According to Japanese Ministry of Finance customs-cleared statistics, the nation’s exports of nonwoven fabrics during January-June 2018 increased for both filament and staple fiber varieties.
First-half exports of filament nonwoven fabrics increased by 12.3% year-on-year to 12,885 tons, and those of staple nonwovens grew by 9.6% to 16,492 tons. If exports continue at these rates, this year’s annual export volumes are expected to slightly surpass 25,000 tons for filament nonwovens (up 7.9% over the previous year) and nearly 33,000 tons for staple nonwovens (up 6.0%).
Filament nonwoven fabrics are mainly composed of the polyester type, of which production during this year’s first half rose by 6.5% to 6,829 tons. However, the production of fabric weights from 70-150 g/sqm, which are considered to be widely used for the primary backing of carpet tiles, decreased by 9.8% to 2,604 tons. Particularly, the 29.6% drop in exports to China to 1,077 tons has a great impact on exports. Exports of these items to China have been decreasing after reaching a peak of 5,370 tons in 2013.
First-half production of staple nonwoven fabrics (also mainly consisting of polyester) climbed 18.9% to 8,749 tons. Production increased across the board from low to high fabric weights.