Booming Demand! Antai Textile Leads the 2025 Acrylic Yarn Market with Dope Dyeing Technology and Green Production

In Zhangjiagang in July, the summer heat is gradually intensifying, but there is an orderly bustle in the production workshop of Antai Textile. On the intelligent production line, rolls of vibrant acrylic tops are moving steadily along the conveyor belt, undergoing drafting and twisting, and finally becoming fine acrylic yarn. Li Xiong, the Marketing Manager, holding the freshly printed "2025 China Acrylic Blended Yarn Industry Market Research Report" in his hand,快步走向 the Production Department. Factory Director Huang was staring at the real-time data on the central control screen, his brows slightly furrowed and then relaxed.

"Director Huang, I just saw the industry report. The market scale of acrylic blended yarn is expected to rise further this year, with extremely strong demand in downstream sectors like apparel and home textiles," Li Xiong placed the report on the console and pointed to a section, "Look, just in the first half of the year, orders for acrylic blended fabrics from several domestic leading apparel brands increased by 15% year-on-year. Also, the 'warm-feeling acrylic quilt' series launched by home textile enterprises specifically requires high-elastic acrylic yarn."

Director Huang picked up the report and scanned it a few times, tapped his finger on the screen to bring up a set of data: "We just adjusted the production proportion of acrylic blended yarn last month, increasing it from 30% to 42%, keeping an eye on this demand. Do you remember the 'snowflake-patterned acrylic yarn' that the Zhejiang home textile customer needed last winter? At that time, they said the market feedback was 'soft and warm, no deformation after washing', and this year they directly tripled the order." He paused, pointing to the new equipment in the corner of the workshop, "Those imported precision spinning machines from Germany were urgently debugged for this batch of orders. Now the yarn evenness can be controlled within ±1.5%, and during customer factory inspections, they all said, 'You can't find another one with this precision in the Yangtze River Delta'."

As they were talking, Li Xiong's phone popped up an industry news notification – Hebei Aikerui Fiber Co., Ltd. had just authorized a "Preparation Method for Dope-Dyed Acrylic Black Fiber". He shook his phone with a smile: "Look, the industry is all focusing on technological breakthroughs in colored acrylic. Isn't it time to 'show off' our colored acrylic tops again?"

Director Huang's eyes lit up upon hearing this: "Absolutely! We've been tackling this tough nut since 2018, and now the 'dope dyeing' process is no longer new. Do you remember that Australian customer in 2020? They needed 'deep sea blue' acrylic top, requiring color fastness level 5 and light fastness level 4. At that time, few domestic companies could do it. Our laboratory worked for three months, adjusting the color masterbatch ratio and spinning temperature. Finally, we not only met the standards but also shortened the production cycle from 25 days to 18 days. Now, our colored acrylic top color systems have expanded to over 120, ranging from conventional black, white, and gray to this year's popular 'misty pink' and 'lime green', with orders scheduled until next month." He picked up a roll of newly produced "ash purple" acrylic top and looked at it against the light: "This color doesn't require post-dyeing; it can be directly spun and woven, saving customers' dyeing costs and reducing wastewater discharge – which exactly aligns with the industry's 'green production' trend."

The topic turned to raw materials. Li Xiong flipped to another page in the report: "By the way, the 260,000-ton acrylonitrile plant of Jilin Petrochemical will be put into production at the end of the month. It's said that domestic acrylonitrile inventory has reached 45,800 tons, up a bit from last week. Has our raw material procurement team already taken action?"

"Long ago!" Director Huang said with a hint of pride, "We signed a long-term agreement with Jilin Petrochemical at the end of last year. For their expansion this time, our procurement volume directly locked in 15% of the new capacity. Stable raw materials ensure stable production. Think about it, we consume nearly 10,000 tons of acrylonitrile a year. If there's a raw material shortage or sharp price fluctuations, how can we guarantee downstream customers' orders? Just like this spring, when acrylonitrile supply was tight in the East China region, relying on pre-stocked raw materials, we didn't delay the 'lightweight warm fleece jacket' order from an outdoor brand in Jiangsu. Later, they even listed us as a 'strategic supplier'."

In the warehouse outside the workshop, several logistics vehicles were queuing up to load goods, one of which had the logo of a national women's clothing brand printed on its body. Looking at this scene, Li Xiong recalled the company's early days when it was founded in 1993 – back then, it was a small workshop with only over 20 workers. Now, it has grown into a modern textile enterprise covering 80 mu (about 53,333 square meters) with an annual production capacity of over 20,000 tons. Its customer list includes domestic listed companies as well as established fabric suppliers from Europe and Southeast Asia. "32 years, from 'making yarn' to 'making good yarn that customers need', we made the right move," he sighed.

Director Huang nodded and turned his gaze back to the central control screen: "There are several new moves in the second half of the year. The 'Functional Acrylic Materials Laboratory' co-built with Donghua University will be unveiled next month, focusing on tackling high moisture-absorbing acrylic and antibacterial acrylic. The photovoltaic project in the workshop is also nearly completed; after commissioning, it can save 30% of electricity costs annually and reduce carbon emissions by another 15%. The industry is moving forward, and we can't fall behind."

The setting sun filtered through the high windows of the workshop, casting a warm glow on the machines, and the air was filled with the unique faint fragrance of acrylic fibers. Li Xiong and Director Huang exchanged a smile, then turned and walked towards the next production area – where a batch of "cloud white" acrylic yarn prepared for autumn children's clothing was awaiting quality inspection. Meanwhile, in the distant order system, several new demand notifications popped up, from home textile customers in Zhejiang and industrial textile enterprises in Guangdong. In 2025, as the acrylic blended yarn market continues to heat up, this textile enterprise rooted in Zhangjiagang for 32 years is weaving its own "textile story" with rolls of warm yarn.