Kornit Introduces Kornit Paradigm Add-on Solution

Kornit Digital Ltd. — an Israel-based developer, manufacturer and marketer of digital printing
solutions for the textile and apparel industries — has introduced a digital add-on solution for
screen-printing carousels that enables unlimited color possibilities and photorealistic images.

The Kornit Paradigm, an industrial direct-to-garment printer, carries a digital station that
when fastened to an operational carousel enables screen printers to combine printing techniques to
create multiple printing applications. The printer employs screen techniques such as glitter,
cracking, foil, flock and burn-out; and is able to produce dark garment prints with screen
discharge or white ink under-base, complex four-color processes, spot and metallic combinations,
and pure digital applications for short runs.

The solution is compatible with both manual and automatic screen-printing carousels using
Spectra Polaris print heads that are available with CMYK inks. Kornit Digital reports that use of
the digital add-on station can shorten setup time and screen preparation costs.

“The Kornit Paradigm solution is the outcome of a paradigm shift in the direct-to-garment
printing industry,” said Yuval Neria, corporate marketing director, Kornit Digital. “Printers can
now combine the best of two worlds: analog and digital printing, and it’s the best solution for
garment decorators and screen printers that are looking to adapt to the growing needs of the
fashion industry.”

January/February 2013

Sunbrella® Renaissance Unity Features Recycled Content

Glen Raven Custom Fabrics LLC, Glen Raven, N.C., recently launched Sunbrella® Renaissance Unity
awning and shade fabrics made using 50-percent post-industrial recycled Sunbrella solution-dyed
acrylic fiber. The Unity fabrics, which feature the same fade resistance and solar protective
properties as all other Sunbrella fabrics, comprise the third collection in the Sunbrella
Renaissance product line, which also includes braided rugs and upholstery fabrics. The fabrics are
Greenguard Children and SchoolsSM certified for their contribution to indoor air quality.

The Renaissance program engages certain trade partners that are reclaiming and reprocessing
fiber and fabric both internally and from outside sources – including materials collected through
the company’s Recycle My Sunbrella service, under which it accepts post-industrial and
post-consumer Sunbrella fabric waste shipped to its recycling center in South Carolina.

FWGlenRaven

A selection of Glen Raven’s Sunbrella® Renaissance Unity awning and shade fabrics

January/February 2013

Eastman Machine Celebrates 125 Years

Eastman Machine Co., Buffalo, N.Y., a manufacturer of cutting machines and cutting systems as well
as related software technologies — is celebrating its 125th anniversary.

The company was founded in 1888 by George Eastman, who developed the first electric fabric
cutting machine — the Eastman, which eliminated the need for manual labor in garment cutting rooms.

The Stevenson family acquired the company in 1898 and has owned it ever since. Eastman today
has a sales office in Hong Kong, a factory in China, and 50 dealers globally. Its product line
includes more than 100 machines.

January/February 2013

Linz Textil Installs Second Autocoro 8

Oerlikon Schlafhorst, Germany, reports that Linz Textil Holding GmbH, Austria — a manufacturer of
yarns and fabrics for apparel and technical textiles applications — has installed an Autocoro 8
rotor-spinning machine at its mill in Landeck, Austria. The mill produces open-end cotton yarns.
The machine is the second Autocoro 8 that Linz Textil has purchased.

Christian Ascher, Landeck plant manager, reports increased productivity and energy savings of
more than 20 percent at the plant since installation of the Autocoro 8. He also notes the machine
offers improved yarn quality and more flexible production.

“Thanks to the PilotUnit on the Autocoro 8, we can produce yarn and develop new yarns at the
same time,” Ascher said. “Compared with the older machine technology, the Autocoro 8 is a
logistical marvel. We can now coordinate our lot sizes precisely to our clients’ requests.”

January/February 2013

Kaumagraph Acquires BKT

Kaumagraph International Ltd. — an Ontario-based manufacturer of specialty heat transfer technology
for the textile industry — has acquired heat transfers manufacturer British Kaumagraph Transfers
(BKT), United Kingdom. The acquisition is expected to increase Kaumagraph’s capabilities and
reinforce its position in Europe and the Middle East.

“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.”

Kaumagraph reports significant growth in business over the past 18 months, specifically with
large denim brands. The company expects continued growth over the next 12 to 18 months and plans to
expand its facilities in Asia and Central America.

January/February 2013

Dilo Reports 2012 Successes

Germany-based nonwovens machinery manufacturer DiloGroup reports that the year 2012 was the most
successful in its 110-year history.

