Consumer demand for spandex is expansive and resilient, like the filament itself, but there is growing fear that overzealous producers are stretching capacity way out of shape. Demand, while growing, has not been able to keep up with an unprecedented amount of new capacity, industry leaders say. Coupled with slower economic growth in the USA, oversupply is creating problems all along the value chain.
Consumers continue to pay for the extra stretch, support and shape retention that spandex provides.
Producers added lines and built new plants, apparently unaware that other fiber manufacturers worldwide were ramping up spandex output as well. A lot of people were surprised. We're now in that period of realizing that surprise. Three big Western producers, DuPont, Bayer and Globe, all boosted spandex capacity within the last three years. Hosiery is major market.