While discussions about overcapacity in the nonwovens industry continue, an exhibition has quietly pointed to a different path. The 19th China International Technical Textiles and Nonwovens Exhibition (CINTE26), which opened in early September at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre, was less a product display than a collective calibration of technical routes. Exhibitors no longer boasted about the number of production lines; instead, they revealed their strategies for 'premiumization.' The carding segment, long regarded as a supporting process, is becoming the key determinant of nonwoven quality ceilings.
Exhibition Signals: A Turning Point from Scale to Quality
The signals from CINTE26 were clear: Asia-Pacific's nonwovens industry is undergoing a transformation from 'tonnage' to 'quality.' At the venue, equipment and fiber suppliers for major processes such as spunlace, thermal bond, and needlepunch unanimously emphasized 'high output, high speed, and high quality.' Behind this is the increasingly stringent demand for uniformity and strength in high-end applications like medical and hygiene materials and filtration media. The old logic of competing on low prices has failed; the balance between production efficiency and product stability now dominates purchasing decisions.
Carding Technology: An Underestimated Lever for Cost Reduction and Efficiency
Within the entire nonwoven production chain, the carding machine is often not the most eye-catching equipment, but its role is comparable to the heart of a weaving machine. Jinlun Card Clothing's showcased solutions for high-speed, high-output lines directly addressed long-standing pain points such as neps and fiber damage. The tooth design, material, and surface finishing of card clothing directly influence fiber straightness and parallelism, which in turn determine the strength and hand-feel of the final product. For manufacturers, optimizing the carding process not only improves yield but also reduces energy consumption and maintenance costs—meaning greater premium potential with the same input.
Industry Chain Linkage: Technical Collaboration Among Leading Enterprises
At the exhibition, technical and production managers from companies such as Andritz, Anhui Jinchun, Shandong Yongxin, Jiangsu Huafeng, and Huafu Group visited the Jinlun booth—a detail worth pondering. Deep dialogue between equipment suppliers and end-users is no longer confined to commercial terms; it focuses on joint problem-solving regarding process adaptation and line efficiency. This collaborative innovation across the upstream-downstream chain is breaking the traditional 'sell-and-leave' disconnect. For nonwoven industrial clusters, such technical collaboration will accelerate differentiated capacity deployment and avoid homogeneous competition leading to price wars.
Policy Tailwind: Early Positioning for the '15th Five-Year' Plan
The inclusion of Jinlun's innovative exhibits in the W5 hall's '15th Five-Year' special zone for technical textiles carries dual significance. On one hand, it indicates that the company's technological reserves align closely with national industrial guidance. On the other, it suggests that policy dividends for technical textiles over the next five years will favor high-tech, high-value-added segments. For equipment and material suppliers, those who can benchmark their products against national strategic needs will gain a first-mover advantage in the next policy cycle. For buyers, choosing suppliers aligned with policy trends means greater compliance stability and a longer technology lifecycle.