To review all needled products produced today would be a paper in itself. There are literally hundreds of products being produced on needle looms all over the world.

Table 1 lists just a small portion of some of the more popular punched products being produced worldwide.
   

While there are countless products and users for needlepunched nonwovens, the vast majority of all needled fabrics can be classified into the 13 categories in Table 2.
   

Filtration: There are more than 23 companies in North America alone producing needled filter fabric. The inherent design of a needlepunched fabric provides for a superior filtration media and more companies are getting into this business. During the past two years we have seen four new companies enter this segment in this country alone.

Medical: While there are just a few companies producing needlepunched medical fabrics in the U.S., there are many involved in this segment overseas. Just a few of the major medical fabrics include blood filters, face masks, cast wraps and various absorbent products.

Apparel: In the U.S. there are very few companies producing apparel fabrics and there is relatively little growth, due primarily to low cost imported goods. Needlepunched shoulder pads have been in very high demand as the current women’s fashion trend is to have shoulders like Lawrence Taylor. Interlinings continue to be a popular needlepunched fabric for the apparel segment.

Paperfelts: In the U.S. and Canada there are more than 17 companies producing paperfelts. It can be debated whether or not paperfelts are nonwovens; however, a portion of the paperfelt itself is certainly a needled nonwoven. With all major paper companies in the U.S. and Canada extremely busy, almost all paperfelt suppliers are running near capacity.

Marine: The marine industry is using more needlepunched fabric in many areas and there has been steady growth. Typical uses for needled fabrics in the marine industry are in the side panels and floor areas of boats and as needled composites for boat hull reinforcement. There are also new needled products to absorb oil and gas spills around slips, piers and marinas. These needled absorbent pads are engineered to absorb spills and not the water.

Industrial: New fabrics such as oil absorbent pads for factories are starting to gain popularity. There are roughly 12 companies needlepunching industrial fabrics in North America.

Insulation felts: There are about 22 companies producing insulation felts in the U.S., primarily those that are needling glass and ceramic fiber. The needling of ceramic blankets for eventual use as furnace insulators is experiencing large growth; they have proven to be far superior in performance and longevity compared to traditional high temperature insulation blocks. The needling of aramid fibers for insulation purposes falls into this category.

Sport felts: There are very few companies needling sport felts in the U.S. and no one does it as a primary product line. Sport felt products include felts for baseball mitts, various paddings and cushioning products and tennis ball covers as well as complete tennis court surfaces for indoor courts. All of these products are produced in greater quantity overseas.

Home furnishings: There are more companies in this country needling fabrics for various home furnishings than any other category. Within this group are those producing floorcoverings, carpet cushions and carpet products, vertical blinds, mattress cushions, spring wraps, various composites and blankets. Business within this broad category is very good as Americans continue to build and remodel residential and commercial buildings.

Aerospace: Products such as needled aramid fiber and high temperature resistant fiber to prevent the spread of flame and toxic fumes have been very popular since the Air Canada disaster in the mid-1980’s. The needlepunched portion of the space shuttle exterior tiles and carbon brake pads for aircraft fall into this category.

The Big Two: Automotive and Geotextiles
In terms of square yardage, automotive fabrics and geotextiles are on top of the U.S. needlepunched market. While the composition of these two segments is totally different, they do share many interesting qualities.

Large volumes, fewer suppliers, higher quality, high competition, lower prices and some single sourcing are just some characteristics of the U.S. needlepunched automotive market. As with most automotive related products, there is constant pressure to trim prices, increase efficiencies and develop unique products.

While engineered needlepunched fabrics almost cover the U.S. automobile, they do so to an even greater extent in Europe and Japan. Most producers of needlepunched automotive fabrics in the U.S. had a very good year in 1988 and most project similar solid performances in 1989. While there are some new companies getting into the automotive segment, most of the major players are well established, long time producers.

During the past two years there have been at least eight domestic needlepunchers who closed their doors or eliminated automotive needlepunched fabrics because of financial problems. In 1989, there were about 13 producers of needled automotive fabrics. Years ago there were many more. While the square yardage of needled fabrics has risen, fewer producers are accounting for the increased volume.

Why the trend towards "mega-producers"? The nature of the business has simply forced out the smaller companies. During the past few years the automotive industry has continually moved towards single sourcing. Also, the quality of automotive fabrics has never been so well controlled or as technical. Thus, large research and development and technical departments are required as well as constant expenditures on new capital equipment in order to stay competitive. Now the auto makers are asking their suppliers for price decreases over the next three to five years. These are just some of the reasons for fewer suppliers producing the greater yardage.

