end-user marketing geosynthetics / advanced composites - TenCate

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Safety / Protection TENCATE UNION-PROTECTIVE FAbRICS IN GROWING MARKET In August 2008 TenCate opened a manufacturing plant in Thailand: TenCate - Union Protective Fabrics Asia Ltd. This is a joint venture with Union Textile Industries Public Company Limited. The company is located in the Samutprakan district, about 40 kilometres south of Bangkok, and employs two hundred and twenty people. It was designed for the production of fabrics for workwear. Many of TenCate’s customers have production facilities in Asia and local supplies through the joint venture result in cost savings and logistic advantages. The focus is on Asia, where the garment makers and distributors who are already established here supply their products mainly to Europe-based customers. A smaller number of end-users are in Asia itself. Customer and end-user The customer base currently consists of the makers of workwear and safety clothing. The fabrics are also promoted among end-users and distributors. In some cases fabrics are delivered directly to fabric traders in Europe. When it comes to industrial applications (workwear uniforms) and rental laundries, the end-users are principally in Europe, while the focus for safety wear is on the petrochemical industry and oil refineries in Asia. Customers in the workwear sector require short lead times, a good price-quality ratio and, above all, reliability of quality and supply. 16 txtures | number 3 | autumn 2011 TenCate in Thailand TenCate has had a manufacturing plant in Thailand for the production of fabrics for workwear since August 2008. This joint venture is the first activity of a non-Asian company making protective materials for clothing in the emerging Asian markets. There is now a growing need for protective workwear in this region, where the focus is increasingly on safety at the workplace. Local expansion of production fits in with TenCate’s aims to achieve global market leadership in its core markets. It is the special features of the fabric that are creating the demand for safety wear. The possibility of combining shorter lead times with consistency and reliability of product quality will open up great opportunities in the Asian end-user market for safety wear. Product portfolio TenCate - Union Protective Fabrics has been in operation for three years, during which time it has been entirely profitable. At the beginning, however, things were anything but easy. Firstly, the economic slowdown had a major impact on both production volumes and margins and, secondly, the product portfolio was based only on workwear products. However, the successful launch of a range of Pyrovatex (flame-resistant) cotton products was able to produce a turnaround in the situation. In addition, the product list was narrowed down to focus only on new volume products, in order to secure the leading and profitable position in workwear items. This two-pronged strategy, implemented, under the leadership of Gert Jan Engbers (chief executive officer in Thailand), has borne fruit. The joint venture has been profitable since the second half of 2010. Certification Current activities include dyeing and finishing, for the production of safety wear fabrics. The company has recently obtained certification for the Asian market. ‘We have a nice product line of flame-retardant finished fabrics’, Gert Jan Engbers tells us. ‘We produce between 150,000 and 200,000 metres of this each month. For the inherent safety wear range we are now studying opportunities to spin and weave our safety wear fabrics, such as TenCate Tecasafe ® Plus, in the region in future.’ Currently the basic fabric is imported from the TenCate Protective Fabrics plants in Georgia (USA). Developments in R&D also come from the US. ‘For the time being the products developed for the North American market perfectly suit the needs of end-users in our region.’ Need for safety Asia itself is an emerging market for safety fabrics. There is an increasing interest in protective workwear and safety in the Asian work environment. The disaster involving the BP oil rig and the tsunami in Japan at the beginning of the year have speeded up this development. Continuous improvements are being made in protecting workers from hazards at work, such as fire, heat and chemicals, beginning at the level where the greatest risks may occur. Gert Jan Engbers and his team are especially focused on this, in line with TenCate’s strategy of making target groups aware of protection concepts and multi-risk protection solutions. ‘For the introduction of safety clothing, we
A number of employees of TenCate - Union Protective Fabrics Asia at the entrance to the production company. are focused on the petrochemical industry, which is currently adapting and implementing regulations in this field. This represents an enormous potential for our range of flameretardant work and safety clothing. Now is the moment to get our brands established in this market and to claim a significant market share. benchmark Gert Jan Engbers believes that the reputation of the petrochemical industry and the building of brand awareness in this sector will ensure that TenCate safety wear products become the benchmark for all other industrial sectors in the region. ‘Introducing our product into these other sectors will become much easier in the future if we can demonstrate our success in the petrochemical industry. We are also interested in the military and fire fighting sectors, which will require a higher degree of protection in the future.’ This will have consequences for the product portfolio. ‘We will try to keep as narrow a product range as possible to service our markets. We intend to be a volume player with the products that we sell; the time for niche products in Asia is still a long way ahead of us. Once the market matures, we will follow up with specialties.’ These developments will also have an impact on the number of workers in the plant. Next year we will add 20 FTEs. All the factory workers wear fully-protective clothing and equipment which more than comply with the minimum requirements laid down in the local regulations for their working environment. In this respect TenCate sets a good example. • Supplies through the joint venture in Thailand to customers in the region result in cost savings and logistic advantages • There is an increasing need for protective workwear and safety in Asia and continuous improvements are being made in protecting workers from hazards at work • On the basis of reputation and through the building of brand awareness in the petrochemical industry, TenCate safety fabrics will become the benchmark for all other industrial sectors in the region www.tencateprotectivefabrics.com/asia protectivefabrics.asia@tencate.com 17
Page 1 and 2: 2011 | number 3 | autumn THEME: END
Page 3 and 4: Production of geosynthetics at the
Page 5 and 6: TenCate geosynthetics are used for
Page 7 and 8: TenCate geosynthetics are used in t
Page 9 and 10: Bidim ® . In the United States mos
Page 12 and 13: TenCate business model CONNECTED TH
Page 14 and 15: TenCate business model CONNECTED TH
Page 18 and 19: Open innovation TENCATE PARTNER IN
Page 20 and 21: Open innovation TENCATE PARTNER IN
Page 22 and 23: Open innovation TENCATE MAIN PLAYER
Page 24 and 25: Open innovation TENCATE AND MESA +
Page 26 and 27: Trading update H2 2011 TENCATE PUbL
Page 28 and 29: Inkjet technology XENNIA TECHNOLOGY
Page 30 and 31: Sustainability/Environment TENCATE
Page 32 and 33: Safety / Protection TENCATE INITIAT
Page 36 and 37: End-user marketing TENCATE PROTECTI
Page 38 and 39: Safety / Protection TENCATE ADVANCE
Page 42 and 43: Process optimalization / Cost effic
Page 44 and 45: Sustainability / Environment TEN CA
Page 46 and 47: Social commitment TENCATE PERMATRON
Page 48: Game intensity is rising In a fast

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