WASHINGTON, D.C. — December 6, 2012 — United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk announced today
that the United States has requested the World Trade Organization (WTO) to establish a dispute
settlement panel regarding Argentina’s trade restrictive measures applied to all U.S. goods
imported into Argentina. These measures include the broad use of non-transparent and discretionary
import licensing requirements that have the effect of unfairly restricting U.S. exports. Argentina
further disadvantages U.S. exports by requiring importers to agree to undertake burdensome trade
balancing commitments in exchange for authorization to import goods. The European Union, Mexico and
Japan have also requested the establishment of panels on these matters.

“Argentina’s persistent use of protectionist measures broadly impacts all U.S. exporters of
goods to Argentina,” said Ambassador Kirk. “It is vital to American workers that our exporters
obtain fair and equal access to foreign markets, as required by our trade agreements. Today’s step
reflects the Obama Administration’s commitment to ensuring that our trading partners play by the
rules so that our companies can compete on a level playing field.”

The United States requested formal consultations with Argentina on August 21, 2012. The
United States and Argentina held consultations on September 20-21, 2012, but the consultations did
not resolve the dispute.

Background

Since 2008, Argentina has greatly expanded the list of products subject to non-automatic
import licensing requirements. Import licenses are required for approximately 600 eight-digit
tariff lines in Argentina’s goods schedule. The affected products include, but are not limited to,
laptops, home appliances, air conditioners, tractors, machinery and tools, autos and auto parts,
plastics, chemicals, tires, toys, footwear, textiles and apparel, luggage, bicycles and paper
products. In February 2012, Argentina adopted an additional licensing requirement that applies to
all imports of goods into the country.

In conjunction with these licensing requirements, Argentina has adopted informal trade
balancing requirements and other schemes, whereby companies seeking to obtain authorization to
import products must agree to export goods of an equal or greater value, make investments in
Argentina, lower prices of imported goods and/or refrain from repatriating profits.

Through these measures, Argentina appears to have acted inconsistently with its WTO
obligations. In particular the measures appear to violate Article XI:1 of the General Agreement on
Tariffs and Trade 1994 (GATT 1994), which generally prohibits restrictions on imports of goods,
including those made effective through import licenses. The measures also appear to violate various
provisions of the Agreement on Import Licensing Procedures which contains requirements related to
the administrative procedures used to implement import licensing regimes.

Posted December 11, 2012

Source: USTR

Samson, the worldwide leader in performance rope announces a major expansion of their Ferndale,
Wash., manufacturing facility and corporate offices. The new space significantly expands the
facilities of the Research and Development department while providing additional lab and
manufacturing space. Long committed to maintaining the most advanced Research and Development
organization in the industry, the expansion provides a central R&D Center housing the entire
department for better group collaboration, more streamlined testing and enhanced interaction with
production. A new training room with the capacity to house large groups is included in the
expansion plan. The additional manufacturing space allows for more efficient warehouse layout for
quick and accurate order fulfillment, better forklift traffic patterns and enhanced facilities for
production personnel. The expansion is projected to be complete by the end of 2013.

Posted December 11, 2012

Source: Samson

From the beginning, Italy has been one of the major suppliers of textile machinery for the global
markets. At ITMA, the Italians always have one of the biggest country representations. In the next
few weeks, the Rupp Report will take a closer look at the Italian textile machinery industry. Here
is a first glimpse:

Going Across The Borders

As the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT) recently reported,
“The year 2013 will be marked by a push towards internationalization.”
(See ”
ACIMIT Targets The Sector’s
Internationalization,”
TextileWorld.com, November 27, 2012.) As everybody knows, 2015 is in sight,
and ITMA Europe will take place in Milano.

As reported last week, the promotional initiatives will cover some ten countries:
Bangladesh, China, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Indonesia, Mongolia, South Africa, Turkey and Vietnam.
The instruments to promote the sector will include technology symposiums organized overseas and
training courses for foreign operators in Italy, mentions ACIMIT president Sandro Salmoiraghi.

ACIMIT also will be promoting awareness for its “Sustainable Technologies” project in India
and Bangladesh. Initiatives will include a symposium presenting “Made in Italy” sustainable
technologies in Bangladesh, which will be promoted both in India and Bangladesh.

Evergreen Jeans

As with most of the European textile machinery suppliers, the Italian manufacturers are
mostly small and medium-sized enterprises. This is the case for classic textile machinery as well
as for special equipment for the apparel industry. The Italian manufacturer Vi.Be.Mac., based in
Verona, is one of these typical Italian companies, producing specialized machinery for the apparel
industry in general, and for denim jeans manufacturing in particular.

