UNION CITY, Ga. — November 18, 2013 — TenCate Protective Fabrics has been chosen by the Colombian
Army Aviation Air Assault Division to deliver TenCate Defender™ M as the fabric of choice that will
be used to manufacture new, two-piece flight suits for its personnel. This adoption represents the
first major opportunity for TenCate Protective Fabrics to supply fabric to the Colombian Military
and to establish TenCate Defender M as a viable flame resistant (FR) fabric for military solutions
in South America.

The TenCate Defender M product portfolio has established a reputation for protection and
durability in recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan by supplying all deployed American troops
with FR combat uniforms. Many European and other armies around the world have performed wear tests
and have subsequently ordered TenCate Defender M products to protect their military.

Fabric innovation in action

Engineered as a versatile and comprehensive FR fabric, TenCate Defender M offers a variety of
styles and features that satisfy a wide range of applications. The best option for use in the
Colombian Army Aviation Air Assault Division flight suits emerged as TenCate Defender M 6.5 ounce
(per yard²) in a rip stop weave with anti-static properties in the Colombian Jungle Camouflage
print. The Air Assault Division found this version of TenCate Defender M best suited to its FR and
tactical needs.

Supply chain management

TenCate Protective Fabrics USA partnered with Complementos Industriales Ltda. in Cartegena,
Colombia, to arrange the shipment of approximately 50,000 yards of fabric for use in the
manufacture of the flight suits. TenCate Defense and Tactical Market Manager, John Blackmon, says:
“Complementos Industriales have been a huge resource in this effort. The manufacture of the flight
suits will be overseen by the Brigada de Apoyo Logístico and the actual production will be
conducted by the Batallón de Intendencia, also known as Las Juanas, which handles textile
operations for the Colombian Military”.

Continued expansion

TenCate Protective Fabrics looks forward to continued success in protecting militaries around
the world. Military Market Manager, Franklin Massey, who spear-headed the effort with John
Blackmon, says: “We are happy to offer TenCate Defender M to the Colombian military and we hope
that we can supply them with the full range of FR protection”.



Posted November 19, 2013

Source: TenCate Protective Fabrics

Fitesa Simponsville Inc. — a Simpsonville, S.C.-based designer and manufacturer of nonwoven fabrics
for hygiene, medical, and industrial specialty applications — is investing $50 million to expand
its Simpsonville facility and create at least 32 jobs.

The company will improve the infrastructure of its 190,000-square-foot plant and add
equipment to increase production capacity for its spunmelt nonwoven hygiene fabrics. According to
Fitesa, the fabrics offer softness, strength, barrier, abrasion resistance, extensibility and
sustainability; and are widely used in consumer goods such as baby diapers and adult incontinence
products.

“Our mission is to be the preferred choice for the supply of nonwoven fabrics to the global
hygiene industry, and to deliver high quality products with exceptional service and sustainable
processes,” said Ray Dunleavy, director of marketing, Fitesa. “We are pleased to continue to grow
our operations here in Greenville County, and appreciate the support of the Greenville Area
Development Corporation and South Carolina Department of Commerce in making this announcement a
reality.”

Fitesa began its Simpsonville operations in 1990 and currently employs 100 people at that
location. Dunleavy noted that Fitesa already has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to date
in its Simpsonville plant, and that it competed with Fitesa’s other U.S. plants — located in
Washington and Wisconsin — for the $50 million investment.Fitesa also has production facilities in
Mexico, Peru, Brazil, Sweden, Germany, Italy and China.

Fitesa expects to complete the expansion by November 2014.

November 12, 2013

The annual PCI Fibres Conference 2013 took place November 7-8, 2013, in Hong Kong. Topics included
the supply of the various fiber raw materials and the situation in the Asia-Pacific Rim. It was an
event full of valuable information and a gathering of global textile professionals from all
production sectors.

The PCI Consulting Group, of which PCI Fibres is a founding member, is an association of
specialist companies that together offer integrated consulting services related to the entire
fibers and intermediates chain and the related plastics industries. Its consulting perspective
ranges from refinery to finished product. PCI Fibres publishes reports that cover the major
manufactured fibers and raw materials for acrylic, polyamide, polyester and viscose as well as
related products. The PCI Fibres Red Book, published annually, provides an overview of both
consumer demand and textile mill consumption for wool, cotton and manufactured fibers. The analysis
breaks the world into 13 regions, and also looks at capacity and production for the primary
man-made fibers — acrylic, nylon and polyester — in 70 countries.

