Robust Business Continues; Spinners Wary Of Fiscal Cliff

The yarn market remained strong into the last week of November, with ring-spun (RS) cotton yarns
continuing to be in high demand. Spinners and yarn brokers also reported that orders for open-end
(OE) yarns were increasing as well.

“Overall, it’s been a pretty solid quarter — even a solid second half,” said one spinner. “We
had a slow period back in July, but it’s been pretty steady ever since.”

Said another spinner: “Our business has been really strong since the middle of July, and it
appears it is going to continue to be strong through the first quarter, unless something unexpected
happens.”

One industry insider said: “Everybody I’ve talked to is running pretty well. The knitters are
running. The weavers are actually pretty busy. I am hearing retailers continue to talk about trying
to bring programs back to the United States. I am even hearing talk that some of these retailers
may begin to feature Made in USA products in dedicated sections of their stores. While I’m not sure
it will materialize by the holidays, I think there’s a good chance some of this will happen by
spring. Overall, I would say the industry is cautiously optimistic.”

However, some industry insiders say there is nervousness about what the first of the year may
bring, depending upon if and how the Obama administration and Congress compromise on a tax and
spending plan. “Everyone is concerned about whether they can fix this fiscal cliff,” said one yarn
seller.

The fiscal cliff is a combination of spending reductions and tax-cut reversals that would
create a significant annual reduction in the federal deficit. Slated to start in January, it
includes $7 trillion in tax increases and spending cuts over a decade. However, many observers say
the movement is too much, too fast, and could plunge the U.S. economy back into recession. “What we
have now in our industry is a situation where everybody’s busy, but they’re scared.”


OE Makes Comeback; RS Prices In Flux


OE yarn demand has been generally weak for a sustained period, according to several spinners.
Small upticks in demand have been intense at times, but relatively short-lived. As of late
November, demand for OE yarns was relatively strong. Said one yarn buyer: “The companies I’ve
talked to are running at a fuller schedule for the most part than they have in a while. Pricing is
still not good, but business is better. OE margins are still very thin.”

RS margins are better, but pricing is volatile. “It’s rare that we’ve seen, in what appears
to be a relatively stable cotton market, such a wide variance in ring-spinning sales prices,” said
one prominent yarn broker. “Costs have to be relatively steady. While there are still a few
spinners with some higher-priced cotton, that’s not the cause of what we are seeing with these yarn
prices. They are all over the place.”


One yarn buyer said he’s seen prices for 30/1 RS combed cotton anywhere from $2.10 to $3.60 a
pound. “Some mills might quote a price for $2.10, but they don’t have any to sell. Others might be
at $3.50, and that’s with a six-week or more turnaround. Right now, there are mills selling
everything they can make for $3.45 or better.”


Quick Turn


One attribute that has provided a distinct advantage for U.S. spinners is the ability to
quickly produce and deliver orders. The definition of quick turn, however, varies somewhat with
demand. “There is no doubt we have given our customers the impression that we can always quickly
deliver orders,” said one spinner. “But in times of very high demand, that’s not always the case.”

“The dynamics of the ring-spun market have placed a premium on communication,” said another
spinner. “With limited inventories, it is inevitable that we will encounter scheduling challenges.
When that happens, communication becomes even more critical.”

A yarn broker agreed: “I had a customer call wanting a large order delivered immediately. I
explained that six weeks was the best I could do and would likely be the best anyone could do. I
got a purchase order later that afternoon.”

“The important thing is to put customer service at a premium,” said one spinner. “During this
type of market, communication, understanding and responsiveness are required to maintain the
momentum.”

November/December 2012

Quality Fabric Of The Month: FR From Nature, Layer By Layer

Researchers at Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, are developing eco-friendly intumescent and clay-based nanocoatings that may one day be used to provide flame resistance (FR) to cotton garments and other textiles and polyurethane foam. The coatings, made using chitosan and other renewable materials, have potential applications in such areas as childrenswear, military and protective apparel, mattresses and home furnishings, and aircraft components.

Jaime C. Grunlan, Ph.D., an associate professor in Texas A&M’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and director of the research, had been working on a layer-by-layer assembly technique using a water-based solution to create clay-based nanobrick coatings for gas barrier films and got the idea to use them in FR applications, first trying them on foam. With input from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which is partially funding the research, it was found that
the coated foam didn’t break down, and the weight gain from the coating was less than is typical with other FR coatings. The coating penetrates the foam, significantly diminishing off gassing and reducing the heat release rate by half. “The outer surface chars, but the inside is undamaged,” Grunlan said.

QFOMA

QFOM


Scanning electron micrographs show the intumescent coating on uncharred fabric (top) and
swollen protective foam created on the charred portion (bottom).