Sales & Marketing Manager Simone Bianchi mentioned during a recent visit to the
company’s premises that Vi.Be.Mac.’s machinery is specialized for the production of jeans, dockers
and military garments. The company started in the 1980s as a service center for Singer sewing
machines and celebrated its 30th birthday in 2010. From the very beginning the company focused on
the production of jeans. In the company’s early days, this focus was quite a risk, but today, it
could be considered a lucky decision. The innovative founder, Carlo Guerreschi, holds a few patents
for sewing technology, particularly for jeans manufacturing: the puller system, the dynamic
pressure control (DPC) of the company’s feed-off-the-arm machine, a low-running-cost pocket setter
and the first automatic belt-loop setter.

The Brain Trust

The intelligence and knowledge of the company is focused in its Jeans-tech consulting
department. It is based on the modular system and includes company analysis, organization of
production lines, logistics organization and management operation, plus personnel training and
motivation. According to Bianchi, the main focus is to provide comprehensive service and support
optimized development of apparel production, resulting in reduced costs of management and
production. A lot of emphasis is put on the word “intelligence” – which at Jeans-tech includes
elimination of all risk factors – as well as existing production lines and also relations with the
involved workers, and, finally, the adequate technologies to define the customer’s strategy and
provide improved results and reduce cost factors.

Close To The Customers

Vi.Be.Mac. does not sell directly to the end-users. The reason is obvious: The company wants
to control the after-sales service, which is guaranteed through authorized dealers in more than 55
countries. A further service center at the technical headquarters in Italy responds to customer
requests in 24 hours.

The innovative Vi.Be.Mac. provides an excellent example of a company that is helping to
boost Italy’s textile machinery industry. As Salmoiraghi said at ACIMIT’s recent Board of Directors
meeting: “The number of newly associated firms [30 joined ACIMIT in 2011-12] represents an
encouraging sign for the entire sector. The economic situation is indeed difficult, and also bears
witness to the deep level of uncertainty permeating forecasts for 2013.” He concluded, “Both the
association and its members will work together to achieve common goals capable of providing a
further boost to our industry.”

December 4, 2012

WEST BERLIN, N.J. — December 3, 2012 — Thwing-Albert’s FP-2255 will be replaced with a new model
the FP-2260 Friction/Peel Tester. The new instrument will now run with MAP-4 materials testing
software allowing for more powerful reporting and compatibility with newer operating systems.

Measuring the coefficient of friction and peel strength with the FP-2260 has just gotten
easier for adhesives, corrugated, foils/metals, medical materials, nonwovens, packaging, paper,
paperboard, plastic film, and rigid plastics. The new software has already been in use with the EJA
Vantage Series universal testing machines. Now, the FP-2260 will follow suit. This makes the
transition one step closer to one software package to power all Thwing-Albert instruments.

There are a few innovative features that will simplify testing and increase accuracy for
this new Friction/Peel Tester. The FP-2260 can now recognize the load cell automatically so no
manual setup is required and room for setting errors are eliminated. Additionally, you can now
capture up to 250 data points per second using the MAP-4 software. This allows for more accuracy in
the results and advanced reporting.

The Friction/Peel Tester has always been versatile with accessories available to evaluate a
range of properties including coefficient of friction (COF), 90 degree peel, 180 degree peel and
tensile strength. A heated platen option has been offered for many years and now that platen has
also undergone updates for even more accuracy.

Customers interested in materials testing for their product development can continue to rely
on quality testing machines manufactured by Thwing-Albert. The FP-2260 is available now for
customers looking to add a valuable, new instrument to their testing operations for measuring the
coefficient of friction and a variety of peel test applications.



Posted December 4, 2012

Source: Thwing-Albert

ARLINGTON, Va. — December 4, 2012 — Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), in
partnership with Accordia Global Compliance Group and in collaboration with several Pakistani trade
bodies, will offer 5 fire safety training courses in Karachi and Lahore during December 2012.

This will mark the first time that an international training workshop addressing the crucial
industrial needs of fire safety and risk assessment is being organized in Pakistan by WRAP. These
courses will be highly beneficial to the industry by providing essential education on creating safe
working conditions in export-oriented production units.

The sessions will focus on fire prevention and will cover a range of topics including
Pakistani fire laws, fire safety protection, fire spread combustion, routine fire prevention
measures, effective response during fire, and risk assessment. Instructions on how to formulate an
evacuation plan will also be included, along with practical fire-fighting demonstrations and an
introduction to the internationally-practiced “5 Step Risk Assessment Process.”

