While regular spandex still fights over a few thousand yuan per ton in price, products of 20 denier and below have quietly pushed gross margins to a higher level. On August 18, Xinxiang Chemical Fiber started construction on Phase II of its 100,000-ton functional spandex project, with all capacity locked into 20D and below fine denier functional spandex—a choice that itself reveals the industry trend: low-end capacity is being cleared faster than most expected.
Project Background
The core of Phase II is a 50,000-ton spandex main production workshop with a building area of 65,000 square meters, plus auxiliary and living facilities. The project uses continuous polymerization dry spinning technology, and the most notable feature is its installation of the world's unique 200-end spinning duct—meaning single-line output efficiency and unit energy consumption control will directly raise industry benchmarks.
Phase I is expected to be operational by the end of this year, with Phase II following closely. This rapid pace reflects the company's firm judgment on the high-end niche market. According to deputy general manager Zhu Shengtao, the project deeply integrates '5G + Industrial Internet' concepts, aiming to build an intelligent, digital, and energy-efficient modern factory. Automatic doffing, intelligent sorting, and AI energy distribution systems mean this factory is born with the label of new quality productivity.
From an industrial belt perspective, Xinxiang is not a traditional spandex hub, but once this project lands, it will directly fill the gap in the regional high-end textile new material industrial chain. For surrounding fabric enterprises, this means a significantly shortened supply radius for high-end raw materials, with substantive improvements in procurement costs and delivery cycles.
Industrial Impact
The spandex industry is currently in a typical 'removing low-end, supplementing high-end' transition period. Conventional specifications face overcapacity and price wars, while ultra-fine, functional, and green products are in short supply. Downstream sectors such as sportswear, high-end home textiles, and functional intimate apparel are upgrading, demanding better skin feel, delicate elasticity, and adaptability from spandex. As a result, the market penetration of 20D and below fine denier spandex continues to rise.
Xinxiang Chemical Fiber's Phase II precisely targets this gap. Its significance lies not only in adding capacity but also in providing a 'technology + scale' dual-driven upgrade path for the industry. The 200-end spinning duct and digital process control mean product consistency and batch stability will significantly surpass traditional lines—exactly the pain point most valued by high-end fabric customers. For buyers, the list of domestic suppliers capable of stably providing functional spandex below 20D will now gain a heavyweight option.
From a broader perspective, this project is a microcosm of the traditional chemical fiber industry's transformation toward new quality productivity. The old model of scale expansion has reached its limit, and quality efficiency and innovation-driven development have become the main theme. Xinxiang Chemical Fiber's layout is essentially amassing ammunition for competition during the '15th Five-Year Plan' period. Its impact on industry discourse power may be more profound than short-term profit contribution.