Meanwhile, Grunlan had been observing intumescent, foamy coatings on steel structural supports. “The coating, which contains phosphorus and nitrogen polymers, swells through the foaming process,” he explained. “The phosphorus attacks the nitrogen, which offgasses, creating bubbles that provide a thermal shield around the object.”

He decided to try a similar coating on cotton. “It totally worked,” he said. Only the surface in direct contact with flame was charred, and the swollen coating protected the fabric structure.

To make a biodegradable coating, Grunlan and his research team, including Galina Laufer, Ph.D., replaced man-made polymers with chitosan to provide the nitrogen component and phytic acid to provide the phosphorus. The water-based coating can be crosslinked to improve wash durability, Grunlan said, pointing out that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has found that the FR performance is unchanged after 10 washes conducted using an ASTM test method. “I’m very confident
we can show the same performance after 20 to 30 washes,” he added.

In current versions, the coating, though only 500 nanometers thick, does stiffen the fabric, making a very soft cotton more like canvas, such as would be suitable for a firefighter’s jacket. However, Grunlan said his team is working on recipes that would provide a softer hand and would be suitable for children’s sleepwear or other clothing.

Grunlan also has applied the coating to nylon/cotton FR and polyester fabrics. “The coating will prevent melt dripping, and a little intrinsic FR fiber in the fabric dramatically reduces the number of coating layers needed,” he said, noting that the coating will enhance a fabric’s own FR
behavior.

QFOMC


 


Left: In a vertical flame test, the coated cotton fabric chars only where the flame touches
it.

 

CONTACTS: For more information about the antiflammable nanocoating research at Texas A&M, contact Jaime C. Grunlan +979-845-3027; jgrunlan@tamu.edu.

November/December 2012

Medical Textiles: How Smart Do They Have To Be?

Within any specific market, a number of trends and influencing factors are catalysts for changing
needs and higher performance requirements. The medical field is no exception to this rule, and
advancements in medical technology itself, the demographics associated with an aging population and
the onset of chronic disease states — like diabetes and obesity — play a huge part in the market
dynamics.

Technology advances are the area in which raw material suppliers have the greatest influence
and impact, specifically because material advances to support the shifting needs are most dominant
where there is investment in research and development. The success in delivering new, smarter
materials — along with necessary customization to meet an end application requirement, as well as
the scale-up to production via a fully commercialized manufacturing process — are all influenced
greatly by the customer’s need and acceptance of new products, including the willingness to pay for
the improved performance characteristics. The term “intelligent textiles” — interchangeable with
“smart” or “active” textiles — refers to textile materials or engineered structures that are
potentially able to sense, react and/or adapt to environmental conditions.

Medicaltextiles1

Marjan Kooroshnia, Ph.D., The Swedish School of Textiles, has printed surgical facemasks using
thermochromic inks that change color in response to a rise in temperature of the wearer’s
breath.

Recent impacts on raw material costs, along with manufacturing energy requirements and
transportation costs, have all influenced desired technology advances of late. For example,
alternative sources of raw materials are actively sought, as is the ability to reduce weight or
bulk, thereby minimizing transportation costs. The potential range of uses for medical textiles
continues to increase, nevertheless, and the need to understand and improve upon the performance of
these materials and to target specific applications becomes important. From the accreditation
process network to the creation of green and clean medical fabrics to the utilization of
nanofibers, the use of textiles in medical applications has become even more complex and
challenging. However, an underlying driving dynamic influencing how unmet needs are addressed in
the medical markets necessitates a linking together of principles from different disciplines.


Mobile Applications Raise Standards And Expectations


In the world of medical technology, instantaneous access to critical data enables lifesaving
decisions to be made sooner. Previously, a passive approach was acceptable, and clinicians and
healthcare workers were satisfied essentially to react to lagging external indicators. Now, with
many products being largely in contact directly with the surface of a patient through the skin, the
overarching movement is to position such products for more dynamic behavior. This raises concerns
as to how such materials can become more active, intelligent and dynamic components within a
surgical procedure; or can replace a routine examination for bedridden patients. In addition, such
features enhance the product’s value beyond its being simply a means to create a passive protective
barrier per se, or a disposable commodity-based product.

The maturity of the medical apparel market means that future growth is becoming progressively
more dependent on product innovation. The importance of new features, such as improved comfort and
conformance with high performance thresholds, provided at minimal cost, has never been more
essential. Several stages in smart textile development can be described; they include smart
textiles that have only a sensing function; smarter textiles that have both sensing and actuating
functions; and smartest textile systems that are able to respond and adapt their behavior to the
environment.