Following the engineering of the 10,000th machine by Oskar Dilo Maschinenfabrik KG by the end
of 2011, the group delivered several wide-working-width production lines for geotextiles
applications. It also reported activity in other application areas including floor covering,
automotive and filtration; and delivered fiber preparation and web-forming lines to be used in the
production of hydroentangled nonwovens.

The group produced and shipped Di-Loom PMF lines weighing more than 900 metric tons, noting
that the machines are the largest in the world.

January/February 2013

FORMAX Begins Knowledge Transfer Programme With Prestigious Nottingham University Polymer Composites Group

LEICESTER, United Kingdom — January 23, 2013 — FORMAX, a leading global manufacturer of carbon
fibre and speciality reinforcements, has entered a knowledge transfer programme with the
internationally acclaimed Polymer Composites Group. The Group operates within the Materials,
Mechanics and Structures Research Division of Nottingham University and focuses on the processing
and performance of thermoset and thermoplastic matrices.

This collaboration between FORMAX and the Nottingham University Polymer Composites Group has
been facilitated through the Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) scheme, a UK wide initiative
that helps businesses improve their competitiveness and productivity through the better use of
knowledge, technology and skills. The two year project aims to develop a comprehensive material
characterisation capability and advanced simulation methodology for composites. The programme will
have a strong automotive focus.

“We are always searching for new innovations. To be working alongside such a prestigious and
experienced team of researchers is fantastic. Over the coming year, we intend to invest time and
resource into our product development and R&D functions to ensure we deliver the next
generation of reinforcements to our customers”, comments Oliver Wessely, Managing Director of
FORMAX UK Ltd.

Posted on January 29, 2013

Source: Formax

Spinners Anticipate A Solid First Half

Spinners reported a slight dip in orders at the beginning of the year, but, generally, they remain
optimistic that business will stay strong through the first months of 2013.

“We experienced a little bit of a falloff,” said one spinner, “but that’s not unusual for
the time of year. It is not uncommon for customers at the start of a new year to pause to take
stock of where they are and assess what their needs are going to be. I think all of the signs point
to a strong first quarter, particularly for ring-spun (RS) yarns. Overall, we feel pretty good
about where we are.”

Another spinner added: “A lot of us in the States operated on a full schedule through the
holidays. But a number of mills in Central America shut down for two weeks over the holidays. That
has made for a buildup of inventory in the pipeline and, as a result, new orders have been slower
coming in. The last few weeks have not been as robust as the last couple of months, but we expect
it to pick up by the end of January. We see no reason why the first part of 2013 will not be as
solid as the last half of 2012.”


Increased Demand For All Yarn Types


Spinners expect RS yarns to continue to be in high demand for the foreseeable future. “Some
customers have switched programs over from open-end (OE) to RS, and we continue to see some
programs return from Asia,” said one yarn broker. “We have reached the point over the past few
years where RS demand and capacity are relatively aligned. With that being the case, any spike in
demand is going to result in longer lead times and shorter supplies. RS yarns were hard to come by
in the last quarter of 2012, and we expect that to continue to be the case going forward, at least
for the short-term.”

Buyers report, as well, increased activity in OE yarns. “Prices are still all over the
place,” said one industry observer,” but demand for OE is somewhat stronger than it has been. The
past several years have been relatively slow for OE. With increased global demand, we hope to see
continued improvement.”

Some specialty yarn spinners report robust business, as well. “We’ve been selling everything
we can make,” said one specialty spinner. “We expect business to continue to be strong through the
first part of the year.”


Pricing Pressures Remain; Cotton Prices Stable


Pricing remains an issue for many spinners, as customers continue to negotiate for lower
rates. “For a long time, we needed to raise prices to cover our increased costs,” said one spinner.
“Prices went up quickly and more than we expected. But we only increased prices moderately, and
certainly not by the amount that our costs went up. Now that raw material prices seem to have
stabilized, prices have not come down as fast as our customers desire. We still have customers
haggling over a couple of pennies per pound.”

Added another spinner: “Our business has been operating on slim margins for a long time. Now
that the cost of cotton has returned to pre-2009 prices, we are able to make a little more money.
This means that we will be able to make some investments in our business that we have been planning
for a while. Long-term, this will help create some efficiencies that will be good for both our
company and our customers.”

For the week ended January 11, quotations for the base quality of cotton – color 41, leaf 4,
staple 34, mike 3.5-3.6 and 4.3-4.9, strength 27.0-28.9, uniformity 81.0-81.9 – in the seven
designated markets measured by the U.S. Department of Agriculture averaged 70.87 cents per pound.
The weekly average was down from 70.94 cents per pound the previous week, and from 90.03 cents per
pound reported during the corresponding week of 2012.

