Fitesa
Capacity expansion in Brazil and other regions

 In Gravataí/Brazil, one upgraded and redesigned meltblown line has already begun to produce N95 meltblown grades and help the fight against Covid-19. In addition, one additional state-of-the-art Reicofil meltblown equipment is being assembled to start before the end of 2020. The total investment in the region will increase production capacity by 30,000 tons/year and triple the company’s pure meltblown supply availability.
Stand-alone meltblown capacity is also being added in other regions, with new machine start-ups coming on stream in November 2020 at the plant in Trezzano Rosa/Italy, by December 2020 in Peine/Germany and in January 2021 in Simpsonville, SC/USA.
Furthermore, Fitesa is adding projects to increase production volumes, modernize the assets, and enhance the flexibility. As a result, in Q2 and Q3/2021 another 20,000 tons/year of spunmelt capacity will become available to continue serving the healthcare and hygiene markets.
Existing projects include the acquisition of Freudenberg Hygiene Brazil, Fiber Dynamics and Tredegar Personal Care, as well as the start-up of a new Reicofil 5 in November 2020 in Thailand, which all together adds an additional 130,000 tons/year to the company’s portfolio.