Lenzing’s jumbo Tencel production facility in Upper Austria kicks off

The Lenzing Group has successfully commenced production using its latest generation of Tencel technology at its new Tencel jumbo production facility at the Lenzing site in Upper Austria.

The successful start-up of production operations is a technological milestone for Tencel, the fibre of the future, and for the entire Lenzing Group. They are buoyant on achieving the planned production target of 30,000 tons by the end of 2014.

The new design of the jumbo production line also enables investment costs to be maintained at a very competitive level of approximately EUR 150 mn (about EUR 2,200 per ton of capacity). This comprises the decisive approach to the further competitive scaling of TENCEL® fibers as a universally deployable textile and nonwoven fiber. The new, broader product portfolio on the basis of the TENCEL® technology successfully complements Lenzing’s specialty strategy.

This facility comprises the first time in which a single production line with an annual nominal capacity of 67,000 tons was installed. The new plant design assimilates the longstanding experience of three existing Lenzing Group Tencel production plants located in Austria, USA and Great Britain. As a consequence, the new Tencel plant in Lenzing represents the world’s leading generation of Tencel technology.

The new design of the jumbo production line also enable investment costs to be maintained at a very competitive level of approximately EUR 150 million (about EUR2,200 per ton of capacity). This comprises the decisive approach to the further competitive scaling of Tencel fibres as a universally deployable textile and nonwoven fibre. The new, broader product portfolio on the basis of the Tencel technology successfully complements Lenzing’s specialty strategy.

The new plant, annual nominal Tencel production capacity of the Lenzing Group is expected to rise from 155,000 tons p.a. to about 220,000 tons. This way Lenzing will further expand upon its global market leadership for Tencel fibres and offer its global customers new expansion opportunities in both the textile and nonwovens segments as well as new and innovative applications.

The company believes the new technical applications will be opened up and massively expanded in the years to come.

Lenzing is the only industrial-scale supplier of TENCEL in the world. TENCEL fibers are used by the textile industry as well as for nonwovens. Typical applications of the high-tech fiber TENCEL include sportswear, soft denim applications, home textiles as well as baby wipes and cosmetic wipes. However, TENCEL is also being increasingly deployed for technical applications. For example, as a powder added to construction materials, TENCEL ensures a pleasant indoor climate.

Tencel, the latest generation of man made cellulose fibres that is produced in a particularly environmentally compatible production process awarded the European Award for the Environment by the European Union.