Profile of TenCate: a supplier of high-tech fabrics for military wear

Royal Ten Cate (TenCate) combines textile technology with related chemical processes to produce highly functional specialist materials for a variety of applications and markets. The company, established over 300 years ago, is today a global leader in the supply of protective fabrics for safety wear and military uniforms which are certified to meet rigorous standards of performance.

TenCate is one of the USA's largest suppliers of fabrics for flame resistant military uniforms. As such, it has been a major beneficiary of the steady increase in US defence spending since the Bush administration came to power in 2001. Indeed, solid demand for fabrics used in military applications accounts largely for strong growth in the company's sales and earnings in 2007, and in the first nine months of 2008.

Over the years, TenCate has acquired a large number of companies with a view to broadening its operations, gaining access to new technologies and enhancing its position in niche markets. These acquisitions have effectively transformed it from a traditional textile company into a specialist in technical textiles.

TenCate is a technologically oriented company with a strong reputation for innovation. These strengths, its executives believe, will enable it to enhance its global position in high performance textile markets.

In the market for protective fabrics, especially flame resistant fabrics, the company is optimistic about sales growth in the future. As regulations for protective clothing tighten, TenCate expects the demand for flame resistant fabrics to continue to grow strongly over the next five years. As it does so, the company aims to strengthen its share of the market and thereby achieve a solid increase in its sales and earnings.