Table 1 highlights several areas of opportunity ranging from the current state of technology
to what could conceivably be available in five years or so. For example, Teresa Wagner, technical
leader – composite solutions, Owens Corning Science & Technology LLC, Granville, Ohio, recently
discussed the potential for carbon-enhanced reinforcements in engineered materials to provide an
effective means to create an electromagnetic shield and, in so doing, the ability therefore to
create thin, lightweight, highly conductive materials with complex geometries. So, in addition to
the current use of conductive materials in textile applications as antistatic materials, or for
heating, or for electromagnetic interference shielding as Wagner described, they will now have the
ability to transport electrical signals to or from sensors embedded therein, thus providing
additional capabilities for active intelligence and the ability to react to external stimuli in a
dynamic manner — for example, to changes in body vital statistics during surgeries.


Opportunities For Improved Products


There are numerous types of smart materials, some of which are already routinely available,
although still in development for many medical applications owing to the regulated and controlled
environment. For example, shape memory polymers (SMPs) have been used already for a variety of
biomedical applications and temperature-responsive polymers, including in implants such as
cardiovascular stents, thus allowing minimally invasive implantation through small incisions or
natural orifices while the stent is in its small temporary shape before it expands and reshapes
itself to fit the required clinical specifications and perform accordingly. In addition, such SMPs
have an additional feature — that of biodegradability, which results in the implant degrading
before elimination by the body after it has fulfilled its purpose.


Surgical sutures are another good example of SMPs that enable wound closure with self-adjusting
optimal tension. This characteristic reduces tissue damage due to the potential for over-tightened
sutures; and, furthermore, it supports improved healing and the regeneration of tissue.

There are many chromogenic systems available that rely typically on the inclusion of chromic
dyes, pigments or coatings. Halochromic systems, in which color change is brought about by pH
value, have been shown to provide valuable visible sensors for use with burn patients. The pH
values vary throughout the healing process; hence, wound healing can be monitored without the need
to disturb the dressing and, therefore, the wound bed itself. In addition, halochromic textiles can
be used in geotextiles or protective apparel to indicate environmental pH changes brought about by
contaminated atmospheres. Thermochromic textiles generally include embedded organic compounds that
operate between the ambient and body temperatures and characteristically react to heat. They are
used extensively for thermodiagnostics and as skin thermometers.

In addition, thermoelectric materials can be used to build devices that convert temperature
differences into electricity, and vice-versa.

Self-healing materials have the intrinsic ability to repair any damage due to normal usage,
thus expanding the material’s lifetime. Many orthopedic implants fail following accumulation of
micro-damage sustained over lifetimes of cyclic loading. The bone cement — consisting of a
poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) base — used in these procedures has been a topic of an initial
study for self-healing materials and provides an example of how embedded microspheres embedded
within the PMMA can accomplish the repair. The microcapsules rupture and release their contents
into the areas where the micro-cracks form; polymerization of the released water-reactive healing
agent, a medical-grade cyanoacrylate tissue adhesive used in biosurgery, will serve to halt crack
propagation and restore the material’s strength. Barrier technologies for textiles and engineered
materials could incorporate similar embedded technologies to heal/repair breeches, tears or
scalpel/needle sticks.

Medicaltextiles2

This computer simulation shows how a stent made with a shape memory polymer expands into
place after insertion. The research was conducted at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by
Lallit Anand, Ph.D., Warren and Towneley Rohsenow Professor of Mechanical Engineering; Vikas
Srivastava, Ph.D.; and graduate student Shawn Chester.


Path Forward: What’s Next?


During the past several years, medical device companies have been interested in assessing the
importance and impact of personal protective apparel. In broad terms, this article has focused on
the need for research and development in smart and active textiles to support the advancing
requirements of improved protective apparel. The primary targets for the advancements may be
surgical gowns and drapes as well as infection control apparel — products used widely in the
healthcare environment to protect healthcare workers, clinicians and patients alike from
transmitted infections. Yet, the smart and active concept can be leveraged to other markets such as
advanced wound care and other diagnostic systems, filtration and hygiene, fire and hazard
protection, and potentially also automotive and construction uses. This article has contrasted the
sophistication of materials in use to meet demands of performance and comfort with ideas for new
features that can be developed to influence future trends and address unmet market needs. Smart
textiles for healthcare and resulting medical applications are routinely the result of joint
developments made in many technologies — not least via advances in material science, information
technology and engineering; but also medicine itself.

Editor’s note: Vicki A. Barbur, Ph.D., works with leading-edge companies in their efforts to
spur, track and manage innovation through portfolio management and technology partnering. She is
based in Chicago.

November/December 2012

Yarn, Surface Design And Small Orders

SPINEXPO®, Indigo, Printsource and DG Expo have found New York City a good venue. At SpinExpo, yarn
spinners, fiber companies and producers of textile machinery had news. Indigo and Printsource had
new exhibitors. DG Expo, a biannual show geared to small orders, is expanding.


SpinExpo


Fiber companies at SpinExpo provided information about their products. Australian Wool
Innovation Ltd. (AWI), with its subsidiary The Woolmark Company, gave general facts about Merino
wool along with a fashion forecast, and directed potential customers to what spinners are doing
with Australian Merino wool yarns and fabrics.

