Data from the National Bureau of Statistics show that my country’s production of basic raw materials and new products maintained growth in the first quarter, with non-woven fabric production increasing by 6.1%. Against the background of huge demand for masks, non-woven fabrics are still in short supply and prices have skyrocketed. Among them, the price of melt-blown fabric has increased to a maximum of 700,000/ton, and the price of spun-bonded non-woven fabric has increased more than ten times.
However, it is still difficult to buy.
It is difficult for diaper manufacturers!
Wet wipes factory is difficult!
The plastic knitting factory is difficult! …
In fact, it is also difficult for non-woven fabric manufacturers!
“If you don’t take the order, you won’t take the order.” Recently, before the reporter had time to reveal his identity and purpose of visit, Xiao Liu, the salesman on the other end of the phone, shouted directly. She later explained that because many people called to place orders in one day, she blurted out the words as soon as she answered the phone. “Now that there is malicious speculation in the market outside, the company has stopped taking orders a long time ago. We are currently working hard to deliver the previous orders.”
A few days ago, Huahao Nonwoven Co., Ltd., where Xiao Liu works, issued a statement. The statement said that the price of raw material polypropylene has risen sharply, and the current reserves of raw materials cannot cover all orders, which is expected to cause large losses.
A certain cloth industry company in Dongguan also had the same troubles recently. Because some of the company’s old customers could not buy non-woven fabrics in the market, they directly paid the company without signing a new contract or communicating with them for confirmation. The company had to issue a statement saying, “Any payment that does not reach an order contract with our company will be invalid. If the transfer is still forcible after our company refunds the money, it will be reported to the Market Supervision and Administration Bureau or reported to the public security agency as appropriate.” .
Why do non-woven fabric manufacturers not do business when they have business?
Non-woven companies: rising prices of non-woven fabrics is not a “good thing”
Non-woven Cloth, also known as non-woven fabric, is composed of directional or random fibers. It is called cloth because of its appearance and certain properties. There are many production processes for its manufacturing, including spunbonding, melt-blown, and spunlace. Yes, meltblown fabric is one of the non-woven fabrics. Generally speaking, medical masks adopt a multi-layer structure, with a single layer of spunbond non-woven fabric on both sides and a single or multi-layer melt-blown non-woven fabric in the middle, that is, melt-blown fabric.
Due to the development of overseas epidemics, the demand for melt-blown non-woven fabrics continues to grow, and the demand for spun-bonded non-woven fabrics has also increased sharply. Lin Youkuai, deputy general manager of Huahao Nonwovens, told reporters that the current market speculation on nonwovens is very strong. In just 10 days, the price of nonwovens has risen from more than 10,000 yuan per ton to more than 100,000 per ton. Yuan.
Companies that produce non-woven fabrics should be happy to see the price of non-woven fabrics rise, but Lin Youkuai said that this is not a “good thing” for them. Lin Youkuai said that the upstream and downstream industries influence each other. The phenomenon of speculation in non-woven fabrics in the market directly drives the price of the upstream raw material polypropylene to soar. The increase in raw material prices further causes the company’s external procurement to become very complicated. difficulty.
“The company may lose money” or “have losses”, where does this statement come from?
Lin Youkuai explained that the company’s raw material reserves for non-woven fabrics are currently only over 1,000 tons, leaving a gap of several hundred tons, and some raw materials will be replenished in the coming days. But the reserve of raw materials gave him a headache. Now the price of polypropylene has soared so fast that it can no longer cover the previous low-price orders. It is expected to cause a lot of losses. As for the specific loss, it depends on the cost of replenishing the raw materials later. .
It is reported that the market price of polypropylene was previously more than 6,000 yuan/ton, but has recently risen to more than 14,000 yuan/ton, and for some time it rose to more than 30,000 yuan/ton. The skyrocketing price of raw material polypropylene has put non-woven fabric companies in a very difficult position, because after the existing raw materials are used up, if they repurchase raw materials at the previous low-price order price of customers, the price of raw materials has risen to such an expensive level again, Lin Youkuai It is said that losses are inevitable.
