PRODUCT NEWS

Many projects, mergers and acquisitions are detailed in monthly updates in the Market Report’s Chapters under Industry Analysis. Click on the links below to view current updates for each industry.

Nationwide housing production rose 3.6 percent in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 894,000 units, according to the U.S. Commerce Department. This is the highest pace of new-home construction since July of 2008.

Single-family housing starts in October were virtually unchanged at 594,000 units while multifamily production posted an 11.9 percent gain to 300,000 units – the best pace since July of 2008.

On a regional basis, overall housing starts rose 17.2 percent in the West and 8.9 percent in the Midwest while posting a storm-related decline of 6.5 percent in the Northeast and 2.5 percent in the South.

Permit issuance, which can be a harbinger of future building activity, fell 2.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 866,000 units in October. The drop in permits was focused in the apartment sector as multifamily permits fell 10.6 percent from an unusually high September level to 304,000 units. Meanwhile single-family permits rose 2.2 percent to 562,000 units.

Ahlstrom currently has four business areas—Building and Energy, Filtration, Food and Medical and Label and Processing. The specialty paper business operated under the Label and Processing business area will be combined with Munksjö AB in a transaction is scheduled to be completed in two steps during the first and second quarter of 2013.

Under the new structure, the current filtration business area will be divided into two business areas: Transportation Filtration and Advanced Filtration. This will enable stronger focus within filtration.

Therefore, effective January 1, Ahlstrom's new business areas will be Building and Energy, Transportation Filtration, Advanced Filtration and Food and Medical.

In connection with the change in the business area structure, several changes will be made in Ahlstrom's executive management team. Tommi Björnman, executive vice president, Filtration, has decided to resign from Ahlstrom to pursue other career opportunities. He will continue in his current role until the end of the year. 


Fulvio Capussotti has been appointed executive vice president, Advanced Filtration, and a member of the executive management team. He will report to Jan Lång, president and CEO, as of January 1, 2013. Fulvio Capussotti has been working with Ahlstrom since 2002 in various senior management roles and currently leads the Advanced Filtration Business Unit.

Ahlstrom also named Jari Koikkalainen as the executive vice president of Transportation Filtration division, which will also be a member of the Ahlstrom executive management team, as of February 1, 2013. Koikkalainen will report to Jan Lång, President and CEO, Ahlstrom. In his new role, Koikkalainen will be responsible for leading and developing the transportation filtration business within Ahlstrom. He will be based in Beijing, China.

Koikkalainen joins Ahlstrom from Metso Corporation, where he has held various senior executive positions from 2000-2012. At present, Koikkalainen is area president, Metso Paper (China) Co., Ltd.

Ahlstrom recently signed an agreement to acquire the Sweden-based Munktell Filter AB as a strategic step to grow the advanced filtration business particularly in life science and laboratory applications.

Under the agreement, Ahlstrom will acquire 100% of the shares in Munktell Filter AB, as well as its holdings in Munktell & Filtrak GmbH, Filtres Fioroni SA and Munktell Inc. The enterprise value of the transaction is approximately €20 million, including the planned subsequent buyouts of minority interests. Through the transaction, Ahlstrom will become a global leader in life science and laboratory media filtration.

According to Jan Lång, president and CEO, the acquisition reinforces Ahlstrom’s leadership in filtration material markets worldwide. "There is a clear strategic fit with Munktell and Ahlstrom, and the transaction allows us to strengthen our product portfolio in advanced filtration materials. This move is a prime example of our focus on new type of high performance materials business with attractive future growth potential."

"When we combine Munktell’s strong position in the European advanced filtration market with our solid presence in North America, we will gain access to new markets geographically. Driven by global changes in demographics, life science and laboratory filtration are lucrative growth areas for us," adds Tommi Björnman, Executive Vice President, Filtration.

Munktell is based in Falun, Sweden and it has production sites in Germany and Sweden, a joint venture in France, as well as a sales office in the U.S. The company’s net sales amounted to approximately €15 million and operating profit margin was roughly 15% in 2011. It employs some 100 people. Munktell produces filtration materials mainly for life science and laboratory applications. End use examples include newborn screening, laboratory media filtration, filter materials for pollution control, as well as testing materials used by medical, sugar and beverage industries.

