PFNonwovens invests in Reicofil RF5 technology in South Africa

RF5 technology will deliver a high level of performance at a lower basis weight compared to alternative platforms.

Reifenhäuser Reicofil announces the sale of an RF5 SMMS 3200 nonwovens line to PFNonwovens for their production facility in South Africa. The hygiene and medical line is scheduled to be commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2022, and will be the first Reicofil 5 (RF5) line operating in Africa.

PFNonwovens is one of the most innovative nonwoven companies in the world, and continues to grow its footprint in the US, Europe and Africa. PFN wants to set a new benchmark of high-quality and innovative products for the Southern African markets with this purchase.

Tonny de Beer, CTO of PFNonwovens, says, “It is important for us to bring cutting edge nonwoven manufacturing capabilities to emerging markets as well. Parents in Southern Africa rely even more on high performance nonwovens in their diapers to provide comfort and protection to their babies. At the same time our customers rely on consistently high-quality nonwoven fabrics to enable day-to-day stability of their high-speed converting operations. And, of course, locally produced materials have become essential to eliminate long supply chain risks in addition to economic and environmental sustainability benefits. With the RF5 technology we will deliver a high level of performance at a lower basis weight compared to alternative platforms. The new RF5 line is therefore the perfect addition to our existing Reicofil BiCo line at our Cape Town manufacturing site, and we are convinced that the RF5 technology is a significant step in the right direction to satisfy demand in the African market.”

Markus Mueller, Sales Director of Reifenhäuser Reicofil and Key Account Manager for PFNonwovens, adds, “Since 2018, Reicofil has been delivering RF5 lines to support the global hygiene industry across four continents. The hygiene industry values the consistent product quality provided by RF5 and the key product performance properties it delivers at lower basis weights helping to drive industry sustainability goals. With an energy requirement of 1-1.2 kilowatt hours per kilogram produced, Reicofil 5 manages the conversion from raw material to nonwoven more efficiently than any other technology on the market. We are very pleased that after many years of partnership cooperation with PFNonwovens, we are now able to establish this technology at their South Africa location and look forward to our further collaboration to serve the hygiene and medical market in the whole region with top quality products.”