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

Lawrenceville, N.J.-based Datacolor, a developer of digital color management technology, has
introduced Datacolor® Viewport™, an imaging technology for assessing the color quality of non-solid
fabrics.

Designed for use by product quality control operators and color analysts, the technology
offers an objective digital color process for materials that traditionally are evaluated visually.
Viewport features precisely calibrated imaging technology and enables remote visualization and
color evaluation for a range of products — including heathers, lace, denim, towels, fabric
prints/patterns and wall coverings — under multiple lights, thereby removing the need to send
physical samples and reducing the risk of human error in color assessment. It utilizes cloud-based
technology to enable instant and secure data sharing anywhere globally. Users are able to post
information and images on the Web as well as to approve or reject, archive and search samples.

“Eliminating the need to ship physical samples is a significant benefit to both the supplier
and buyer in the supply chain,” said Eric Alho, product marketing manager, Datacolor. “Datacolor
Viewport provides suppliers and their customers the ability to simultaneously view and analyze
color quality in multiple light references using color-calibrated image capture technology, which
simplifies the approval process and ensures that the color is accurate, consistent, and produced on
time.”

November 27, 2012

Austria-based cellulosic fiber manufacturer Lenzing AG has repositioned its Lenzing Modal® brand to
emphasize the fiber’s carbon-neutral production technology. The fiber’s new tagline, “CO2 Neutral
Softness by Edelweiss Technology,” replaces the previous slogan “Makes the World a Softer Place.”

The company notes that its Modal production site in Austria is fully integrated to include
both pulp and fiber production. Pulp production is energy self-sufficient and generates energy for
the complete production of Modal, which is derived from domestically produced beechwood. Up to 95
percent of all chemicals used in the production process are recovered, and almost half of Lenzing
Modal production uses an oxygen-bleaching process. The company’s carbon neutrality claims for the
fiber have been substantiated in a life cycle analysis.

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

Greensboro, N.C.-based Precision Fabrics Group Inc. (PFG) has added new fabrics to its Integrity®
line of woven fabrics for cleanroom garments and other protective apparel.

Integrity 1900 — a 5-millimeter (mm) electrostatic discharge (ESD) grid construction — and
Integrity 1950 — a 5-mm ESD stripe — offer improved breathability, heat transmission and moisture
vapor transport for increased comfort while retaining the necessary air filtration properties, the
company reports.

According to Steve Glosson, PFG’s Integrity market manager, most fabrics traditionally used
in cleanroom garments in the United States are constructed with a very tight weave to restrict pore
size in the fabric, which makes the material an effective barrier but also restricts the garment’s
breathability. “Integrity 1900 and 1950 are woven with finer yarns than those used previously,”
Glosson said. “That enables us to weave these fabrics with more pores per square inch to improve
breathability. And since the pore size is even smaller than that of conventional cleanroom fabrics,
we don’t give up any filtration efficiency.”

The new Integrity fabrics are treated with MicrobeShield® antimicrobial finish, and an
optional fluid-repellent finish is available. All of PFG’s Integrity fabrics are certified to the
Oeko-Tex® Standard 100.

November 27, 2012

The Norcross, Ga.-based Technical Association of the Pulp, Paper, Packaging and Converting
Industries (TAPPI) has issued a call for papers to be presented at the 2013 NETInc Innovative
Nonwovens Conference, to be held April 29-May 1 at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta.

Organized by TAPPI’s Nonwovens Engineers and Technologists (NET) division, the NETInc
conference covers the latest technical developments and innovations in the global nonwovens
industry and offers peer-reviewed papers, expert speakers and networking opportunities for
manufacturers, suppliers and academics. The 2013 edition will colocate with PaperCon 2013, TAPPI’s
annual trade fair for the pulp and paper industries.

NETInc conference topics will include fiber and polymer innovations, nanotechnology,
emerging technologies, fiber and nonwovens functionalities, fiber processing, converting
technologies, nonwovens processing, smart nonwovens, nonwoven composites, building sciences,
environmental updates, and market trends.

TAPPI is now accepting online submissions and has provided a format through a link at
speakermanagement.tappi.org. Deadline for submissions is January 11, 2013. For more information,
contact Craig McKinney +770-209-7294; cmckinney@tappi.org.

November 27, 2012

Austria-based cellulosic fiber manufacturer Lenzing AG reports that Cone Denim — a denim fabric
manufacturer and a division of International Textile Group Inc. (ITG), Greensboro, N.C. — has added
Tencel® Denim fabrics to its Sustainblue™ collection of eco-friendly denim fabrics made using
recycled cotton, polyester and sustainable yarns. The new fabrics offer Tencel’s soft hand, gentle
drape and a unique sheen; and include, among other styles, S Gene Indigo Stretch fabric, featuring
Cone Denim’s S Gene corespun stretch technology incorporating more than one core. The stretch
fabric is used for jeans and jeggings.

Lenzing also reports that zipper manufacturer YKK Group, Japan, has introduced the Vislon®
zipper with Lenzing FR® tape for use on apparel and equipment that must comply with current
protective clothing standards. The zipper combines flame-retardant polyamide zipper elements with
Lenzing FR tape — an aramid/Modal-based cellulose tape that offers easy and smooth operation as
well as structural strength and protection against heat and flame.