An article last year described fluff pulp and the various absorbent products in which it is used. We think an update is timely in view of the present market dynamics. Last year's article covered several aspects about the pulp that's "fluffy to the core". A history, reaching back as far as the Roman Empire, included the development and uses of various diaper applications, as well as the use of fluff pulp in certain specialty products, such as wipes. A table introduced the major consumer product companies and their main market segmentation for absorbent products that contain fluff pulp. The article concluded with a paragraph giving reasons why the fluff sector of the market pulp industry was in a revival mode. For years, the fluff pulp producers struggled to overcome lost share from capacity integrated to diaper machines as well as to lower fluff pulp consumption caused by the greater use of super-absorbent polymers. At the time the article was written, it seemed that the major fluff producers were headed in a growth direction due to a combination of innovative marketing by the consumer product companies as well as new developments in the area of specialties and the introduction of the air-laid process. Growth has remained positive, as implied in our title for this article, and also as will be seen from our analysis of the industry's dynamics. However, our conclusions will echo some concern about the increasing capacity.
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