Meadowbrook Inventions Inc., Bernardsville, N.J., showed Angelina® metallic
fibers that look like Brillo® and feel like cashmere. Angelina copper is an antimicrobial yarn
suggested for apparel, home fashions including bedding, and antimicrobial textiles for use in
hospitals.

KAfeatureknits

Todd & Duncan’s offerings at SpinExpo included Burleigh, a two-toned textural cashmere
yarn.

Nylstar S.A., Spain, introduced Nylgold®, a nylon 6,6 product. Nanoparticles are infused
into the polymer, and the yarn has elasticity and moisturizing properties. Along with apparel, it
is going into bandages. Two other products on display were Nylair, an ultralight hollow fiber that
provides thermal insulation; and Nylcare nylon 6,6 fiber that keeps bacteria stable.

Afghanistan, through U.S. assistance, has a developed cashmere industry and today is the
third-largest cashmere-producing country after China and Iran. Herati Cashmere and Skin Processing
Plant sells to U.S. customers including J. Crew and Kate Spade.

Two machinery companies with extensive displays were H. Stoll GmbH & Co. KG, Germany,
and Santoni S.p.A., Italy. Stoll showed garments and fabrics made on its equipment as examples of
what learning experiences are available at its Fashion & Technology Center in New York’s
garment district.

Santoni presented its newest seamless knitting machine, Mec-Mor Variatex CMP, which can make
a sweater in four minutes. It features stitch structures using various types of yarn and can do
single and double jersey, jacquards, plated effects, pockets and four-color stripes.

Spinners showed novelty and quality. Südwolle Group, Germany, the largest spinner of worsted
knitting and weaving yarns, grows its own Merino wool in Australia. Catering to luxury markets, it
was selling a variety of yarns including coarse-gauge fine yarns for flat knitting, 2/28 and 2/60
cashmere, and blends with Merino wool and silk.

Z. Hinchcliff & Sons Ltd., United Kingdom, has been selling quality woolen yarns for
nearly 250 years. The company sells fine to heavy yarns of cashmere, angora, camel hair, and
lambswool. With stock service, it promises fast deliveries.

Todd & Duncan Ltd., Scotland, has 165 colors in 2/28 cashmere and stock service. It
showed cashmere and lambswool heathers and slubs.

Felise Erdal of Yarn Mavens Inc., New York City, sells China-based Yarns & Colors Co.
Ltd.’s line to mid- and upper-level designer lines in the United States. The new collection
includes alpaca, camel, angora, cashmere, fox, yak and mink. Some is blended with silk. Yarns are
ultrasoft, lightweight and bulky.

Another Chinese line handled by Yarn Mavens is Shenzhen Everwin Yarn Co. Ltd. Here, the
specialties are fine-gauge cotton heathers for T-shirts, wool and blends. One that was pointed out
is spun of rayon, wool and Pima cotton.

Three firms from Italy showed quality and creativity. Miroglio Textile had soft
mohair/wool/nylon bouclé yarns, felted and thick-and-thin wool/nylon yarns and thick
viscose/acrylic/Merino wool marled yarns.

Cariaggi has stock service with more than 180 colors in its two-ply cashmere range, and
sells both woolen and worsted spun yarns. Woolen yarns include blends of cashmere with vicuña,
mohair or ultrafine Merino wool. Some of the worsted yarns contain metallic and elastic fibers. New
are two-color cashmere bouclés, some twisted with silk, or printed with metal or with rubber for a
tweed look.

Filosophy S.r.l. sells shiny yarns, fancy yarns and thick gauges in cashmere blended with
mohair. Most of its yarns have a clean look. Some yarns are recycled from old sweaters.

Filatures du Parc, France, has yarns of carded wool and blends with cashmere, yak, cotton,
silk and nylon. A lot of the line is recycled. One best seller is a handknitting yarn that is a
blend of cotton, nylon, acrylic, silk and linen.

Seritex Inc., New York City and Los Angeles, showed yarns from global sources spun with
paper along with two-ply cashmere, nylon in blends with alpaca or mohair, and wool or cotton in
fluro colors.

KAfeaturesweater

Herati Cashmere and Skin Processing Plant supplies product to several U.S.
customers.


Indigo And Printsource


Indigo had new exhibitors from Brazil. Capim Puro showed prints combining photographs with
hand-drawn designs. Nature was a big theme. São Paulo city scenes, hand-drawn abstracts and dots
were other designs.

A lot of British firms showed at Indigo. Made in Brighton’s line is digitally printed and
has lacy looks, animal skin abstracts, small geometrics, large all-over abstracts, and plaids that
are blurred and misted or precise. Amanda Kelly showed black-and-white and patchwork abstracts,
realistic florals, and blurred dots. At Gather No Moss, engineered florals are a take on Russian
folkloric. There are huge misted abstracts, playful landscapes, geometric borders and mixes of
paisleys in patchwork designs.