As a result, the ability of non-woven fabric factories to receive new orders has become weaker and weaker, which has also resulted in many mask factories being unable to order non-woven fabrics. “Now the whole situation has become very passive.”
Behind the rise in polypropylene prices
Current non-woven fabrics The supply and demand market is somewhat irrational, and the market price of raw material polypropylene has soared. There are also factors such as companies hoarding goods beyond production and distribution channels taking advantage of the situation to increase prices.
According to the reporter’s understanding, the most important raw material used in the production of non-woven fabrics is polypropylene (accounting for 63%), followed by It is polyester (accounting for 23%) and viscose fiber (accounting for 8%). Yu Wei, an analyst at Longzhong Information, told reporters that in the first half of April, polypropylene reached a crazy level with a daily price increase of nearly 10,000 yuan. Many people in the industry exclaimed, “I have never seen such a market.”
Zhongyu Information analyst Yang Juan said in an interview with reporters that in the first quarter, the domestic polypropylene market was affected by the epidemic and the plunge in international crude oil. The overall focus of the decline declined, but it fell to 3 Affected by the surge in demand for masks at the end of the month, domestic fiber material prices surged from 9,000 yuan/ton to 20,000-30,000 yuan/ton, further driving the focus of the entire polypropylene market up to nearly 2,000 yuan/ton.
In JinlianLi Li, a chemical analyst, believes that part of the reason for the rise in polypropylene prices is that some small and medium-sized enterprises, driven by profits, used ordinary fiber raw materials in irregular ways to mass-produce non-compliant masks, thus driving up the price of raw material polypropylene fiber. Prices are skyrocketing, and driven by high profits, middlemen are flocking to the hype, and the Eight Immortals are crossing the sea to show their magical powers in search of resources, which further aggravates the mood of market speculation.
Take diapers as an example. Because non-woven fabrics are heavily used by masks and other materials, many diaper companies cannot buy them even if they have money. Even if a few diaper companies can buy the materials, they cannot produce them. The finished products are also losing money, and many diaper brands have had to announce suspension of work and production, and price increases are even more common. “Now, non-woven fabric companies are supplying to mask manufacturers, so diaper companies are facing production difficulties.” An industry insider explained.
Yang Juan admitted frankly that the surge in polypropylene prices has indeed affected downstream daily necessities companies. The profits of some manufacturers of non-woven fabrics, diapers, and diapers have been compressed, and many profits have been squeezed. Unsustainable enterprises must either suspend operations or reduce their load.
But the current situation of diapers is just the tip of the iceberg in this chain reaction. According to the reporter’s understanding, the largest downstream industry of polypropylene is plastic weaving, accounting for more than 30%, and has strong demand. Yu Wei told reporters that the average time for plastic weaving factory orders from signing to delivery is about half a month. Most of the current orders are signed in the low price range, but the raw materials have increased significantly in just three days, and plastic weaving has It is a fact that the factory is losing money.
As of now, the market has gradually returned to rationality.
Zhongyu data monitoring: Within 7 days, the price of fiber materials dropped from a high price of 16,000 yuan/ton to 7,300 yuan/ton. “I believe that the government will supervise the increase from the source, the price bubble will gradually cool down, and the market will return to rationality. At the same time, it can also ensure that reliable masks that meet quality standards are supplied to domestic and foreign markets, and put an end to shoddy products caused by high profits.” Li Li responded. express.
Lin Youkuai hopes that the raw material market and the non-woven market can return to normal track as soon as possible, otherwise the business opportunity is likely to turn into a crisis.
“The price of raw materials has cooled down in the past two days. Will the price of non-woven fabrics also drop in the future? If the temperature can drop at the same time, that would be the best. Lin Youkuai said that if the price of non-woven fabrics does not fall back, it will eventually be transmitted to the upstream. However, he also knows that the market may not return to its previous state until the overseas epidemic situation stabilizes, the demand for masks decreases, and there is no room for speculation. </p