Ahlstrom is increasing capacity for filtration materials at its site in Turin, Italy. The investment will be operational by the third quarter of 2013 and will consist of an upgrade to a paper machine producing filter media for transportation and gas turbine applications. Total investment is approximately €10 million and it will significantly increase the Turin plant capacity to supply filter media to customers globally.

"This investment is another important step in our growth roadmap, where we are strengthening our platform in Europe. By expanding our filtration operations, we are reinforcing our position as a global supplier in the filtration market with a full offering of filter media," said Tommi Bjornman, executive vice president, Filtration. "Our global filtration platform has grown significantly in the past two years, with the recent investments in the new saturator line in Turin, the expansion at our plant in Louveira, Brazil and the acquisition and the expansion of the Binzhou plant in China."

"We will continue to work with our customers to grow in regions where they are focused," adds Gary Blevins, vice president, Transportation Filtration.

CLARCOR Air Filtration Products, Inc. (CLC Air), a subsidiary of CLARCOR Inc. is expanding the production and distribution capabilities at its current manufacturing facility in Dallas, Texas in the USA.

This plant has been operating since 1990, and the expansion will add an additional 45,000 square feet to the facility which is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2012. With this expansion, CLC Air anticipates hiring additional employees and continuing to deeply engage in the community. The company currently employs 100 people in Dallas.

"The investment we are making at this facility demonstrates our long-term commitment and collaboration with our existing customers and our continued commitment in Dallas and in this region," said Stefan Polywka, vice-president – Operations of CLC Air. "The expansion of our Dallas manufacturing facility will greatly enhance our capability to serve the increasing demand of our customers within this vibrant and growing region more effectively."

CLC Air is based in Jeffersonville, Indiana and manufactures and sells air filtration products through a variety of retail and distribution channels under such well-known brands as Airguard®, Purolator™ and ATi.

Met-Pro Corporation (NYSE: MPR), announced recently that the Company’s Strobic Air business unit has received three orders with a total value of approximately $1.5 million for laboratory fume hood exhaust systems. One order is to be installed at the United States headquarters of a premiere global pharmaceutical company while the other orders will be installed at laboratories at two leading U. S. universities. All three orders are expected to ship in the second half of the Company’s current fiscal year.

Strobic Air was awarded these contracts based on their recognized leadership in the market for low profile exhaust systems, specifically those designed to handle the complex issues of laboratory exhaust. For two of the projects, Strobic Air will supply a total of 18 Tri-Stack® fans, all of which will utilize Strobic Air’s patented Acoustical Silencer Nozzle technology. For the third project, 17 Tri-Stack® fans will be supplied.

"These orders reinforce Strobic Air’s reputation as the supplier of choice for best-in-class, technologically advanced fume hood exhaust systems at industrial, institutional and government laboratories," said Raymond J. De Hont, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Together with a steady level of customer interest and quotation activity, they allow us to remain optimistic about our future prospects at Strobic Air."

Met-Pro Corporation, with headquarters in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, is a leading niche-oriented global provider of product recovery, pollution control, fluid handling and filtration solutions.

Baldwin Filters, A Clarcor company, recently released its new line of Extreme Performance heavy-duty air filters featuring Baldwin's patented ProTura® nanofiber technology. These new heavy-duty air filters fit common agricultural, mining and construction applications.

"We recognize that many customers using our filters operate their equipment in high dust environments where contaminant control is critical," said Farrell Calcaterra, Vice President Engineering.

Baldwin's Extreme Performance filters feature fibers with an average diameter of 90nm (a nanometer is one billionth of a meter). These ultra fine fibers bonded to cellulose media provide unequalled performance in removing submicron contaminants.

"The nanofiber technology used in the Extreme Performance filters enables us to manufacture a filter that more effectively removes submicron particles," Calcaterra said. "Contaminant removal is crucial in high dust conditions. Extreme Performance filters allow users to capture higher amounts of the submicron contaminant, while providing better engine protection and longer filter service life," Calcaterra continued. "We performed field tests in tough mining environments. The filters in the field tests had excellent performance as expected based on extensive lab testing."