The big growth opportunity for needlers supplying the automotive industry is to mirror the Europeans and Japanese in their acceptance of needled carpeting in automobiles. Virtually the only tufted carpet the Japanese install in their cars is for those being exported to the U.S. Another major opportunity would be to have the needlepunched headliners gain acceptance as they have in overseas markets.

The U.S. car business, however, is a completely different story than its overseas competitors. In this country, 99% of cars have tufted carpet on the floors, although many feel we shall soon see needled carpet for some U.S. automobiles. In all likelihood, the first bold move in this direction will come from one of the Japanese plants in the U.S. Should this happen, Detroit will likely follow.

A move from tufted to needled carpeting is just as much politically complex as technical and marketing. A switch from tufted to needled carpet would mean a huge additional volume of needled goods for automotive needlers. In fact, there is not enough capacity among Detroit’s approved suppliers if such a switch were to be made.

There are, however, certain needlers supplying the automotive industry who are pushing for a switch to needlepunch carpeting much harder than others. The companies that supply both tufted and needled carpeting generally produce huge volumes of tufted carpeting for Detroit and are less eager for a switch to the needling lines.

The "floor" issue is quite involved both politically and economically. Yet one cannot help but feel a move to needled floors in the U.S. industry is on the horizon, at least in the "low end" cars where reduced margins may well force the issue. (For a more in-depth look at this debate, see the following article by Ellen Noonan on Needled Automotive Carpet: Getting In On The Ground Floor.)

Geotextiles: Leading Growth Segment
Geotextiles produced by the needlepunch process have been one of the leading growth segments the past few years. By 1990, consumption of geotextile fabrics is expected to reach 370 million sq. yards. In 1987, consumption was 265 million sq. yards.

Large volumes, lower prices and high competition are some of the characteristics shared with the automotive sector. The geotextile producers are literally sold out in many cases. While there are close to 50 producers of geotextile products in the U.S. and Canada, there are really six dominant producers.

The major fiber producers have a foothold in the geotextile market in this country. Profit margins in this segment are, at best, very low. Because of this, many producers are going after other more profitable markets and directing less of their capacity towards low margin commodity geotextiles. Those with in-house fiber supply are better able to compete.

Just a few years ago the big geotextile producers were devoting more than 75% of their capacity towards civil engineering fabrics. Today, however, these same producers are devoting far less and concentrating, instead, on furniture fabrics, automotives and apparel.

Many smaller mills have been successful in the geotextile market by avoiding commodity styles and going after specialty niches. Many of these smaller mills do not have the capacity to produce commodity styles in low weight ranges of 2.5 - 3 oz. sq. yard. Thus, they develop their specialty fabrics, usually much heavier in weight and engineered for a specific application.

North American Analysis
How many needlepunchers are there in the U.S. and Canada? Some published reports say as few as 15 and others say as many as 50. The truth is there are roughly 250 companies performing needlepunching in the U.S. and Canada. During the past four years, we have seen an average of four new companies a year start needlepunching operations in the U.S.

Table 3 shows just how the 250 needlepunchers in North America shape up. The graphic illustrates what companies are producing the various products regardless of its output within each category. It is intended only to give a rough idea of how the U.S. industry breaks down.

Vastly Different New Products
The needlepunched products of today are vastly different and more highly engineered than their ancestors. It is good that so many "high tech" needlepunched fabrics are entering the market. Too many of us remember the days when needling was mainly an outlet for waste fiber. While these types of goods are still produced, even the needlepunched products from regenerated fiber have never been so technically and quality oriented.

Needling is not only a growing industry, it is also one whose strength rests in innovation. Almost every year there are so-called "new products" such as warmer and softer blankets, higher performance geotextiles and superior filtration media. The past few years have gone beyond that to some truly outstanding needlepunched fabrics.

Medical pads soaked with "deepheating" muscle soothing ointment utilize needlepunched nonwoven fabric.

Some of these new fabrics include a new jute grass seed product that may replace traditional sod farms (more on that later). There are new needled medical pads that adhere to the skin; soaked with "deepheating" muscle soothing ointment. These pads can be applied directly to the area of the body that needs soothing.

There has been a lot of work with carbonized fibers. Among some of the recently developed products is a needled fabric that is accepted by the human body as Medical pads soaked with "deepheating" implant. The needled carbon fiber product is muscle soothing ointment utilize a implanted in the body and serves as a protective needlepunched nonwoven fabric layer. The body accepts the carbon fiber product and body cells actually grow through the fabric, resulting in a permanent interior scaffold.

There are now outer body parts for automobiles that are produced through needling various fibers and combining heat, pressure and resin. Inner body parts are also being made by similar processes. There are new horticultural fabrics such as tree root wraps that quicken and enhance young roots; these have increased successful tree transplants for less hardy species and have reduced by as much as one half, the time for trees to actually bear fruit.

