Nonwovens are generally regarded as helpers in secret because of their often concealed installation and functionality. However, since at least the Covid-19 pandemic, they have become more present and visible to everyone. In particular, extrusion nonwovens offer excellent and adjustable filter properties, which make them destined for the production of mouth-nose protective masks. There was no question that the available systems engineering at STFI’s center of excellence in nonwovens was transferred from experimental to production mode in short term in order to meet the soaring demand with albeit small production volume. After all, around 4.2 tons of SMS nonwovens were delivered to converting every week by mid-2020. A quantity sufficient for the production of at least 750,000 masks. With this challenge our employees have gained valuable experience in terms of process optimization. Additional knowledge and new ideas for future research topics were generated.

Developments far away from the pandemic have also had and still have their permanent place in our activity profile. The current transformation in the automotive industry is not directly felt by falling order numbers, but by demanding hype of development requests. The driving force for this transformation is surely the change to e-mobility. We continue to deal with sustainable topics in the areas of lightweight construction, recycling and use of renewable resources. Changing social conditions place new demands on filtration or acoustics, for which we work on intelligent solutions. Our team has strengthened with a number of young scientists and technicians. We look forward to intensive thematic discussions and exciting professional cooperation with you.