the nonwovens industry. Nonwovens means that the fibers are not spun into yarns for the manufacture of fabrics but are made into a fleece used for applications in sensitive areas, such as hygiene, medicine and cosmetics. The best-known products are moist wiping cloths for baby-care use, as well as make-up removal pads and refreshening towels. In the field of medicine, nonwovens are used for dressings, surgery swabs and components for surgical clothings. Household applications are another segment that boasts a lively growth.

Success Factor: Quality

The new fiber production line sets a new quality standard for the nonwovens industry: It is built of special materials suitable for the particularly demanding requirements regarding purity. Stringent quality controls secure Lenzing's top position in this growth area which is less dependent on the textile fiber cycle and therefore of strategic importance.

The World's Most Modern Viscose Fiber Production Line 

The production line is operated by a process control system and fitted with more than 150 spinning points. The daily output amounts to more than 100 tonnes. 6000 kilowatts is the energy output of the heat exchanger installed in the fiber drying unit, which has a length of 50 m and a working width of 3 m. In the course of the downstream processing, the fibers are cleaned over a length of 40 m in thirteen washing compartments.

200 persons worked for 8 months to construct and assemble the production line, which corresponds to a labor output of about 160,000 working hours and a material input of 1,500 tonnes. For example, 25,000 meters of pipes as well as 150,000 meters of electric lines were laid. The control rooms accommodate more than 50,000 contacts.

Success With Every Fiber

The clear structural changes, consisting of an optimization of the product mix and cost-reduction programs, which the Lenzing Group implemented in recent years, continue to have an impressive impact on business results. With the start of the present fiber production line, in particular, Lenzing now also sets new standards in technology. Moreover, Lenzing AG - the company from Upper Austria - has been able to strengthen its position as the world's leading manufacturer of specialty fibers.

The Lenzing Group generated sales of EUR 664.1 million in the year 2000. The fibers sector accounted for 63% of the sales. During the past year, the total production of all Lenzing locations went up to 335,000 tonnes, which is 14% more than in 1999. In the past ten years, the Lenzing Group was able to increase its market share from 9% to 20%. At Lenzing, 1319 employees work for the fibers sector, while more than 100 staff members are engaged in research and development activities.