World Business: Catching Up with Synthetics

A Frenchman created rayon back in 1884, and European textile makers began weaving fabrics out of nylon a year after Du Pont developed it in 1938. But the havoc of World War II and a certain resistance to wash-and-wear and wrinkle-free clothes made Europe lag behind the switch to synthetic fibers that swept the U.S. in the 1950s. Now Europe is making up for lost time. Synthetic fibers have become a $2.6 billion business in Western Europe v. $2.4 billion in the U.S. Close to two dozen new chemical-based fiber plants are being built in Europe (v. four going up in the U.S.).

Less Rumpled. Slow to get used to the feel of the latest synthetics, Europeans are taking to the wool-like acrylics (such as Orion) and the moisture-proof polyesters (Dacron) with a will. Even wool-conscious Britain has accepted the addition of synthetics to wool, which makes for more durable pleats and a less rumpled look. Five years ago, the German clothing industry used almost no synthetics; now it weaves acrylics and polyesters into everything from socks to sweaters, has transformed the brassiere and girdle business by introducing Du Font’s stretchable Lycra fiber. The Swedes practically live in synthetic parkas and stretch pants during the winter. Such designers as Pucci and Courrèges make dramatic use of the new fibers in their creations.

By far the biggest boom is in nylon, which is woven into tire cord and tennis nets, safety belts, inflatable domes and underwear. Italy’s Snia Viscosa is spending $72 million on nylon expansion, has formed a traveling choir to promote its nylon-based Lilion fiber. Britain’s Imperial Chemical and Courtaulds both had to ration nylon shipments to weavers last year, are spending more than $150 million to double their productive capacity. Germany’s Glanzstoff and Farbenfabriken Bayer are also doubling their nylon output.

No Real Danger. The fiber makers are crossing borders and oceans to vie for markets. Courtaulds is building plants in Sweden, Imperial in Portugal, Holland’s Algemene Kunstzijde Unie (A.K.U.) in Spain. Farbenfabriken is building in Belgium, Chemstrand in Scotland, Firestone in France. Du Pont will finish a new Dacron and nylon plant in Germany next year.

How will Europe be able to absorb this output when it begins flooding the market in the next three years? Despite warnings that capacity might rise faster than demand, fiber makers see little real danger ahead. Competition should mean lower prices, thus bigger markets. The biggest reason for optimism is the European consumer. Though synthetic-fiber production has doubled in five years, the average Frenchman still owns only two suits, and the average German woman still buys half as many girdles and bras as her U.S. counterpart.