Three New York City designers showing at Indigo have elegant lines. Tom Cody Design showed
Baroque designs, phenomenal dots, elegant embroideries, jewel prints and less casual T-shirt
patterns. The Style Council is selling Art Deco-inspired designs, Baroque styles, paisleys, ikat
flowers, blurred geometrics, marbleized looks and photorealistic patterns. At Marilyn Kern Textile
Designs Inc., there are foulards, tonal burn-outs, textural designs, paisleys, dots and “anything
engineered.”

Printsource exhibitor Lewis Orchid, U.K., is into “non-season vacation living.” His line of
contemporary classics has linear black-and-white designs, skins with stripes, and new
conversationals including big fish.

Mixed Media Studio, Carrolton, Ga., also showing at Printsource, has natural motifs in
offbeat colors. There are blueberry bushes, monolith patterns, wood carvings and pansies in a
garden.

Creativo Surface Design, New York City, showed abstract textures, graded ombres and mirror
images. There are photorealistic animals for childrenswear.

Design Works International, New York City, showed paisleys, Baroque designs, scarf prints,
photorealistic florals, opulent jewels and bold geometrics.

Tana Bana Design Services, Morristown, N.J., sells designs for the home. Vibrant colors,
painterly watercolors, ikats, skins and botanical drawings were popular patterns.


DG Expo


At DG Expo, now in its second season, most of the exhibitors have no minimums and offer
stock service. In February 2013, exhibit space will double.

Hemp Traders, Carson, Calif., showed knitted and woven hemp and cotton fabrics. The line
ranges from heavy upholstery fabrics, corduroys and French terry to ultralight jersey and lawn.

Carr Textile Corp., Fenton, Mo., sells knits and wovens of organic cotton, recycled
polyester and nylon to the apparel and home-fashion industries. A lot is made in the United States.
Along with light- to heavyweight solid fabrics, there are yarn dyes and prints.

KAfeaturebooth

DG Expo exhibitor Robert Kaufman showed his latest collection of prints and yarn dyes.

Novelties at D. Zinman Textiles Ltd., Montreal, include laces, beaded fabrics, jacquards and
prints. Sextet Fabrics, East Rockaway, N.Y., sells viscose/spandex, Modal®, MicroModal®, polyester
and nylon knitted fabrics in a variety of weights including matte jersey, mesh, piqué, ponte di
Roma, French terry and double-faced knitted fabrics. Robert Kaufman Fabrics, Los Angeles, has a new
collection of prints and yarn dyes every quarter. Paisleys, flowers and mini designs on organic
cotton lawn were selling at this show.

November/December 2012

The Rupp Report: A Merry-Go-Round: From Saurer To Oerlikon And Back To Saurer

It was a rumor in the industry for a long time, and it was (always) just a matter of time: At some
point, the Russian investor Viktor Vekselberg would sell the textile machinery division of the
Oerlikon Group to get back his invested money. And now he did sell, but not 100 percent: Let’s
start from the beginning.

In September 2006, when the Oerlikon Group — which was then called Unaxis — took over the
majority of the Swiss Saurer Textile Group, financial investors on both sides were playing the
music. At Saurer, the British investment firm Laxey Partners was the main shareholder, and Unaxis
was owned by the Austrian investment company Victory with Georg Stumpf and Ronny Pecik.

Lack Of Understanding

This acquisition made a lot of noise in the textile machinery sector and many (textile)
insiders just shook their heads. How could one take away from the markets such a good brand name
like Saurer? The experts were certain that this illogical deal couldn’t work in the long run.

Through the acquisition of Saurer Textile machinery, and components and gears, the name of
Saurer, founded in 1888, disappeared from the markets. Strangely enough, Saurer with a turnover of
2.3 billion Swiss francs in 2005 was bigger compared to the 1.6 billion Swiss francs from Unaxis
(OC Oerlikon). In May 2007, Heinrich Fischer left his position as Saurer CEO — a job that he had
held since 1996.

Long Ordeal

Shortly before ITMA 2007 in Munich, the Rupp Report also expressed its concerns about certain
financial transactions of the former Unaxis, for which it was severely criticized at ITMA by
Oerlikon Textile employees. However, in this report, only concerns were expressed as to whether and
how traditional labels such as Saurer, Schlafhorst, Zinser, etc. would survive with these kinds of
investors in the background. The other ongoing financial stories of the Oerlikon Group are
well-known. And now the takeover has happened.