With the ProTura nanofiber media, the fine contaminants tend to load on the media surface resulting in higher initial contaminant removal efficiency and lower flow restriction, according to Calcaterra. Through normal use, the submicron particles tend to cake on the surface of the media then fall to the bottom of the housing where the contaminants can be removed by the dust ejector, increasing the filter's contaminant removal capacity.

DelStar Technologies, Middletown, DE, has introduced a new Delnet apertured film product designed to offer improved adhesion characteristics over a variety of substrates. The new Delnet product has a coextruded layer of acrylic acid copolymer that can be incorporated on one or both sides of the netting.

The incorporation of an acrylic acid copolymer into an adhesive layer provides excellent adhesion to polyolefins, aluminum foil, nylon, paper, nonwovens, fabrics, and polar substrates. In comparison to existing coextruded Delnet products with similar configurations, the new skin achieved an average of 40% greater bond strength and can be activated at 10% lower temperatures than the existing skins. The Delnet product utilizes resins that are FDA compliant for food contact.

DelStar Technologies specializes in custom-designed thermoplastic nets and nonwovens for the filtration industry and is willing to stock proprietary configurations for their customers. DelStar can offer this netting in widths up to 65" and roll lengths up to 4,000 linear yards. Delnet products can be extruded in a variety of custom colors.

Commercial and industrial filter manufacturer Air Filters Inc., Houston, TX, recently announced a new line of commercial and industrial grade air filter housings to complement its line of air filter products. Air Filters’ line of housings is designed for use in commercial air filtration equipment, including HVAC and industrial ventilation systems, blowers, compressors, engines and molecular air purification equipment.

The innovative designs of the housings allow air filters to operate at maximum efficiency, ensuring the highest level of performance for HVAC and air filtration systems, lower operating and maintenance costs, and significant energy savings. The increased equipment and energy efficiency can assist companies in meeting qualifications for LEEDS certification as well as protect sensitive equipment during operation.

The new product line includes housings for most commercial applications, including flat bank design, standard side access, HEPA crank lock design and V-bank style. They are designed to mount easily to existing units, providing a cost-effective solution when upgrading to new technology or equipment, remodeling, or servicing existing equipment. Custom units can be designed to fit into existing equipment or as a component of new equipment. The housings cover from 1 to 100,000 CFM and can be modularly designed to accommodate larger air volumes.

Complete packaged air systems with fans, chemical media beds and transitions come skid mounted and are available in galvanized or stainless steel construction with mounted pressure gauges and transmitters.

Morrisville, N.C.-based Allasso Industries Inc.'s Winged Fiber™, developed in collaboration with North Carolina State University's (NCSU's) Nonwovens Cooperative Research Center, is exhibiting remarkable filtration and cosmetic delivery performance; and has potential applications in tissue scaffolds, hemostatic bandages, battery separators, insulation and apparel. The bicomponent fiber comprises a shaped core polymer and a sacrificial polymer that are coextruded through a specially designed spinpack. The core features from eight to 32 deep channels between uniform, straight-edged wings. The sheath polymer fills the channels during fiber formation and is dissolved during finishing of the final product.

A typical 10- to 20-micron Winged Fiber is oblong. Its complex shape makes it much more flexible than a solid fiber, said Allasso Industries President Walter Chappas, Ph.D. The fiber can be tuned for a specific use by adjusting the width of the wings and the number of channels. It also can be made in a circular configuration, or even a Y configuration with each leg having its own wings.

The Winged Fiber is very lightweight and has the same total surface area as the equivalent volume of 300-nanometer nanofibers. "There has been a lot of interest in developing filtration materials using nanofibers, but there are problems," Chappas said, noting high costs and fiber compaction. "They filter beautifully, but the pressure drop goes way up, which prevents air or water, as well as particles, from going through." The Winged Fiber, in contrast, holds its structure to allow air or liquid to flow through continuously. In filtration applications, dust or other particles first fill the channels, allowing air or water to pass through the spaces between the fibers for a longer time before the particles begin to fill those spaces. Therefore, pressure drop is minimized, and the filter functions effectively for an extended time.

