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Xerium completes four machine clothing plant renovations

27 Oct '15

3 min read

Xerium Technologies has completed the renovation program at four machine clothing plants that took over two years to design, construct, equip and commission.

“The Company is aggressively pursuing growth in its popular products, growing grades and regions that are outpacing global industry growth,” it stated in a press release.

“This global renovation program, involving facilities in North America, South America, Europe and Asia reconfigures its 10-plant machine clothing footprint to serve its customers more effectively with better lead times,” it added.

In North America, Xerium undertook expansion of the Kentville, Canada forming fabric plant to manufacture woven dryer fabrics in North America for the first time in over a decade.

“The expansion transitions Xerium from a position of being competitively disadvantaged in dryer fabrics to improved responsiveness to customer quality and delivery expectations,” Xerium informed.

In South America, Xerium renovated and expanded the Piracicaba, Brazil plant to manufacture spiral dryer fabrics.

Xerium previously manufactured spiral dryer fabrics at its smaller and higher cost Argentina plant and upon closure of this facility, Xerium decided to purchase new production equipment.

This initiative, the largest of the four, will enable Xerium to offer both higher quality products and shorter lead times, while operating under a significantly more advantageous cost structure.

In Europe, the company expanded the Gloggnitz, Austria plant to produce belts and fabrics for nonwoven fabrics machines.

Xerium has installed special-purpose machines, which will more than double its global capacity for its nonwoven products portfolio.

Concurrent with this expansion, Xerium enhanced its product technology to deliver higher levels of performance on the most modern nonwoven production lines and will provide global support for a variety of product types from this site.

“This expansion further leverages one of Xerium's most cost competitive and high quality facilities and the expansion is on schedule to reach its full production rate capability by year-end 2015,” Xerium stated.

In Asia, Xerium expanded its Asahi, Japan plant to produce Xerium's most advanced forming fabrics for containerboard machines.

Xerium said it has historically manufactured machine clothing for large containerboard machines in its European plants and shipped them to Asia.

This investment enables Xerium to serve the Japanese and the entire Asian markets locally with shorter lead times and with significantly lower shipping costs to the customer. (AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India