While shopping at your local grocery store, have you ever noticed the mesh bags used for oranges, garlic, or even a frozen turkey? Chances are they were made with our Conwed nettings. Beyond the grocery store, nettings are used in a wide array of applications from agriculture and consumer goods to energy and construction. To learn more, we sat down with Dan Donohoe, commercial director at our Conwed brand, to uncover how nettings (quite literally) hold the world together.
Hiding in plain sight
Our Conwed nettings can be found in some unexpected places throughout your home. The mattress on your bed. The rug in your living room. Even a baby’s diaper. “Those are just some of the end-products that use our nettings to reinforce, separate, contain, or protect materials,” explained Dan Donohoe.
As a leading global netting manufacturer, Conwed manufactures square netting, diamond netting, flat netting, and multilayer netting with custom capabilities. “Our nets are made via an extrusion process that involves melting resin and pushing them through a die to create the net,” Dan explained. “We also have a secondary operation that is known as orientation. That’s when we take a square or diamond net then reheat and stretch the material to create a net that is both lightweight and high strength.”
Nettings impact on daily life
From farm to table
Farming and agriculture use nettings to protect and contain animals and crops of all types. “We are the net you see around a bale of hay and if you look down, we are also the net used in turf reinforcement,” Dan stated. Not all agriculture happens on land. Aquafarming, the raising of water-based plants and animals, accounts for more than 50% of seafood consumed globally. “Conwed netting is widely used by aquaculture farmers to contain, protect, and package fish, oysters, and clams,” Dan adds.
Holding construction projects together
“Anytime you move dirt to put in new roads or a building, you must manage the silt. Otherwise, the silt would run into waterways, like rivers and oceans, and disrupt the wildlife,” Dan detailed. Erosion control prevents wind or water erosion during land development and construction projects. “Conwed manufactures the lightweight nets used in straw blankets that are rolled along hillsides to reduce soil loss.”
Supporting your daily commute
Conwed nettings are using in a variety of transportation applications from airplane wings to your vehicle’s seats and cabin air filter. “During the vacuum infusion process, which is used to make composite components in automotive and aerospace manufacturing, our Conwed netting serves as a grid to efficiently distribute the resin in a controlled flow that minimizes waste,” Dan explained.
Protecting your groceries
The cute bag of oranges or your favorite bottle of wine didn’t arrive at your local grocery store one at time. They were distributed on pallets that were often wrapped with nettings. “Nettings provide stabilization so products can be shipped safely. Nettings can also provide functionality like breathability. Let’s say you’ve harvested a bunch of grapes and packed them onto a pallet. You can wrap it with our Conwed net so there’s sufficient air flow to prevent moisture build up and reduce spoilage,” illustrates Dan.
What’s next for Conwed
Recently, Conwed unveiled its new visual identity and website. “Conwed may have a new look this year, but we’re the same brand the market has trusted with their packaging and netting needs for more than 55 years,” explained Dan. The new branding will be on display at the upcoming Global Produce and Floral Show in Anaheim, CA, Oct 19-21, 2023.
Looking towards the future, “sustainable resin-based solutions will remain a focus. We’ve been testing and developing solutions that are compostable or use post-consumer or post-industrial recycled waste for years. We will continue to collaborate with our customers and partners to develop innovative solutions that use our resources more wisely,” Dan concluded.
To learn more about Conwed nettings visit their website or follow them on LinkedIn. Visit our solutions page to learn more about the Mativ family of brands.