“The cotton market has been relatively stable now for about six months, with only minor
week-to-week fluctuations,” said one yarn buyer. “Overall, I think this is good news for U.S.
spinners. Over the past several years, it seems business has always been either feast or famine. A
sustained period of stable business is an ideal situation. We can only hope that it continues.”

January/February 2013

From The Editor: $50 Billion – Walmart’s 10-year Commitment

By Jim Borneman, Editor In Chief

Walmart President and CEO Bill Simon’s comments at the recent National Retail Federation Annual Convention and Expo were music to U.S. manufacturers’ ears. Simon announced Walmart’s $50 billion, 10-year commitment to U.S. manufacturing.

“Think about the global landscape today: the economics of manufacturing are changing rapidly. In previous decades, investment mainly went to Asia. Wages were low. The price of oil was low. And new factories sprung up out of the ground,” said Simon.

“But today, some of those investments are nearing the end of their useful lives, and manufacturers are making decisions about where they will invest next. Meanwhile, labor costs in
Asia are rising. Oil and transportation costs are high and increasingly uncertain. The equation is changing. And a few manufacturers have even told Walmart privately that they have defined the ‘tipping points’ at which manufacturing abroad will no longer make sense for them.

“Let’s give them the nudge they need. Through our buying power, we can give manufacturers confidence to invest capital here — and play a role in revitalizing the communities we serve. These factories will have higher tech jobs than those that left, and these jobs will have ripple effects in their communities. Factories need raw materials to supply them, trucks to deliver to them, restaurants and — yes — retail to serve them. And they build up the local tax base.

“If we can help create these jobs here, it will make us proud as Americans. But this is also just good business. For example, it’s crazy that 70 percent of cotton grown in the US is shipped
overseas, spun into products like towels, and then often shipped right back here. We can cut out two shipments across the world and weeks on the water and cut our costs in the process. We can save our customers money by employing more of their neighbors — why wouldn’t we do this?

“Our Chief Merchandising Officer has told our suppliers that Walmart is ready to meet with them on domestic manufacturing. And we’re ready to make a strong commitment to move this forward.

“Today, I’m proud to announce that Walmart will buy an additional $50 billion in U.S. products over the next ten years — a timeframe that reflects the lead times for bringing facilities
online. We’ve appointed a senior team within Walmart to lead this effort. And we’ve decided we will sign longer-term purchase agreements when it makes sense to give suppliers the certainty to invest here.”

A long quote — but also a rare and an insightful approach that acknowledges the level of commitment necessary to invest in domestic manufacturing. Simon also referenced towels made by U.S. manufacturer 1888 Mills rolling into 600 stores in the spring and 600 more stores in the fall.

With all the talk of outsourcing through the years — lobbying for free trade and debating about the importance or lack of importance of a strong U.S. manufacturing base — are these comments real? It appears so. As Simon stated,”We can just decide to do this.”

January/February 2013

Executive Forum: Composites: A Growing Industry

Frédérique Mutel is president and CEO of JEC Group, the Paris-based organization representing the
composites industry. She joined JEC in 1997 and has largely been responsible for its expansion into
a global entity with the leading industry trade shows and conferences in Europe, Asia and North
America as well as the industry’s most widely read industry publication, “JEC Composites.”

Mutel is the recipient of several prestigious awards and honors including the Legion of Honor
in 1999 for her contribution to providing opportunities and forums for international exchanges. Her
career has included development projects at the U.S. Department of State’s Agency for International
Development. She has also held positions in the information technology and publishing sectors.





Textile World: Tell us briefly about JEC Group. How is it structured? Who does it
represent? What is the scope of the organization? What is its mission?

Mutel: JEC represents, promotes and expands composites markets by providing global
or local networking and information services. JEC Group belongs to a nonprofit association created
in 1956 that holds the capital. JEC’s Board of Directors includes heads of companies from different
industry segments. Our philosophy is to serve the composites sector. All of JEC’s income is used
for the benefit of the industry. JEC aims to be close to the sector and proactive in its proposals.


TW: Can you tell us more about the global composites industry?

Mutel: The global composites market represents 81.6 billion euros (US$108.9
billion) in value and 9.2 million metric tons in volume for 2012. This market is growing at an
average of 6 percent per year. In value, the Americas represent 36 percent; Europe, 33 percent; and
Asia Pacific, 31 percent. The composites industry is growing in volume in correlation with the
increase of gross domestic product by country. In mature economies, composites’ positions against
other materials are stable or still growing, especially in markets where lightness is strongly
required, as in transportation — aero, auto, marine and land. In emerging countries, the composites
market is mainly driven by economic growth following the development curve. There, the potential is
huge in all sectors.


