Italy-based ROJ Electrotex — a manufacturer of weft insertion accessories — in partnership with
Germany-based Victrex Polymer Solutions — a producer of high-performance polyaryletherketones — has
developed a thermoformed braking cone to replace the traditional metal cone on textile weft
feeders. The new cones, made using Victrex’s thermoplastic APTIV® film made from VICTREX® PEEK™
polymer, exhibit improved braking consistency and structural integrity compared with metal cones,
according to the company.

“Previously, the brake cones were produced by using a metal cone placed on rubber supports
but ROJ found the mechanical decay of the rubber component was unacceptable and the metal cone
created an inconsistent braking performance,” said Cesare Brovarone, aeronautical engineer, ROJ
Electrotex.

“Brake consistency is a key feature, as it adjusts and maintains the optimum tension of the
weft which the weft feeder provides to the loom at the same level,” he continued. “It also allows a
more consistent yarn tension at every desirable tension level, while the tension depends on the
pressure applied by the APTIV film cone on the weft feeder yarn running surface, thereby
eliminating defects in the cloth.”

The cones are produced using high-pressure forming technology developed by Germany-based
Niebling HDVF Kunststoffmaschinen GmbH, and are made using one of three different thicknesses of
APTIV film, depending on the required tension and weft characteristics. ROJ Electrotex plans to
apply for a patent for the structure and the use of APTIV films in that application.

According to Victrex, the APTIV films offer high temperature performance, mechanical
strength, chemical resistance, electrical insulation, wear and abrasion resistance, purity,
radiation resistance and low moisture absorption.

August 30, 2011

Albany, N.Y.-based silicone and advanced materials provider Momentive Performance Materials Inc.
has announced that ChemPoint.com — an online distributor of fine and specialty chemicals — will now
serve as the authorized distributor of Momentive’s general purpose and custom elastomer products in
North America.

Momentive’s silicone elastomers exhibit low toxicity, electrical insulation and resistance to
harsh temperature and weather environments, among other properties, and are used in a variety of
industries. The portfolio includes ultraviolet light cure elastomers for use in medical device
applications requiring heat resistance; economically priced custom low-density materials; and
antimicrobial elastomers for use in healthcare and consumer product applications. Among the latter,
the company’s StatSil™ elastomer helps prevent the transmission of microbial infections in
hospitals and won a 2009 Frost & Sullivan Product of the Year Innovation Award.

“This agreement is a natural extension of a successful relationship that brings together
ChemPoint’s extensive experience in specialty products and diverse markets with Momentive
Performance Materials’ superior offering of general purpose and custom silicone products,” said
Thuan Nguyen, commercial leader, distributor sales, Momentive Performance Materials. “Together, we
look forward to the continued delivery of product and service excellence that our customers need to
achieve their own innovation goals.”

August 23, 2011

SPARTANBURG — August 2011 — Yellow Tag Auctions, LLC, based in Spartanburg County, South Carolina,
was recently launched as a unique, full-service online auction house, providing services for
businesses, financial institutions, and government entities. Conceived by Andrew J. Falatok,
founder and CEO of established pre-owned textile equipment dealer Tex-Mach, Inc., and auction
professional Michael Frate, Yellow Tag Auctions offers tailored solutions for purchasing and
selling assets and inventory monitoring.

One of a handful of companies in the Southeast offering this type of turnkey approach to
asset management, Yellow Tag Auctions provides a truly remarkable service to its customers. Typical
asset liquidations may take six months to a year, but Yellow Tag Auctions can handle the process
from valuation to shipment in as little as 45 days, freeing up valuable employee time and storage
space. With access to domestic and international buyers vying in an online auction, Yellow Tag
Auctions increases profits for sellers. The company’s exclusive Yellow STAR (Strategic Targeted
Asset Recovery) System also helps large organizations manage idle assets and surplus inventory,
allowing them to maximize internal reutilization and generate cash flow.

“With our combined backgrounds and expertise, Michael and I are excited to launch this
cutting-edge business that offers exceptional service and an online bidding environment, creating
greater transparency in pricing and benefiting our customers by maximizing their returns,” says
co-founder Andrew J. Falatok.

Yellow Tag Auctions is also pleased to announce the addition of Bob Ashworth to its team as
Vice President of Sales. A longtime sales professional, Ashworth has been involved in the asset
appraisal and liquidation business for the past 30 years. He started in the auto auction business
and has been a key member of the management team for nearly 20 years at Tex-Mach, Inc., a dealer of
pre-owned textile equipment, where he oversaw liquidations and auctions for companies worldwide.

Yellow Tag Auctions co-founder Andrew J. Falatok is also founder, CEO, and President of
Tex-Mach, Inc., a pre-owned textile equipment dealer for more than 20 years, based in Mayo, South
Carolina. He was a pioneer in bringing increased professionalism to the pre-owned industrial and
textile equipment business, working with mill and factory owners around the world to maximize
returns on idle assets. Falatok is a member of the National Council of Textile Organizations and
Southern Textile Association.

Michael Frate, co-founder and Vice President of Operations, has been actively involved in the
industrial and commercial auction and liquidation business since 1985. He has overseen more than
200 live auctions, including the six-day auction of Todd Shipyard in San Pedro, California. He
worked for startup TradeOut.com as Director of Industrial Auctions and as Vice President at Asset
Auctions, he oversaw the development of multiple, new market segments.

Yellow Tag Auctions, LLC operates under South Carolina Auction Firm License Number 4000.

