RadiciGroup Expands Production for Turf

Bergamo, Italy, June 23, 2008--RadiciGroup has started-up a new line for production of polyethylene and nylon monofilament at Tessiture Pietro Radici, Italy, to help meet growing demand for synthetic turf.

The $5.6 million investment will expand production capacity by 35%, from around 6,000 to 8,000 tons per year.

“This investment was driven by the fact that we strongly believe in the opportunities offered today by the synthetic turf market,” said Enrico Buriani, chief executive of Tessiture Pietro Radici.

Nylon monofilament accounts for only 7% of the market for synthetic turf yarns compared to 70% for polyethylene monofilament.

“By adding polyamide [nylon] monofilament to our range of products we put ourselves in a unique position with respect to our competitors. It is yet another niche product that we wanted to and were able to create by putting to use the RadiciGroup’s experience in this sector”, added Buriani.

RadiciGroup is the world’s third largest producer of artificial grass yarns.

“As of today we hold 20% of the European Market and about 7% of the world market. We intend to continue to grow and confirm our commitment to the synthetic turf sector,” Buriani concluded.

The company has also said it will raise prices on its BCF yarns by $0.23 per kilogram effective July 1. This increase will apply to the full range of polyamide 6 and polyamide 66 BCF yarns.