“We have seen a lot of positive results with the fire safety training we developed for
Bangladesh and are looking forward to launching this highly successful course in Pakistan. The
recent tragic fires in the region serve as sad reminders of how critical this issue is. WRAP is
dedicated to promoting safe, lawful, humane, and ethical manufacturing and to helping factories
prevent such tragedies from occurring,” said Avedis Seferian, WRAP’s President CEO.

The day-long courses will be held in Karachi on December 17, 19, 20 and 22 and in Lahore on
December 18. Registration details can be found at www.wrapcompliance.org/pakistanfiretraining.



Posted December 4, 2012

Source: WRAP

BOULDER, Colo. — November 28, 2012 — Outlast Technologies, leader in heat and moisture management,
has developed the first polyester fiberfill with phase change materials (PCM) to proactively
regulate the sleep environment. The new PCM polyester fiberfill can be blended with other fibers
and is suited for bedding products with synthetic fillings. The main benefit: regulating
temperature by proactively managing the microclimate between the skin and the blanket, a key
element to a restful night¹s sleep.

 

“We’ve reached an important milestone with the development of this PCM polyester fiberfill,
allowing us to expand our portfolio of Outlast®technology applications,” said Greg Roda, COO,
Outlast Technologies. “Our new PCM polyester fiberfill can be used as filling for comforters and
sleeping bags and helps to actively balance temperature and humidity during the night.”

“Initial consumer reaction to the Outlast fiberfill has been positive,” said Guy Eckert, EVP
of the Home Division. “We recently commissioned a study on the PCM polyester fiberfill that showed
a comforter with Outlast PCM polyester fiberfill can reduce absolute humidity by 48% compared to a
traditional comforter.” The result: a soft and plush bedding product with the added value of
temperature regulating technology that works continuously to manage heat and moisture while
reducing sweat production. When less humidity is created inside the bed, the user sleeps more
soundly with fewer instances of waking due to the uncomfortable build-up of humidity.
“Traditionally, consumers have been taught to layer their beds with sheets and blankets, however
this works against the body¹s ability to cool down,which is needed in order to fall asleep.² said
Eckert. “All of our products help the natural cooling process for a more restful night of sleep.”

How Outlast Technology Works:

Outlast technology utilizes PCMs that absorb, store and release heat for optimal thermal
comfort. Any product containing Outlast® technology has the ability to continually regulate the
skin’s microclimate. As the skin get shot, the Thermocules™ absorb the heat; as the skin cools, the
Thermocules release the heat to maintain a balanced temperature.Outlast® technology is not a
wicking technology; wicking reactively manages moisture by pulling sweat away from the skin.
Outlast technology proactively manages heat while controlling the production of moisture before it
begins. That¹s the Outlast®difference.

Benefits of Outlast products at a glance include: 

• Absorption of excess body heat
• Management of moisture
• Reduction of overheating
• Reduction of chilling
• Reduction of perspiration

Continuous adaptation to thermal changes

“As a leader in phase change materials, our products have great sell-through and can help
drive sales for retailers,” said Eckert. Outlast continues to offer a true, winning benefit to its
customers and retailers by providing an added value that improves comfort in the sleeping
environment. To experience the Outlast difference and for more information on the multiple uses for
the PCM polyester fiberfill, visit Outlast at Outdoor Retailer¹s Winter Market from January 23-26,
2013 at booth #39197.

Posted December 4, 2012

Source: Outlast Technologies

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — November 27, 2012 — Microtrace, the original taggant company and leader of the
taggant technology evolution for over 26 years, announces the availability of the world’s first
multiple level security yarn — Microtaggant® Security Yarns.

Easily incorporated into woven labels, fabrics, ribbons and any other woven structure,
Microtaggant Security Yarns offer the highest level of security against counterfeiting. Benefits of
Microtaggant Security Yarns far exceed all other security yarns; they are a tailor made security
solution, are uniquely encoded specific to each customer or application, offer multiple levels of
security and are easily authenticated in the field with inexpensive readers and detectors.

“For years the sewn garment industry has expressed great interest in Microtaggant
Identification Particles,” says Brian Brogger, Vice President of Microtrace, “However, due to the
size of the Microtaggant particle, they could not be incorporated into multifilament yarns and
applied efficiently. After several years of development, we are pleased to offer the first security
yarn with multiple levels of security- Microtaggant Security Yarns.”

Microtrace Security Yarns can be dyed any color and behave like a standard multifilament
yarn that can be used in any woven structure.

