Changes in the Global Mix

A spate of international acquisitions has put three former U.S. mills back into the mix among the leading global manufacturers of towels, sheets and bed ensembles.

Although the U.S. business for Springs Global is significantly less than it was a few years ago at then-domestic manufacturer Springs Industries, the operation tops all three charts for international production.

Meanwhile, WestPoint Bahrain — the former Manama Textiles Mills acquired by Icahn Enterprises' WestPoint International division last year — charts in sheets as well as bed ensembles, which is a much smaller part of the facility's production.

The first-time appearance of GHCL-owned Dan River Global among the leading bed ensembles producers comes as no surprise, but the scope of vertical mill's business in sheet sets places it competitively in the second-tier group of sheet manufacturers.

A fourth U.S. firm — Royale Linens — joins the pack among sheeting leaders following its acquisition earlier this year by Yunus Group, which is expanding its capacities to make an aggressive run at the U.S. bed ensembles market.

Strong market share growth continued for leading Indian manufacturers Welspun, Trident and Alok — each of which is moving into other categories to become more important to its largest customers.

China's major towel manufacturers — Sunvim and Loftex — also grabbed more market this year. But both are balancing their businesses by pursuing growth in Europe. Meanwhile China's sheeting leaders are looking to fashion bedding as a way to grow beyond the dog-eat-dog sheet set business. And Shanghai-based Westgate continues to push into new product categories, most recently bath.

Pakistan's leading manufacturers haven't been as hard hit by the dollar devaluation as their competitors in China and India, but they are feeling the global pain of rising raw material prices. The unsettled political situation is also keeping buyers from on-site visits.