One of the favorite sayings of the author of the Rupp Report is “There is no coincidence — it has
to happen.” And — as a confirmation of that — a coincidence happened with regard to some
discussions during the yarn exhibition FILO in Milan, which took place March 20-21, 2013, and an
article in the latest issue of

Textile World
.

Managing Editor Janet Bealer Rodie wrote for the last issue of

TW
an article with the question, “What’s In A Brand?” And the Rupp Report had a very lively
discussion at FILO with Roberto Belloli, managing director of Antonio Aspesi S.r.l., Busto Arsizio,
Italy. Aspesi produces mainly customized warps for its clientele. “Our customers are weaving
special products, so they need special warps, customized to their needs,” Belloli said, “And that
is what we are doing.” (See ”
The Rupp
Report: FILO: The European Art Of Surviving In Spinning,”

TextileWorld
.com, March 26, 2013.)

Description Of Definition Problems?

But what is the definition of customers’ needs? Is it quality? Or are all requirements from
the customers incorporated in a label or a brand? Or are the characteristics of the product even
hidden behind the label? If a fiber or a fabric has inherent technical characteristics that can be
measured, there is no problem. Rodie wrote in her report about various man-made fibers and their
properties. However, she also wrote that “numerous branded fibers are emphasizing their low carbon
footprints, citing reduced energy and resource consumption, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.”
Well, true or not? That is the question.

It’s The Image That Counts

Now, what’s the basic aim of every business? Of course, it’s selling. And successful selling
includes all well-known aspects of the whole marketing activity. Over the last decades, some
companies built up a certain reputation with a consequent and — on top of it all — consistent
labeling or brand policy. And this is a big money affair: Especially, some big retail chains and
brands in the sportswear industry are spending millions and millions of dollars to be recognized in
the market as top brands. Even big sports heroes are on the payroll to support the defined
characteristics and, above all, the image of the brand or label.

Up to now, some big labels have been having tremendous success: For example, U.S. producer
Nike can show impressive figures: In 1972, when Nike started selling athletic shoes under its
label, revenues were less than $2 million. In 1977 the company had revenues of $28.7 million. In
1981, they were already more than $457.7 million. In 2008, they totaled $18.6 billion; and in 2012,
$24.13 billion was recorded. These are very impressive results and are based virtually on two
pillars: effective and low-cost production; and brand marketing. Experts say that Nike is spending
10 percent of its turnover in communications activities — which means events, advertising and top
athletes as product endorsers — showing again that external communications are very important for
the success of a company. That is also the case for business-to-business (b2b) relations.

But Not Only

However, big retail companies and sports brands also are having some trouble caused by the
perception of modern young people vis-à-vis ecologically and socially questionable production
facilities and methods. And, even more, small companies never have the cash to spend so much money
on external communication. They make their success through quality and service: “Yes,” Belloli
said, “all that might be very important for the retail side. But for our b2b customers, quality is
the top priority. We don’t have the money to push our name through all the stages of production, so
we have to convince our customers with top quality, top service and outstanding products. To be
successful, we need a package of performances that are not comparable with those of other
suppliers.”

Of course, one has to define its target customers. All the exhibitors of FILO are playing in
the top league of yarn producers. And they do it successfully. As Nicole Camenzind, director of
Switzerland-based silk yarn producer Camenzind said: “We can’t compete on price if we are in the
segment in which most of the global players try to find their success. There is always one who is
cheaper than you are. For a European manufacturer, and even more for a Swiss company, you have to
offer the market products and services that are second to none. We do not sell on price — we sell
top quality with our label Swiss Mountain Silk. And, as you can see, we are still alive,” she added
with a smile.

Find The Right Way

For obvious reasons, many traditional textile companies are trying to find new key markets,
but having too many competitors: Their products are replaceable. Some are challenging the
industrial fabrics sector, while others are trying to find a niche. These strategies can work if
you have the right ideas, skilled people with the necessary experience and a lot of courage. Also,
in the b2b sector, branding can play an important role. Here are a few names that Rodie mentioned
in her report: ComFortrel®; EcoSure®; Repreve®; LYCRA®; and Sorona®. In the case of DuPont’s Lycra,
it worked — that brand became virtually a generic name for elastic yarns in the mad-made fiber
industry.