Microtaggant® Identification Particles

Microtrace Microtaggant® Identification Particles are a microscopic, traceable,
anti-counterfeit technology. In basic form, Microtaggants are a unique numeric code sequence in a
multiple colored layer format. In more complex forms, Microtaggants deliver multiple layers of
security through the incorporation of various materials such as up-converting phosphors, UV
fluorescence, UV afterglow, etc. into the structure of each Microtaggant particle. The combination
of multiple taggant technologies makes the Microtaggant very difficult if not impossible to
replicate.

Microtaggant Identification Particles act as virtual fingerprints, resulting in positive,
error-free identification every time. This technology enables employees or investigators to do
on-the-spot field testing, providing positive, instant identification and verification of materials
with inexpensive readers and detectors. Some customers use a single code for yes/no identification
or authentication and other customers use tens or hundreds of unique codes to identify contract
manufacturer, market product is intended for, time of manufacture, etc.

Posted December 4, 2012

Source: Microtrace

CARY, N.C. — December 4, 2012 — One of the largest and most successful filtration events ever
filled Philadelphia’s Pennsylvania Convention Center earlier this month as suppliers, customers and
the entire filtration value chain from around the world took part in three days of education, new
products and networking at INDA’s Filtration 2012 International Conference and Exposition held
November 13-15, 2012.

Living up to its billing as one of the largest and most important filtration industry events
in the world, Filtration 2012 drew over 1400 attendees from more than 30 countries to Philadelphia
from November 13-15, 2012. “Even as the Mid-Atlantic region continued to clean up from the
aftermath of Hurricane Sandy a week earlier, the strong attendance and impressive number of
exhibitors confirms the important role that Filtration 2012 played in the business of filtration,”
says Dave Rousse, the new President of INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry,
organizer of the annual event. “The East Coast location proved very attractive for both attendees
and exhibitors from around the world.”

“This is the only exhibition in North America that focuses exclusively on the manufacturing
and marketing of filters across both liquid and air segments. Attendees at Filtration 2012 were
able to see and touch the latest developments in raw materials, machinery and finished products
from both established and new companies from everywhere filtration products are made and used,”
Rousse adds.

In addition to the Exposition, the well-attended three-day Filtration 2012 Conference focused
on vital topics to the business of filtration in 2012 and beyond.

One of the highlights of the Filtration 2012 Conference was the keynote session on “Trends in
Automotives — Implications for Filtration,” presented by Dr. Andreas Kreuter, CEO of Freudenberg
Filtration Technologies.

Also at Filtration 2012, for the first time, the National Air Filtration Association (NAFA)
conducted the Air Filtration Tutorial, led by NAFA’s Al Veeck. The tutorial was part of the NAFA
Certified Air Filter Specialist (CAFS) program – the first education and certification program
designed specifically for air filtration professionals. Marisa Jiménez de Segovia, President of
Air-Care de Mexico, also representing NAFA, presented the Spanish version of The Technology of
Clean Air.

Filtration 2013 is scheduled for November 12-14, 2013 at Navy Pier in Chicago, Illinois.

Posted December 4, 2012

Source: INDA

Shortly after ITMA Asia + CITME 2012 in Shanghai, The Rupp Report wrote that one of the highlights
of the event was “the announcement of cooperation between Toyota Industries Corp., Japan (TICO),
and Trützschler GmbH & Co. KG, Germany, to develop, manufacture, and market combing machines.”
(See ”
The
Rupp Report: Toyota´s And Trützschler’s Joint Machinery Project,”
TextileWorld.com, June 19, 2012.) Toyota stated that “its experience in
building weaving machinery with special servo motor technology is reflected in the comber.” In the
meantime, both companies have been very active.

Different Approach

The combing machine is a key factor determining yarn quality in the spinning process. After
the draw frame process, there is no possibility to further increase the quality of the yarns to be
produced. With this combing process, the fibers become high-quality yarns. A superior and uniform
quality with reduced noil extraction can be achieved, which results in top-class yarns with added
value. A high and even quality is determined by combing movements and the batt weight.

Traditional combing machines have been working for decades more or less according to the same
principle. The driving or so-called “pilgrim” step movement is the most complex back-step movement
of the detaching rollers. The requirement of rotational reversal sets boundaries. The collaboration
between Toyota and Trützschler has led to a completely new comber concept: the new TCO 12 comber
has a different approach and delivers results that virtually have never been achieved before. With
this very new type of combing machine, one can say it is truly quite different from any other model
on the market.