Posted on August 23, 2011

Source: Yellow Tag Auctions

DALTON, Ga. — August 18, 2011 — John Wells, president of Interface Americas and chairman of the
board of directors of the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) has announced board approval for a new
organizational structure for CRI, the carpet industry’s primary trade association. CRI represents
the manufacturers of 95 percent of the carpet made in the United States, their suppliers and
aligned industries.

According to Wells, the changes, which will take effect September 1, 2011, will increase
CRI’s effectiveness and allow for greater efficiency in addressing issues facing the carpet
industry. One key component of the restructuring is the streamlining of CRI’s committees. The new
plan eliminates committees and issue management teams in favor of multi-functional panels assigned
to address each of three main categories: product performance and standards, deselection, and
extended producer responsibility and issues involving the Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE).
Each panel, which will comprise representatives from member manufacturers with marketing, technical
and government relations expertise, will be charged with identifying critical issues facing the
carpet industry. When necessary, panel members may vote to form short-term task groups that will
deal with target issues quickly and effectively and then disband.

The board also approved the formation of the Strategic Issues Leadership Council, a
high-level executive group charged with liaising between the panels and CRI’s board of directors
and policy committee. SILC members will be tasked with communicating with their respective board
members on the multiple issues facing the carpet industry and finding the talent needed within the
industry to develop the necessary solutions.

“We undertook the reorganization with the expectation that the carpet industry would continue
to devote time and resources to dealing effectively with critical issues, and to ensure that our
trade association use those resources as efficiently as possible,” Mr. Wells said.

“Without question, the new organizational structure will make CRI a more focused and
effective organization,” said CRI President Werner Braun. He added that membership lists for the
SILC and panels are currently being populated. 

Posted on August 23, 2011

Source: The Carpet And Rug Institute

In anticipation of the forthcoming ITMA in Barcelona, Spain, the Rupp Report is taking a closer
look at some exhibitors that will take part in the exhibition in Catalonia’s capital city. Here is
the first story:

At ITMA 1999 in Paris, there was an exhibit in the booth of Germany-based Grosse Jac
Webereimaschinen GmbH that had never before been seen: a UniShed Jacquard machine that did not have
a harness. It was one of the very few sensations in Paris. After that, not much followed. Now the
company has come back to the surface under a new name. The Rupp Report interviewed Dr. Roberta
Boscoli, sales director of GITEC Grosse Internationale Technologie GmbH, about the future of the
company.

Grosse was founded 1878 in Greiz, in the eastern part of Germany. Over time, the company
became one of the leading producers of mechanical Jacquard machines, offered under the Unirapid
name. And, as mentioned above, the company introduced the UniShed harnessless Jacquard machine in
1999. However, after that event in Paris, the company somewhat disappeared from the markets.

Quite unnoticed by the public, Grosse was taken over in 2005 by China-based Hisun Group Co.
Ltd., which consequently led to the establishment of GITEC Grosse Internationale Technologie GmbH
in Ulm-Lehr in southern Germany, as a daughter company of the Hisun Group.

Same Expertise

Today, GITEC Grosse is in the same business as before: the company produces electronic
Jacquard machines in sizes ranging from 1,344 up to 12,000 hooks. Potential users are the
traditional weaving mills producing a broad range of products, including home textiles, as well as
producers of industrial fabrics. Ninety-five percent of all products are exported – at the moment,
mainly to China, India and Turkey. Furthermore, its product line includes the latest generation of
harnessless Jacquard machines, the UniShed 2 for the production of airbag fabrics. This optimized
model will be shown in Barcelona.

Boscoli said the company is working with a kind of cluster network in the global textile
regions, such as China, India and other regions. In the clusters, field representatives are in
constant contact with the customers, but also GITEC Grosse staff in the respective countries are
taking care of the customers, supported by the field personnel.

Markets

Boscoli mentioned that the current market is recovering after a time of recession. The
company is enjoying an increasing number of inquiries from Europe and North America for technical
fabrics applications.

However, the current bestseller in the program is the electronic Jacquard machine EJT-4,
which is especially suitable for terry fabrics. Thanks to some particular feature,s the machine
produces an even pile surface, which is claimed to deliver a very good terry fabric quality.

For standard products, there is a great deal of competition among producers, Boscoli said,
mainly with cheap products from China. In the high-level segments, she claims there are no
problems, thanks to GITEC Grosse’s unique products.

ITMA Barcelona

As GITEC Grosse is also an original equipment manufacturer, there will be a few products
seen in the booth of its China-based sister company Zhejiang Grosse Precision Machinery Co. Ltd.;
in Japan-based Tsudakoma Corp.’s booth, which will be showing a UniShed 2; and in the booth of
Italy-based Smit Textile S.p.A., which will display an EJP-4 on a rapier weaving machine.

The expectations of the new old company are high: to consolidate its market presence,
winning new customers, but also to confirm some trends relating to the new UniShed 2 for airbags.

The Future

Regarding developments in the near future, the clear vision is to gain more application
areas for the UniShed 2; mainly for industrial fabrics and top-level products. This goes in line
with the targets for the next few years: further increase in market share; market implementation of
the UniShed; and, on top of all, Boscoli said, re-establishment of the Grosse brand.

And how does Boscoli see the future? “I am certain that the Indian market will experience an
upgrade of the machinery technology for standard products. Europe and North America will slightly
assert their market lead in the segment of technical textiles – but these regions have to be aware
of China: That country will soon become an important player in this segment,” she said.

August 16, 2011