Fibers Play The Major Role

Since the beginning of all textile activities, fibers have played the most important role.
Fibers play a predominant part in defining the final fabric and its properties. Otherwise, apart
from ongoing technical improvements, the fundamental technology of forming a fabric either by
weaving or knitting hasn’t changed that much since its start. On the other hand, mostly over the
last few decades, all textile fibers have constantly gone through new developments, characteristics
and improvements — particularly man-made fibers. But also, natural fibers such as cotton have shown
permanent enhancements regarding properties. And not to be forgotten are cellulosic fibers, which
show a growing importance in global fiber consumption, not least due to the issues related to
cotton in the last few years.

Global Fiber Consumption

Peter Driscoll, managing director of PCI Fibres and head of the PCI Fibres Conference, even
declared cellulosic fibers to be the global fiber consumption winner in the past few years. He
mentioned that cellulosic fibers have enjoyed a strong recovery from a total of 1.7 million metric
tons (mt) in 2001 to a total of 3.9 million mt in 2012. In 2013, global cellulosic fiber
consumption grew by 17 percent, and the experts from PCI Fibres predict further growth of 12.3
percent in 2013 and 10.4 percent in 2014. From 2000 to 2012, world textile mill consumption reached
an average growth of 3.6 percent, to total 80.8 million mt in 2012. World textile mill consumption
in 2013 is projected to reach 84.1 million mt. Driscoll expects further growth to 87.6 million mt
in 2014.

Changing Marketplaces

As everybody in this industry is aware, fibers are the starting point of the whole
downstream process. In an evermore global textile business with its magnitude of product flows, it
is therefore vital and of outstanding importance to have a certain knowledge of global fiber
production, and consequently, its distribution channels and end-uses. The modeling system applied
in PCI Fibres’ reports takes into consideration the ups and downs of stock levels along the supply
chain. Material in this pipeline is only visible with any ease in the early stages of processing
before it is converted into other products, such as apparel. Therefore, the relationship and the
link between fiber production and the downstream processes are vital to know. Also, stock movement
along the pipeline, sometimes involving vast quantities, can be extremely influential on the future
of the global textile market – and its players.

Changing Fiber Applications

And global fiber production has gone through dramatic changes in the last two to three
decades: For a long time, the ratio of fiber consumption between the major natural fibers and
man-made fibers was about 50:50. This has changed dramatically to a current ratio of 72-percent
man-made fiber to 28-percent natural fibers. The reasons for that are well-known and don’t need to
be repeated here.

However, if one thinks that natural and man-made fibers have a separate and independent
life, that belief is more than wrong. The conference showed a crystal-clear correlation between the
different regions and fiber production as well as consumption. Certainly, everybody remembers the
big problems in 2011 with soaring cotton prices. It can be seen, for example, that polyester prices
for staple fibers and filaments rose, too. Especially, polyamide and polyester prices have a great
influence on global cotton prices and vice versa, and not only related to the costs of the raw
material — oil. Today, there are even more differences.

Changing Power Costs

The key to future success lies to a certain extent in the availability – or in other words,
the supply – of natural resources such as natural gas and, consequently, power. For example, as all
dear readers of the Rupp Report know, the U.S. textile industry, and mainly the spinning and the
man-made fibers sector, is having great success at the moment. One speaker at the conference
mentioned some possible reasons for that success: For one, all man-made fibers up to now are based
on naphtha as the raw material. All U.S./American crackers are linked with pipelines; therefore, it
is very easy to virtually send the product around to all refineries. This is not possible in China,
for example, as it would cause big logistical problems and costs as well as high energy consumption
to supply all production plants with the necessary feedstock.

Changing Fiber Mix

Nevertheless, China holds a major, if not the dominant, position in the man-made fibers
industry. Over the last few years, the mix of man-made fibers production has changed a lot. Using
the example of polyester textile filament, Driscoll presented in his paper the role of China and
its influence on global man-made fiber production. Today, polyester filament is by far the top
fiber. Its production has soared from 9.8 million mt in 2000 up to 25.7 mt in 2012. In 2000,
China’s production share was 35 percent; in 2012, its share was up to 72 percent.

Excellent Event

This was the first time the author of the Rupp Report has attended the PCI Fibres
Conference. Rarely has he visited an event that has provided better and more in-depth information
about the global textile products flow in general and the fiber markets in particular. The
presentations showed the impact of the global fibers business, the different application areas,
their correlations and even their implications. Many other events only focus on networking and
socializing. Don’t take the author wrong — they are also very important and a prerequisite for
success. However, to speak and exchange information with the right people and get most valuable and
in-depth information is seldom possible on the international events platform. The PCI Fibres
Conference encompassed both. More information about this conference will be available soon in some
of the forthcoming Rupp Reports.

November 12, 2013

BONNIGHEIM, ZWINGENBERT, KELHEIM and TUBINGEN — November 7, 2013 — The four partners BRAIN, the
Hohenstein Institute, Kelheim Fibres and rökona, announce the formation of a new research alliance
for the biotechnical production and modification of specialty alginates. The aim of the alliance is
to establish a sustainable microbial bioprocess for the production of specialised alginate
components. The biopolymers should serve a dual purpose: application in high-quality medical
product matrices and within the innovative textile industry.

