Performance Apparel Markets - Grado Zero Espace Srl

Performance Apparel Markets, 1st quarter 2006
Profile of Bemis: a leader in bonded seam technology
Its products are used in a
variety of industries from
textiles to buildings
In textiles they are used
in a range of items
from intimate apparel
to technical outerwear
Its films are used in the
automotive industry—
—and in woodworking
Solid thermoplastic
adhesives are also used
to fabricate advanced
composite products
The company’s products are used in a variety of industries including
textiles and apparel, automotive interiors, laminates for woodworking,
and architecture.
Within the textile industry, Bemis products are used in a range of
items from intimate apparel and bodywear through to technical
outerwear. The company has over 50 years of experience in the
apparel industry and its profile is particularly prominent in this sector.
The company has also been producing bonding materials for other
industries during this time. In the automotive industry, its films are
used in such areas as convertible tops, seats, door panels, carpets and
headliners.
In woodworking, its films are used for sealing decorative laminate to
cabinets, doors and ready-to-assemble furniture.
The company’s solid thermoplastic adhesives are also used to fabricate
stronger, lighter-weight advanced composite products.
Table 1: Bemis: applications for products
Market
Apparel
Automotive
Composite panels
General/industrial
Labels
Woodworking
Source: Bemis.
Application
Embroidery, appliqué attachment, label attachment, seam
construction, fabric fusing
Adhering fabrics to foams in headrests, attaching textile
to plastics in door panels, adhering foil to high
temperature fabric in heat shielding assemblies
Adhering polyethylene or polypropylene sheet to
different metals in architectural building panels, tractor
trailer bodies
Adhering metal to foam in buffing pads, various
electronic assemblies
Attaching labels to backs of carpets, attaching mattress
labels
Sealing decorative laminates to cabinets,
ready-to-assemble furniture and store fixtures
Bemis began with chewing
gum and moved to fabric
coatings and footwear
adhesives
In the mid-1980s the
company invested in die
extrusion equipment
Bemis has grown into a
significant privately-held
company which employs
210 people and has sales of
US$100 mn
Bemis was founded in 1910 as a supplier of an adhesive base for
chewing gum. A few years later the company took its knowledge of
adhesives and switched to producing coatings for fabrics and
adhesives for footwear.
In the mid-1980s Bemis invested in die extrusion equipment and
developed the capability to produce adhesive films for a variety of
industries.
Today, Bemis has grown into a significant privately-held company. It
employs 210 people and its sales are approaching US$100 mn. Over
the last five years its sales have grown by more than 40%. Growth
rates have been especially high in Asia, where sales almost doubled
between 2004 and 2005.
© Textiles Intelligence Limited 39