The sales of rayon staple fiber for dry-laid nonwovens have been declining since May. "There seems to be around a 10% fall in sales compared to the similar period of last year," said an RSF producer. One of the reasons for such a fall stems from an increase in imports of made-up goods, piece goods as well as staple. Customs statistics compiled by the Ministry of Finance indicate that RSF imports doubled from the first half of 2003 to 10,112 tons. In addition, imports of rayon nonwovens increased by 24.2% to 2,083 tons. Instead of a decline in shipments of RSF, product makers are busy processing imported piece goods.
Another anxiety for rayon makers is the movement of polyester fiber producers, who are making efforts to increase the use of polyester staple fiber for spun-laced wipers, which are made by mixing RSF and PSF together.
Industry sources expect that the sales of RSF will remain unchanged in the second half due to competition with PSF and an increase in imports despite an increase in sales in the season.
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