In addition to the Zwingenberg-based biotechnology company BRAIN AG, the research alliance
involves the Hohenstein Institut für Textilinnovation gGmbH (Bönnigheim), the world’s leading
manufacturer of specialty viscose fibres Kelheim Fibres GmbH (Kelheim) and the manufacturer of
highly specialized materials for medical technology rökona Textilwerk GmbH (Tübingen).

The biopolymer products will be used in both topical and wound-phase specific dressings, as
well as for application-specific modification of matrices in technical textiles. Aside from high
purity and more defined material properties of the biopolymer, the advantage of microbial
production processes is an improvement in the environmental efficiency of products. Parts of the
alliance research project will be co-financed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research
(BMBF) under grant number 013A126 and the acronym AlBioTex.

“Alongside our partners in the alliance, we want to build a high-quality bio-based matrix
system and at the same time, a sustainable process in terms of the yield and techno-functionality
of the biopolymers”, ex-plains Dr. Guido Meurer, Unit Head Microbial Production Technologies at
BRAIN. “BRAIN has been an active researcher of innovative, supportive, bioactive substances for use
in medical products for several years. These substances are then introduced into appropriate
biological matrices and ultimately into modern wound dressings.”

The primary objective of BRAIN, alongside the Hohenstein Institute, is to develop microbial
production organisms for application in industrial quantities of biopolymers in appropriate
biofermentation processes on an industrial scale. These research results also assist in the common
aim of developing innovative nonwoven materials.

“Until now, the variation and optimization of the material properties of alginate was either
not possible at all, or only possible with immense effort. Through the use of biotechnology, a
differentiated use of alginates is made possible in the specialized textile field for the first
time”, says Dr. Timo Hammer, Head of Research in the Department of Hygiene, Environment and
Medicine at the Hohenstein Institute, and coordinator of the AlBioTex project.

The partners Kelheim Fibres and rökona Textilwerk participate in the alliance by providing
access to high-quality, homogeneous biopolymers. The plan is to develop functional textiles with
new properties and to use them in pilot processes.

“The production of high-quality and homogeneous biopolymers is crucial for our functional
viscose fibers based on renewable resources. Various functionalities expand this range of
innovative fiber properties for new high-tech applications”, says Walter Roggenstein, Head of
Re-search and Development at Kelheim Fibres GmbH.

“The joint research in these two fields, the textile and medical technology industries, is
another prime example of the intensification of the biologization of industries”, concludes Dr.
Holger Zinke, CEO of BRAIN, the motivation behind the research alliance. “Biological knowledge is
the driving force of the bioeconomy and industrial biotechnology is one of its most important
fields.”



Posted November 12, 2013

Source: Hohenstein Institut

Turkey-based nonwovens producer Mogul Co. Ltd. has begun production on a new core/sheath
bicomponent polyester (PET)/copolyester spunbond line. The new 365-centimeter-wide line brings
Mogul’s total PET capacity to 15,000 metric tons per year, and expands its product line to include
spunbond, spunlace and meltblown nowovens.

The new bicomponent PET line will produce area thermal bonded flat fabrics featuring
low-denier round and trilobal filaments. Fabrics will range in weight from 17 to 135 grams per
square meter. The new bicomponent fabrics will be targeted mainly to industrial markets and will be
sold under the Buffalo brand name.

In other company news, Mogul recently began production on its second 3,200-millimeter-wide
monofilament PET spunbond line.

November 12, 2013

FRANKFURT — November 6, 2013 — Surprising, individualistic and forward-looking: The forthcoming
Heimtextil exhibition (8 to 11 January 2014) is set to feature refreshingly inspiring and
innovative textile developments, presented by young companies. This international trade fair for
home and contract textiles has a special platform for start-up companies, putting the spotlight on
the next generation of designers. Running under the heading New&Next, the newcomers’ platform
will be full of creative product ideas for bathroom, bedroom and dining table textiles.

 

For several years now Heimtextil has provided special exhibition space for newcomers in Halls
8, 9 and 11. This has gradually developed into a major highlight within the trade fair programme.
What makes New&Next so appealing is its exquisite array of high- quality products and the new
directions it sets in the home textile market. “With this newcomers’ platform Heimtextil puts a
special emphasis on highflyers and on the crystal-clear presentation of excellent designer
products,” says Meike Kern, Director of Household Textiles at Heimtextil. 

