Antai Textile: Three Decades of Acrylic Craftsmanship, Establishing an Industry Benchmark with Raw Material Sensitivity and Innovative Processes

In Zhangjiagang in July, the summer heat is gradually intensifying, yet there is a steady bustle in the production workshop of Antai Textile—dozens of spinning machines are operating at high speed, and the softly lustrous acrylic sliver is conveyed in an orderly manner on the production line, eventually being wound into bobbins, ready to be shipped to a home textile fabric enterprise in Zhejiang. Li Xiong, the Marketing Manager, stands by the floor-to-ceiling window of his office, holding a newly updated industry weekly report in his hand, his fingertips gently glided across the entries related to 'acrylonitrile', and a knowing smile appears on his face.

"Director Huang, has the news about the 260,000-ton acrylonitrile new plant of Jilin Petrochemical going into operation at the end of the month been confirmed? Also, the maintenance at Shandong Haijiang should be completed by next weekend, right?" Li Xiong dialed the Production Department, and from the receiver came the slightly metallic voice of Director Huang from the Production Department: "I just met with the supply chain team, and it's confirmed. The batch of Lihuayi acrylonitrile we locked in advance last week at a price of 7,900 yuan/ton—now it seems we really timed it perfectly—inventory has increased by another 3,000 tons this week, and the raw material side will only become more stable going forward."

Behind this conversation lies Antai Textile's 'raw material sensitivity' accumulated over more than three decades. As a veteran in the acrylic fiber field rooted in Zhangjiagang since 1993, the company's main products—acrylic yarn, acrylic sliver, colored acrylic sliver, and fancy yarns—each fiber's birth is closely linked to acrylonitrile, the core raw material. Since the end of June, news has come one after another: the temporary maintenance of Shandong Haijiang's plant, the price reduction of Lihuayi's quotations, and the upcoming release of new capacity by Jilin Petrochemical. The marketing team led by Li Xiong captured the signals immediately: there may be short-term fluctuations in raw material supply, but in the long run, with the commissioning of new capacity and inventory accumulation, cost-side pressure will gradually ease. "We immediately adjusted the third-quarter procurement plan, and together with Director Huang's production team, we advanced the production of some conventional acrylic sliver, while reserving 15% capacity flexibility. Once the new plant is put into operation, we will be able to exactly meet the incremental demand of downstream customers for high-quality acrylic yarn," Li Xiong explained.

This market acumen is also reflected in product innovation. In early July, Huilong New Materials issued an announcement that its dope-dyed polyester fiber has seen a surge in orders in the home textile and apparel fields due to its advantages of environmental friendliness and high color fastness. This news reminded Li Xiong of his visit to a well-known clothing brand in Jiangsu last month: "The customer mentioned at that time that now young people not only look at the style when buying clothes, but also care more about 'whether it uses environmentally friendly dyes' and 'whether the color fastness is sufficient'. Isn't our colored acrylic sliver taking this path?"

Antai Textile's colored acrylic sliver adopts the dope dyeing process, incorporating color masterbatches during the fiber production stage. Compared with traditional dyeing processes, it saves more than 70% water, and the color fastness can reach Grade 4 or higher (industry average is Grade 3). "Last month, Director Huang's team just renovated two production lines. Now we can produce 32 conventional colors at one time, and small-batch custom colors can be delivered in 15 days," Li Xiong pulled out the customer feedback records on his phone. "The customer in Zhejiang who makes outdoor fleece jackets used our colored acrylic yarn for their fabric, and it didn't fade much after 20 washes. They added another 200-ton order this month."

In the production workshop, Director Huang is monitoring the newly adjusted fancy yarn production line. The machine is processing different colored acrylic fibers, and in the blink of an eye, it twists out sections of yarn with 'bamboo joint' textures. "This is a sample made for a high-end home textile customer in Guangdong. They read the USDA cotton report, which said that this year's US cotton export contracts are low, so they are worried about cotton price fluctuations and want to find substitutes. Our acrylic bamboo joint yarn has warmth retention no less than cotton and is more wash-resistant. After the customer trial-wove the sample, they directly placed an order for 500,000 meters of fabric," Director Huang patted the machine shell. "This line was put into operation last year. Now it can produce more than ten types of fancy yarns, such as loop yarn, knot yarn, and slub yarn. Orders in the first half of this year have increased by 22% year-on-year, all due to our 'diverse styles and fast delivery'."

Starting with an old spinning machine in 1993, Antai Textile has now grown into an acrylic yarn supplier with 8 modern production lines and an annual capacity of over 30,000 tons. Its growth trajectory is a microcosm of China's textile industry shifting from 'scale expansion' to 'quality improvement'. "Among the customers we have served, there are those making infant home textiles, requiring formaldehyde content to be close to zero; and those making aviation apparel, requiring no discoloration after 500 hours of light exposure," Li Xiong said with pride. "For more than 30 years, Antai has been able to establish itself in the Yangtze River Delta textile circle by relying on 'stable raw materials, exquisite craftsmanship, and rapid response'—when market changes come, others are still watching, but we are already acting."

The sunlight outside the window filters through the glass and shines on the slogan 'Focused on Acrylic for Thirty Years' on the workshop wall. Li Xiong picked up the next document—it was a research and development plan for a new type of antibacterial acrylic yarn in cooperation with a listed company. "I heard that Brazil's cotton harvest is progressing rapidly, and cotton prices may change later, but for us, by taking the performance of acrylic to the extreme, we can always find our position," he said. Before he finished speaking, the phone on the desk rang again; it was news from the supply chain department: the first batch of acrylonitrile from Jilin Petrochemical's new plant will arrive at the factory next week.