Nano Filtration Technologies LLC (NFT), Pittsburgh, manufactures media for high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters using an electrostatically charged polypropylene Winged Fiber spunbond. The filters produced from this media, branded LEAF™ (Low Energy Air Filtration), are claimed to have 250-percent greater loading capacity than traditional HEPA filters; and offer more efficient air flow, lower energy consumption, a longer filter life and lower filter costs. The same material is going into facemasks for industrial and medical uses.

Allasso has demonstrated that continuous filaments of the fiber may be suitable for knitted and woven apparel applications. Also in the works are staple fibers of various lengths to suit a range of nonwoven and yarn spinning processes.

Xanofi, a nanotech company specializing in nanofiber applications and based in Raleigh, NC, has introduced a new platform for nanofiber production with their commercial XanoShear machine. The world’s first production unit is now fully operational and currently being optimized for high yield production.

The machine is a unique high yield, liquid-based platform for nanofiber production—a radical departure from meltblowing and electrospinning, the previous production methods. XanoShear is a new paradigm in nanofiber production both in terms of yield as well as integration into commercial manufacturing. Xanofi now offers its clients a full range of services from research and product development through full commercial production.

The key to XanoShear is liquid the company says. While other technologies produce dry, continuous fibers, XanoShear produces staple fibers that can disperse in water and integrate into existing production environments. The company has successfully produced products via wet lay manufacturing and is developing both wet and dry spraying capabilities. Several applications in medical, filtration, acoustics and energy have already successfully incorporated nanofibers using XanoShear.

The XanoShear platform also has other advantages including high scalability, the ability to functionalize fibers at full production speeds with particles or coatings, and a closed system that uses less energy without the discharge of any materials into the environment for "green" manufacturing.

"Until today, the nanofiber industry only had two platforms for nanofiber production, meltblowing and electrospinning. Today the world has an exciting new choice—XanoShear—that opens up new applications for nanofibers and achieves new financial metrics for products," says Miles Wright, Xanofi CEO.

Turkish company General Nonwovens is a producer of polyester- and polypropylene-based spunbond nonwovens. The company has invested in a new production facility in Kilis, Turkey. The new facility, which is 60 kilometers from General Nonwovens existing location in Gaziantep, is to produce a new fabric type to add to the company’s product portfolio. The new line is producing air-through fabrics that can be employed in the filtration and technical textile markets. General Nonwovens is also expanding the size of its factory in Gaziantep, which will allow more room to install new lines for spunbond and meltblown technologies. Current polypropylene and PET spunbond fabrics are widely used in automotive, filtration, technical textile, industrial and coated/laminated products.

Innovative Labs, a greentech startup out of Petaluma, CA, presented a unique NASA tested air filtration process used in HVAC and residential stand-alone applications. This technology uses manganese oxide and titanium dioxide to destroy VOC's from indoor air environments.

Innovative Labs started for the express purpose of solving environmental challenges that affect global well-being providing a total VOC solution for air purification needs by using two unique technologies: photo catalytic oxidation (TiO2) and thermo catalytic oxidation (MnOx). As the CEO John Webley says, "Our concern for the health of people exposed to formaldehyde over long periods has let us introduce an air filters specifically designed to remove formaldehyde and other VOCs."

In 2007, Innovative Labs participated in a government grant program to develop a technology to remove formaldehyde and VOCs for the FEMA trailers during Hurricane Katrina. Out of 17 competitors, Innovative Lab’s PCO technology was the most effect in removing VOCs.

Photo catalytic purification (TiO2) is used for indoor air environments with extreme levels of VOCs and thermo catalytic purification (MnOx) is for indoor air environments with more typical VOC levels. The benefit of Innovative Labs photo catalyst is that it reacts with UV light to destroy VOCs, operates at room temperature, and is self-cleaning/ nontoxic.

Innovative Labs has developed proprietary nanoparticle chemistry with high conversion efficiency, which is resistant to de-activation. Thermal catalyst manganese oxide was engineered by Innovative Labs and is unique in the industry in that it does not require UV light (reducing energy consumption and simplifying installation), is active at room temperature, catalytically oxidizes formaldehyde and VOCs into CO2 and H20 and has proven longevity. Both of these technologies are suitable for HVAC applications, where filters can be placed in existing recirculation units next to the particulate filter, and made to fit any duct size.

Web site:  www.mcilvainecompany.com