 

Strong presence of newcomers from Europe

Among the participating start-up companies are, in particular, a large number of European
designers. They include Crishome Tex and Sirftex from Portugal, Colorkitchen and Lanui from
Germany, Devine Marquise from Belgium and Orgamint from Latvia. A fresh breeze will be added by
Slowcolor from the United States. Equally impressive exhibitors will be Maison des Dunes from
Morocco and the Leomax Cashmere Collection from the United Arab Emirates with their new,
high-quality products. 

 

Here are some of the companies that will be represented at New&Next:

Divine Marquise: Classy seductiveness from Belgium 

During the day the bedlinen is almost perfectly white. After sunset a nude young lady can be
seen lounging on the fine linen. This is the

clever effect produced by the fluorescent print on the L’Envol product line made by the
Francophone Belgian company Divine Marquise.

“We play with the topic of seductiveness. This requires a very cautious, subtle and humorous
approach. Otherwise it can easily become somewhat crude,” says the owner and designer Annabel
Fournier, as she explains her idea to liven up the bedrooms of this world with sexy bedlinen. 

 

Colorkitchen: there’s nothing like colour

Colorkitchen from Germany covers the entire spectrum of textiles for dining tables and
kitchens: elegant linen tablecloths, sturdy cotton

rep, cheerful kitchen towels and matching cushions. What makes Colorkitchen so special is its
wealth of colours, their many possible

combinations and the sustainability of the collection. Managing Director Willy Müller has a
guiding principle: “We do not produce goods for one season of fashion, but for a continually
growing and changing home interior.”

 

Crishome Tex: Elegantly purist bedlinen 

When Cristina Texeira visited Heimtextil for the first time in January this year, the company
was only six months old. The cotton of the

delightful bedroom and bathroom products from Crishome Tex in Portugal has been pre-treated
in an enzyme wash. This gives each product a relaxed — almost used — character and makes it easy to
clean. Moreover, the cotton keeps its shape after the first wash. 

 

Lanui: it’s all about nights

This young company from Hamburg focuses entirely on creative night-time articles. Bedlinen,
pillow cases, bedspreads, pyjamas and

nighties can turn an ordinary bedroom into a fashionably creative refuge. The designs include
animals, plants, stately homes, monochrome themes and Vichies as well as classic stripes and blog
patterns on high-quality cotton materials. The Gypsy line with its smocked, three-dimensional
embroidery won the Red Dot Design Award 2010. 

 

Leomax Cashmere Collection: hand-woven and fully customised

Leomax Cashmere Collection was founded by Ulrike Boye- Holzer. Starting from Dubai, the
German owner travelled around various Asian countries where she discovered exquisite cashmere
products that are virtually unparalleled in Europe with regard to both style and quality. Her
passion for extraordinary high-quality products in amazing designs led to an ambitious designer
label that stands for contemporary simplicity and incomparable elegance. Ulrike Boye-Holzer
personally selects the quality and design in small numbers in Nepal, ensures that production takes
place under FairTrade conditions – where required, also in small production runs – and delivers
fully customised products.

 

Orgamint: certified organic cotton for the bed

What prompted the owners to set up this new company was a discussion among parents: What sort
of materials are perfectly harmless when our kids put them in their mouths? Many cotton fabrics are
so rich in chemicals that they are unsuitable for a children’s bedroom. So when Orgamint was
founded in 2010, its owners wanted to fill precisely this gap. With its wonderfully delicate
nightwear and bedlinen for kids and adults, this company from Riga in Latvia can offer everything
that is needed for a healthy night’s sleep. A romantic ambience is created with lots of white,
hemstitches and elaborate embroidery reminiscent of years gone by.   

Sirftex: originality from Portugal

Sirftex will be presenting sustainable products for bedrooms, bathrooms, dining tables,
kitchens and leisure use. Anyone visiting the Sirftex stand can look forward to products with a
wonderfully loving eye for detail. The delicate honeycomb patterns on the bathrobes and bath towels
make a person feel on holiday. To add a special touch to this lovely little collection, Sirftex has
also added a range of distinctive accessories such as slippers, small beach bags and
T-shirts. 

 

Slowcolor: “We clothe the world in beauty, health and responsibility.” 

Based in the United States, Slowcolor produces handmade premium scarves, bedspreads and
towels, using naturally bleached and naturally dyed organic cotton and linen. The beautiful scarves
are available in gentle combinations of beige, light blue, orange, grey and green, covering a good
spectrum of natural colour options. All of them are made by hand, using ancient looms at factories
in Hyderabad, Central India. 

 

Unikapuden: Retro, Rococo, India and more

Unikapuden from Denmark has a colourful and highly diverse selection of cushions. All
products are handcrafted and made in Denmark. Unikapuden experiments with different combinations of
materials and includes crocheted and knitted effects. What is new in their product line-up is
various patchwork cushions, made from recycled clothes and textiles.  

 

Posted November 12, 2013

Source: Messe Frankfurt