Following lengthy negotiations over recent months, by the end of February 2015 everything was in place.

The final contracts were signed, and the TWE Group now serves its customers from Asia, Europe and the USA. The three recently acquired locations in the USA were already up for sale when the TWE Group acquired the European Libeltex sites, which were also part of the Vita Nonwovens Group. But it was not until September 2012 that the decision was taken only to expand the business in Europe for the time being. A smart decision! Because the acquisition of the Libeltex sites entailed all sorts of changes in the organisational structure, and brought with it a certain amount of upheaval and change. After a good two-and-a-half years of working together, we have now implemented these changes and are on top of things. As a result, the TWE Group is now an international top-10 player in the nonwovens industry.

Following some hard work and positive experiences in integrating all the sites into the new corporate structures, it was time to take the next step and also expand the business activities abroad. And so with the acquisition of VITA US, three sites were purchased in the USA. The Vita Nonwovens Group was founded in 1996 in High Point, North Carolina, and grew strongly at the beginning of the 2000s by adding further locations in Texas and Indiana. The company manufactures nonwovens for a range of applications at three sites. However production focuses on nonwovens for the automotive industry and for applications in mattresses. The flame-retardant nonwovens are used in upholstery, edging materials and fillings in mattresses. The products for the automotive industry are primarily used for noise attenuation and thermal insulation in various parts of the car. In the USA, there is close collaboration with the OEMs and Tier I customers, with joint development taking place on ever lighter and more cost-effective alternatives to replace metal and plastic components in the bodywork and interior design of the car.

The manufacturing processes applied there are thermal bonding and needle-punching. A further airlay facility is currently also under construction, and will be used primarily for products for the automotive sector. The plants are up-to-date, and ongoing modernisation measures over the past three years ensure that the aggregates are state-of-the-art.

The company has reported average double-digit growth in turnover in the past three years. The production of nonwovens for the automotive sector accounts for around one third of total turnover, and the manufacture of nonwovens for mattresses accounts for 65%. In the automotive industry in particular, the Vita Group has seen significant growth in the past three years. And we hope to see strong growth impetus here - in particular in the further international expansion of our automotive business.