Further Divestment

Last week, the Oerlikon Group sold its natural fibers and textile components business units
and signed an agreement with the Jinsheng Group of China. Oerlikon is said to continue to develop
its position in the growing man-made fibers market. Oerlikon Textile’s Manmade Fibers business unit
with its brands Barmag and Neumag is among the leading suppliers for man-made fibers production. In
addition to the filament and staple production units, it also supplies technology for bulked
continous filamnet yarns and nonwovens production.

Heinrich Fischer Is Back

The Board of Directors of the new Saurer Group will be composed of four Europeans and three
Asians. The chairman of the new group is Heinrich Fischer – the last CEO of Saurer before the
company was taken over in 2007 by Oerlikon. Besides Fischer, Pan Xueping, founder of the Jinsheng
Group, will be a board member. The company will be led by Daniel Lippuner, who ran the Oerlikon
Textile Components business, which is included in the deal.

The Rupp Report had the occasion to talk to the new (and old) CEO Heinrich Fischer. The first
question was quite obvious: How does it feel to be the CEO of Saurer again, and why did it happen?
“It feels very good,” said Fischer, “and it is exciting too. I have known Pan Xueping for a very
long time and he approached me to take over the part of CEO in the new Saurer Group. After a short
period of thinking I said yes to this extraordinary project.”

Next, in answering the question of why the acquisition did not include the Manmade Fibers
business, Fischer said: “We also offered to take over the Manmade Fibers business, but Oerlikon’s
intention was to keep that division.”

Same Management

How does Fischer describe Pan Xueping? “He has a great experience in the textile business and
is vice chairman of the China Textile Machinery Association. I was working with him since my days
with Saurer and Oerlikon. He is very open-minded and respects other cultures. That’s why the old
management of Oerlikon Textile will be virtually the same with the new Saurer Group.”

Fischer also mentioned the fact that the finance world welcomed the idea of the acquisition.
So, if the deal is only to be closed by the third quarter of 2013, how do the customers react if
they want to place an order? “Well,” said Fischer, “there is no difference at all. Customers can
order with the people they have known for many years, because the management and the people will
remain the same as before.”

A Milestone For Oerlikon

On the other hand, Oerlikon CEO Michael Buscher explained during the Oerlikon media
conference that “this transaction is a further milestone in balancing the Oerlikon portfolio. It
significantly reduces our overall exposure to the textile industry and allows us to focus on the
less cyclical, higher margin Manmade Fibers business.”

With sales of 2 billion Swiss francs in 2011, the textile segment represented 53 percent
total restated Group sales (excluding the recently divested Solar business). After the divestment,
the restated share of revenues from the textile sector will be an estimated third of total Group
sales. The transaction is subject to merger control approval in a number of countries. Closing is
expected in the third quarter of 2013.

The New Saurer

Now, the more than 160 years of Saurer history will continue again. The Jinsheng Group will
operate their newly acquired textile machinery business under the name Saurer. Pan Xueping has
signed with OC Oerlikon a purchase agreement of 650 million Swiss francs for the acquisition of the
entire Natural Fibers and Components businesses. The new Saurer Group has a turnover of
approximately 1 billion Swiss francs and comprises 3,800 employees.

All employees and operations in Europe, the United States and Asia will be maintained.
Continuity with a focus on customer value, innovation and employee development are in the focus of
the new leadership, which will operate from Europe and Asia. This is confirmed by Fischer: “As
already mentioned, we remain at the current locations in Europe and Asia. Pan Xueping is a modern
Chinese man who studied abroad and is well aware of other cultures.”

The Jiangsu Jinsheng Group was founded in 2000 in the Jintan Economic Development Zone of the
Jiangsu Province. Today, the Group is said to be a leading manufacturer of high-end computer
numerical control (CNC) machines and tools and recycled cotton fibers as well as saliva-based test
technologies. A further activity is real estate. The Group has an annual sales turnover of more
than 6.6 billion renminbi, or approximately 1 billion Swiss francs, with more than 5,000 employees
and 70 subsidiaries around the world.

Long-Term Planning

The sale of a large part of the textile machinery business is not the first divestiture,
since the Russian industrialist Viktor Vekselberg has taken over control of the Oerlikon Group and
the company had to be freed with a refinancing of its huge debt burden. Just a few days ago, the
Group had completed the sale of its solar division to Japan’s Tokyo Electron.

For the new company, Pan Xueping and his group are longtime business partners of Saurer and
Oerlikon, and the textile industry is familiar with him, as he is the owner of a spinning plant
with approximately 300,000-400,000 spindles. Heinrich Fischer is very optimistic about the future
of the new Saurer Group: “Our intention and will is to open a new chapter in the successful history
of Saurer. We are very happy that virtually all employees are with us and support the idea.”

It remains to be hoped that after five years, a problematic capital in the Saurer history and
its business comes now to an end. Again, a European textile machinery company goes into Chinese
hands. That must not be a bad sign. Nevertheless, with the Jinsheng Group, Saurer is once again
under the wings of a financial investor.