Needlepunched outer wear is starting to make its presence felt. Some of the problems being overcome are durability, hand and excessive elongation.   However, in some overseas markets there are now 100% needlepunched wool and wool blend overcoats and winter jackets. These jackets have appeared in countries such as China where inexpensive warm clothing is needed in large quantities.

In another outer wear application, Phillips Fibers has produced a needlepunched polypropylene work glove. The glove is marketed by Wells Lamont and lasts three times longer than traditional cotton woven work gloves.

Many companies are taking a great interest in needlepunching cotton. Once thought to be impossible to process and difficult to needle without massive amounts of needle breakage, new processing techniques, fiber finishes and other improvements have resulted in new needled cotton fabrics, in some cases replacing rayon. Needlepunched cotton fabrics produce very good filtration media by virtue of cotton’s unique surface morphology.
    

The Composites Buzzword
Many companies are producing new composite nonwoven fabrics. Certainly, composites have become the buzzword during the past few years in needlepunched nonwovens and, for that matter, nonwovens in general.

These composite structures are on the rise not only among traditional needlepunchers, but also among companies that previously had no needling experience. There are really two types of needlepunched composites - those combining needling with heat, often in combination with resins and binders, and those produced through needlepunching alone.

An example of one of the many new composites is Ozite’s "Compozitex". This is a fairly new product that combines needling often times with heat and pressure. It is being used in the marine industry as a boat hull reinforcement.

Product With The Most Potential
Yes, there are many interesting new products in the needlepunching industry. But there are none with as much potential in added volume than a new agricultural product made from an old time needlepunched fiber - jute. This new product is a dirt sod replacement. This jute-based structure could eliminate the traditional sod farm and dirt sodding process as it is now known.

A new needlepunched root wrap product promotes root growth and is another example of innovative products coming out of needling technology.

While the product concept is relatively simple, its construction is varied and is patented by at least two companies. Basically, it is made by needlepunching grass seeds in the middle of a jute fiber structure. After needling, the product can be put into storage for an indefinite period or it can be put right out into a field of plastic to generate and grow.

Some of the advantages of jute sod over traditional dirt sod include:

• Successful germination/better end product - Grass seeds germinate better and obtain plenty of moisture when interlocked within the jute. The jute product is also protected from the elements.
• More growings - A needled jute farm can have 25-40% more seed to grass growing per year.
• No dirt - Since the product is grown by simply watering the goods on plastic sheets, the soil is not robbed as it is with every harvest of a dirt sod farm. The jute product can continue to grow on plastic sheets for incredibly long periods of time. The jute itself provides essential nutrition.
• Biodegradable - After installation, the jute will eventually decompose into the soil.
• Faster installation - Because it is so much lighter in weight compared to conventional sod, the product can be cut into wider working widths. Thus, installers can cut down on installation time by up to 300%.

Yes, just when you thought you had seen the end of needled jute pads, here comes a new product that can add the most additional square yards to the industry since the advent of needled geotextiles. One other note: special needles are required to reduce the possibility of damage to the grass seed during the needlepunching process.

Threats and Opportunities
There are many opportunities presenting themselves to needlepunchers in 1989, such as the weak dollar, which is holding off imports and presenting excellent opportunities for export.

Some of the products being produced by other technologies in the U.S. that are potential needlepunched segments include automobile headliners and carpeting. These two fabrics alone would add massive amounts of square yardage to the industry. It is only a matter of time before U.S. automakers make this move.

Some other opportunities for growth will be geotextiles, composites (of varied design) and, yes, a revitalization of needlepunched floor covering.

However, with opportunity there are also threats to the needlepunch industry. Competitive technologies such as high speed tufters, weaving machines and water jet entanglement will continue to do battle with needled products. Another threat is the serious concern of a lack of published technical information in regards to needlepunching. We need to become more educated and innovative in this country to allow us to keep pace - and indeed outpace - European and worldwide competition.

Another potential threat to many needlepunchers is a continued resistance to modernization. There are far too many needlepunchers with outdated equipment. This resistance may lead not only to problems competing with other U.S. companies, but also in competing against certain imported goods looming on the horizon.

Currently, there is little importation of needlepunched products, a situation that remains quite unique in the textile industry. Unfortunately for U.S. suppliers, there is a growing concern over imports from Taiwan, Korea, Japan and China, to mention a few. These Far East countries have become the largest buyers of needlepunch equipment.

Our "waste utilization industry" has developed into perhaps the most diverse and technically oriented of all nonwovens technologies. As needlepunchers look into the 1990’s, they see many opportunities for growth and rewards. Needlepunched nonwovens is truly an industry where its punch is being felt by the nonwovens sector.