However, it takes time and a lot of money. And, as DuPont demonstrated over the decades,
don’t forget to communicate, whether you are selling an image or top quality. And, at the end of
the day, it’s always human relations that dictate success!

April 9, 2013

Polytex USA — a Calhoun, Ga.-based manufacturer of monofilaments, texturized yarn and fibrillated
products for the artificial turf industry — has introduced Star, a star-shaped artificial turf
monofilament yarn.

The 1,800-denier, 315-micron-thick yarn features an extra-wide blade design measuring 1.35
millimeters that offers a more natural look and better infill coverage than are achieved using
traditional turf yarns. It has been optimized for abrasion resistance and durability, and testing
using the Lisport® wear tester has shown the yarn can endure 55,000 cycles without fiber splicing,
Polytex USA reports. Star yarn may be manufactured in either a single or dual tone.

“The new Star shaped yarn combines aesthetics with performance to enhance the overall look
of the turf,” said Axel Hinrichs, CEO, Polytex USA. “[It] offers a nice alternative to the ever
increasing yarn choices out of the Far East. Turf produced using our yarn is truly made in the
USA.”

April 9, 2013

JEC Group — a France-based association that provides networking and information services for the
composites industry — has extended the deadline to April 15, 2013, for submitting applications to
speak at the Innovative Composites Summit (I.C.S.) and to enter the JEC Innovation Awards
competition, both of which will take place as part of the JEC Asia Composites Show &
Conferences to be held June 25-27, 2013, at the Suntec International Convention & Exhibition
Center in Singapore.

I.C.S. gathers experts from companies in the composites community to offer insights on new
advances in composites materials. The JEC Innovation Awards recognize composites innovations in
various categories. Applications for both may be submitted at jeccomposites.com.

April 9, 2013

Germany-based nonwovens machinery supplier Trützschler Nonwovens, part of Trützschler Nonwovens
& Man-Made Fibers GmbH, has entered into an agreement with paper machine manufacturer Voith
Paper — a division of Germany-based Voith GmbH — to jointly develop and market complete production
lines for wetlaid and hydroentangled nonwovens.

Voith’s main contribution is its HydroFormer™, which has been optimized for wetlaid nonwovens
production. The company also will offer technical support for stock and water systems, press
concepts, fabrics, and calenders.

Trützschler’s hydroentangling AquaJet will be used to bond the web, and the company also will
contribute drying and winding machinery to the production line.

“We are certain that this partnership will enable us to offer convincing machine concepts,”
said Marc Wolpers, sales director, Trützschler Nonwovens & Man-Made Fibers. “By providing
common solutions we can meet the market requirements in a much better and faster way than we ever
could by acting independently.”

“This cooperation allows us to offer our customers a complete line ranging from wet laying,
bonding, to drying and winding,” said Klaus Afflerbach, Ph.D., responsible for special machines,
Voith Paper. “The combination of two wet processes in form of HydroFormer and AquaJet results in a
high-quality web that is of interest to manufacturers of cleaning cloths throughout the world.”

Voith’s HydroFormer

Trützschler Nonwovens’ AquaJet

April 9, 2013

Effective immediately, Trützschler Switzerland AG will take over spare parts activities previously
managed by Texturis AG, also based in Switzerland, because Texturis shareholders have decided to
cease business operations. Texturis was formed in April 2012 by a group of SwissTex employees to
ensure continued market availability of spare parts for SwissTex bulk continuous filament systems.
Switzerland-based Gebr. Bräm AG was in charge of founding Texturis.

Current orders will be processed by Texturis, but moving forward, all activities will be
handled by Trützschler Switzerland in partnership with Gebr. Bräm.

Martin Kümin, formerly employed by SwissTex and later Texturis, will manage the spare parts
division for Trützschler Switzerland effective April 15.

April 9, 2013