December 11, 2012

USTER® STATISTICS 2013 Is Out On Uster.com

USTER, Switzerland — December 2, 2012 — Uster Technologies Ltd. launches the online version of the
new edition of the worldwide established USTER® STATISTICS. The 2013 edition features now data from
the new USTER® CLASSIMAT 5 and the USTER® ZWEIGLE HL400. Further novelties are charts of new yarn
styles and trendy materials. As ever the USTER® STATISTICS are the base for a common quality
language in the textile industry.

In 1957, Uster Technologies started to publish only a few tables for cotton and wool. USTER
has expanded the content to more than 2200 charts over the past 55 years – always with the ambition
to provide USTER® STATISTICS for all kinds of material available in the market. Today, more than 30
major yarn styles are presented. New yarn styles in the latest edition 2013 are plied yarns and
more blends of air-jet yarns.

The new edition of 2013

The highlights of USTER® STATISTICS 2013 are the inclusion of data for USTER® CLASSIMAT 5 and
USTER® ZWEIGLE HL400. While USTER® CLASSIMAT 5 measures and classifies disturbing yarn defects,
foreign fibers and vegetable matter, the USTER® ZWEIGLE HL400 provides data of the length of
protruding fibers.

A major requirement for the USTER® CLASSIMAT graphs was to differentiate the yarn counts. So
the graphs for USTER® CLASSIMAT 5 are class-divided in three yarn count levels (fine, medium,
coarse). As mentioned, it is the goal of Uster Technologies to publish new and innovative quality
parameters. So, for the first time, graphs are available for foreign fiber, with separate vegetable
matter results, and for outliers.

Relation between price performance ratio and USTER® STATISTICS

All new and old features aim for the one goal to support the users to reach the ideal price
performance ratio – especially for spinning mills. It is essential to compare objectively in-house
performance versus global best practice. With the help of USTER® STATISTICS, the spinning mill can
identify performance gaps. The parameters can easily be used as key performance indicators for
spinning process optimization.

Another benefit for the spinning mill is an increase in its competitive position, since
USTER® STATISTICS enable mills to declare objectively what they are producing and selling. Spinning
mills can prove yarn quality levels when tested on USTER® equipment, because of direct comparison
with USTER® STATISTICS.

Also for yarn users USTER® STATISTICS are useful to optimize the costs. Changes in the
industry through globalization have been dramatic. Fashion is changing fast. Quick deliveries are
needed. Quality costs at all levels of the textile supply chain have increased. Higher quality
costs may be caused not only by wrong selection of the yarn for a certain article but also by poor
performance of the yarn. USTER® STATISTICS are traditionally used to predict the quality of the
fabric at an early stage, to avoid expensive additional costs due to second quality.

Many retailers have concluded that their existing system of ordering garments was not
sufficient to guarantee the production of final products of constant quality. To achieve
consistency, they have started to formulate quality requirements in what are called ‘yarn quality
profiles’, based on USTER® STATISTICS. Experience has determined the quality levels appropriate for
each application.

Worldwide established benchmarks become the common quality language

The new edition of the unique USTER® STATISTICS is now available on uster.com (service
section). Also the release of USTER® STATISTICS 2013 will underline their benefits as a vital
success factor for textile companies, providing a common language to define precise quality factors
along the entire production chain. Yarn producers, buyers and retailers all rely on USTER®
STATISTICS as the basis for trading and a foundation for industry-wide quality improvement.
‘Quality improvement always goes along with cost saving and price increase for the produced
material. Therefore it is sure that all users will benefit again from the USTER® STATISTICS 2013’,
says Thomas Nasiou, Head of Textile Technology within USTER.



Posted December 11, 2012

Source: Uster

Filatura Di Saluzzo Introduces Newlife™ For Corporate Workwear

Filatura di Saluzzo S.r.l. — an Italy-based manufacturer of polyester yarns for apparel fabrics —
has introduced Newlife™ for corporate workwear applications.

Newlife is an integrated, patented system for recycling polyester derived from 100-percent
post-consumer recycled plastic bottles into filament yarns using a mechanical process. The system
is 100-percent “Made in Italy” by means of an exclusive horizontal partnership agreement, and it
creates high-performance filaments of a quality similar to that of virgin polyester while offering
significant resource and cost savings, according to Saluzzo Yarns. In addition to corporate
workwear, applications include fashion apparel, lingerie, beachwear, sportswear, technical apparel,
furnishings, and medical and outdoor fabrics.

Newlife recently was named the Best Recycled Plastic Product 2012 by the European Association
of Plastics Recycling and Recovery Organizations.



