Fitesa has acquired a 51% stake in CNC International, a spunbond nonwovens producer based in Rayong, Thailand, with its main business in the Southeast Asian market. CNC operates two factories in Rayong (Bangkok area, Thailand) and a sales office in Tokyo (Japan), whose name was changed to FitesaCNC. The joint venture will focus on the health market, in line with the rest of Fitesa's business.

CNC's last major investment was the 24,000 tonne Reicofil 4 production line in 2013, with total capacity now estimated at around 40,000 tonnes per year. CNC is owned by CPPC Group, which is part of the Charoen Pokphand Group(CP), Thailand's largest agricultural conglomerate. CNC was founded in 1994 when CPPC decided to diversify its business and develop into the field of nonwovens.

The joint venture was originally formed as a 50/50 split between Fiberweb and CPPC, which purchased all of CNC's shares in late 2006. At the time, executives cited the stake acquisition as a clear example of CNC's intent to grow alongside major customers in the region.

Fitesa did not comment on the value of the deal or the company's revenue, but executives did say the acquisition is the company's first step toward becoming one of the world's fastest growing regions for spunbonded nonwovens and hygiene products production. Fitesa is owned by Petropar and has spunmelt assets in North and South America, as well as Europe. Prior to the CNC acquisition, the company's only Asian business was a hot air production line for Chinese airflow mesh technology.