The Conventional Concept

In conventional combers, the mono drive for the thin detaching rollers produces strong
torsions. As a result, vibrations and deviations in combing quality and noil volume occur between
the comb heads. The detaching rollers’ one-sided drive and the associated rotation reversal at each
nip causes strong torsional forces. The farther the combing heads are from the gear box, the more
strongly the thin axles start to distort, and, moreover, they start to swing.

This situation inevitably leads to different combing qualities by each of the eight combing
heads. The amount of combing noils and the reduction of short fibers varies considerably.
Therefore, the overall performance of the comber is also limited.

Weaving Machine Technology

The new concept of the Toyota-Trützschler Comber TCO 12 is based on two-times-two highly
dynamic synchronous servo motors, which replace the unilateral transmission. There are no cams or
elliptical gears in an oil bath gear to drive the comber. Two fully synchronized motors on each
side — four motors in all — drive the two detaching rollers. According to the manufacturers, this
design results in synchronous running and absolutely comparable motion sequences on all comb heads.
By using individual drives, the motion sequence can be precisely determined by the machine control.
Thus, for the first time, an application-oriented optimization of the piecing process is said to be
possible. This layout is based on Toyota’s weaving machine technology and is designed to provide
maximum dynamics and frequency of rotation. With this concept, the twists are reduced by 75
percent. Every machine designer is always fighting against vibrations caused by the machine drive.
With the servo drives on each side, the vibration is reduced to less than 25 percent.

Latest Drafting Technology

It seems that for the first time, a combing machine is equipped with a full-fledged draw
frame. This system is called Count Control, referring to the fact that the main target of the draw
frame is to maintain a constant sliver count on the comber. The four-over-three drafting system
with pressure bar and its drafting system geometry has been successfully applied in drafting of
comber slivers using leveler draw frames. The same-quality sensors, called Disc Monitor, are used
in the Trützschler draw frames. Both companies are convinced that such an even quality of the
sliver has been achieved for the first time using this new machine.

The fourth top roller ensures an even gentler sliver deflection at the delivery side of the
drafting system, while the adjustable pressure bar in the main draft area provides controlled
guidance. When adjusting the drafting zone widths, the top rollers are guided in the bearing blocks
of the bottom rollers. This process is said to ensure 100-percent axis parallelism for optimal
control of the fiber flow and results in a sliver evenness that has not been possible with existing
combing machines. The Disc Monitor is responsible for a consistent sliver count and optimized
sliver geometry.

Tests reflect the outcome of the new TCO 12: The Uster coefficient of variation (CV) value is
considerably below 3 percent, which corresponds to a uniformity (U%) value of 2.28. The 1m CV value
is even lower than level 1 and the 5m value is 0.23. All these values were achieved with a speed of
600 nips per minute.

Where Is The End?

Some experts will always predict that age-old spinning technology is at the end of its
evolution. When rotor spinning came onto the market, ring spinning was predicted to be out of the
market soon. Wrong. When the air-jet spinning technology became feasible, rotor spinning was
predicted to be outdated soon. Wrong. The same experts declared that along the spinning process,
there is no possibility to design a considerable improvement of the process, whether in speed or
quality. Wrong. The collaboration between Toyota and Trützschler shows a different approach and the
will to think in a different way: Combined expertise can result in uncommon products. There should
be much more to say about the new machine. Time will tell if the idea is successful on the market.

November 27, 2012

Polyester fibers developed by Tokyo-based Teijin Ltd. have been selected for use in automotive
interior textiles in vehicle models offered by Japan-based automakers Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. and
Mitsubishi Motors Corp.

The company’s Eco Circle Plantfiber, whose content comprises more than 30-percent biobased
polymer derived from sugar cane, will be used in seat, door trim, headrest and center armrest
fabrics in the 100-percent electric Nissan Leaf — the first mass-produced vehicle in which Eco
Circle Plantfiber has been used for interior applications. Teijin partnered with Japan-based
automotive seat maker Suminoe Teijin Techno Co. Ltd. and Nissan to develop the fabrics.

Teijin’s V-Lap polyester — a lightweight, bulky, sound-absorbing, easily molded nonwoven
material that has vertically oriented fibers — is being used as backing in floor carpet for the
newly introduced Mitsubishi Outlander midsize crossover vehicle. The carpet was developed by
Japan-based automotive interior parts maker Hayashi Telempu Corp.

Teijin reports it also is developing V-Lap heat-insulating materials for housing
applications, and notes that the materials can be bonded to other films to create composite
materials that provide added functionality to nonwoven products.

November 27, 2012