December 11, 2012

Lectra Fashion PLM Supports Façonnable In Its French-chic Brand Strategy

PARIS — December 4, 2012 — Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to
industries using soft materials-textiles, leather, industrial fabrics, and composite materials-is
pleased to announce that Façonnable has successfully implemented Lectra Fashion PLM to streamline
collection development and preserve brand heritage, both prerequisites for driving a strategy of
top line growth.

Founded in the 1950s by Jean Goldberg, Façonnable was acquired by M1 Group in 2007. The
world-renowned company with a global presence is enjoying a new era that brings with it a long-term
vision to increase brand equity. Façonnable’s brand value is firmly rooted in style, quality and
fit; preserving this chic French Côte d’Azur foundation while developing new lines for men and
women and expanding into new territories is central to the company’s strategic growth plan.
However, it requires organization and structure that Façonnable strived to enhance.

Façonnable chose to implement Lectra Fashion PLM throughout product development to improve
communication and monitor development in a way that would keep brand strategy consistent from
design to final product. With strategy clearly defined and communicated from step one, Façonnable
can now develop collections knowing that quality standards are clear and that selections will
accurately reflect the brand in core regions as well as new territories.

Company-wide change to align business strategy with creative vision

The motivation to adopt Lectra Fashion PLM came from organizational challenges which
threatened to undermine product quality, deliveries, and business development. “There wasn’t a
standard workflow before; this is now 100% controlled,” says Peter Nyhan, Merchandising Director,
Façonnable. Lectra Fashion PLM has aligned the business and creative departments to help strengthen
the brand and enable growth.

Lectra Fashion PLM has had an impact at every level of Façonnable’s organization, from Line
Planning to Production, helping to monitor collection development and keep pace with the company’s
strategic goals. “With Lectra Fashion PLM, we now have a common thread running through the company
that allows us to be more professional and more precise,” says Amélie Serri, Product Manager,
Façonnable.

“The main reason we sought a PLM solution was to streamline the product development process
in the context of seasonal calendars,” explains Allison Smith, Calendar and Special Project
Manager, Façonnable. This not only saves time and confusion, it is helping Façonnable achieve their
financial objectives as well. “One of the biggest improvements has been the ability to control cost
from the beginning,” explains Guilaine Ipert, Director of Production, Façonnable.

“We are pleased to count such a prestigious brand among Lectra’s fashion customers,” says
Daniel Harari, Lectra CEO. “Like us, they are building the future on their legacy. We hope to
continue to play a key part in their development through our full range of advanced solutions.”

Posted December 11, 2012

Source: Lectra

JetPRO Inkjet Accessory Added To Equipment Lineup

BUFFALO, N.Y. — December 6, 2012 — Eastman Machine Company, manufacturer of cutting machines,
automated cutting systems, material handling equipment, and software solutions announces the
release of JetPRO™, its latest automatic cutting system accessory. The inkjet printing system is
applicable for customers in the aerospace, automotive, composite and industrial fabrics industries.

JetPRO ™ is an inkjet drop-on-demand printer and is an optional gantry mounted upgrade for
Eastman’s conveyor and static table systems. The system allows full speed character printing with
an ink color and formulas available for most surfaces. JetPRO is the answer to fast throughput
printing compared to more traditional pen or airbrush marking options. It joins the line-up
alongside Eastman’s exclusive EasiMark airbrush system, and EasiLabel, a system to apply adhesive
labels directly onto the material.

  • X,Y printer
  • Selection of scalable fonts and barcode
  • Set character height from ∏” through 2-1/2″.
  • Printing angles include 0, 90, 180, 170, and 360 degree
  • Printing Speed: 2.5 cm/s — 100 cm/s (actual print speed may vary between porous and non-porous
    materials)
  • Ink: 1 color – Consult factory for color/formula availability (aerospace formulas
    optional)
  • Variety of colors (pigmented and non-pigmented ink available)
  • Manual height adjustment to raise and lower the head
  • Reservoir for ink is 1 liter
  • Available as an optional accessory for the conveyor and static table systems (cutPRO models
    only)

Posted December 11, 2012

Source: Eastman

Kaumagraph International Expands To Europe

ONTARIO, Canada — December 5, 2012 — Kaumagraph International Ltd., a Canada-based company,
announced today the acquisition of British Kaumagraph Transfers (BKT) of Manchester, United
Kingdom. The strategic acquisition strengthens the position of Kaumagraph in Europe and the Middle
East while increasing overall capacity to service current and future business.

“Purchasing BKT has provided us with much of the infrastructure and manpower to sustain our
growth,” said Ken Dunlop, president and CEO, Kaumagraph International. “We can now turn our
attention toward expansion in developing markets.”

A leader in specialty heat transfer technology for textiles, Kaumagraph has experienced
significant growth over the past 18 months servicing large brands particularly in the denim sector.
The company is forecasting another strong growth period over the next 12-18 months with expansion
plans for facilities in both Asia and Central America.

Posted December 11, 2012

Source: Kaumagraph International

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