TW: Tell us about the upcoming JEC Europe Composites Show & Conferences. Will
it be of interest to those in the mainstream of the technical textiles industry?

Mutel: With 50,000 square meters, or 530,000 square feet, of floor space — the
equivalent of eight soccer fields — the 2013 JEC Europe Composites Show & Conferences will
represent the global composites industry and its most recent advances in heavily
composite-consuming sectors such as aerospace, aeronautics, shipbuilding, railway, automotive, mass
transportation, construction, equipment, and sports and leisure. Twelve key themes will be
highlighted during the three-day trade show: Design, Non-Destructive Testing, Robotics,
Aeronautics, Automotive, E-car, Wind Power, Carbon, Biocomposites, Thermoplastics, Multifunctional
Materials and Environment. Our participants largely represent the upstream of the value chain — for
example, fibers and equipment, with many solutions in new fibers, new formulations and new
polymers. Producers of fabrics and pregregs alsoare among JEC’s main customers.

ExecForumJEC

Frédérique Mutel, president and CEO, JEC Group


TW: A couple of years ago, you launched the JEC Asia C
omposites S
how & Conferences, and this past November, you held your inaugural JEC Americas Composites
Show & Conferences. Why are y
ou organizing these shows?

Mutel: Our policy is to reinvest all revenues into developing new products and
services for the composites sector. JEC is pursuing its mission to inform and provide technical
training for composites professionals by regularly launching new publications and setting up an
e-store to sell them online. JEC allocates major human and financial resources to research and
studies of application markets. The group also devotes significant funding to creating programs to
boost innovation and foster connections among science, technology and business — such as business
meetings, seminars and conferences, and exhibitions. More and more customers are global and require
having global suppliers. The JEC network now accompanies them in North America, Europe and Asia.
Our brand guarantees the same level of high quality everywhere, and customers enjoy finding the
same service adapted to the local market, of course.


TW: Did the recent North America show meet your expectations?

Mutel: There were 306 exhibiting companies — 65 percent from North America and 35
percent from Europe and Asia — and 6,698 attendees, with 4,159 professional visitors from 53
countries and 36 states attending, clearly confirming the interest of the international composites
industry in the Americas market. These good results are all the more positive, as the show suffered
from many last-minute attendance cancellations due to a major winter storm that hit New England on
the second day.


TW: In the future, do you plan to go it alone with JEC Americas or find a
colocation partner like you did in 2012 with the Industrial Fabrics Association International? You
have already announced dates for 2013 and 2014, both again to be held in Boston. Why do you plan to
stay in Boston?

Mutel: JEC has a long tradition of cooperation and networking. Colocation with
events that bring additional value to our mutual audience is a good way to enlarge the vision and
perception of composites materials. Our first session in Boston was successful and encourages us to
reinforce our position in this area close to the academic community, research and development
centers and very dynamic states. A good number of our customers are located in the Northeast United
States. Canada is also very active in the field of composites.


TW: What new technologies, materials or composite applications do you see
coming?

Mutel: Our sector is innovative all along the value chains for both materials and
processes. Concerning fibers, innovation has come from an increase in mechanical properties such as
fiber stiffness and resistance. Price has also been a path for innovation, as the challenge for raw
material suppliers is the development of superior products with the concern of keeping price within
a reasonable range. Semi-products and technical fabrics have been a major driver of growth in
composite use. Resin manufacturers have explored two major solutions to cope with the issue of
styrene. The first is to develop new resins with minimum styrene content. The second is to focus on
styrene suppressant additives that limit the emission itself. Concerning fire and smoke toxicity,
the challenge has been to develop composite materials that are altogether less flammable; have
lower smoke emissions with little toxicity; and can keep reasonable mechanical properties after
fire damage. Environmental concern takes a growing importance in the industry. Resins and additives
are petrochemical materials that use nonrenewable resources and energy for their production. Over
the last decade, major resin and additive manufacturers have developed an eco-friendly range of
bioproducts derived from vegetal sources.

For applications that do not require high-resistance materials, natural fibers can be very
efficient. They tend to be more and more important in the automobile manufacturing industry — for
instance, for nonstructural parts like car interiors.

Finally, a huge amount of innovation is taking place in the field of process and equipment.
Soaring development of composites demand has driven the need for higher productivity and industrial
pace. As a consequence, there has been a strong need to evolve the composite process, and recent
innovations in the field of robotics and automation have come as an appropriate answer to tackle
this issue. One-third of our portfolio is now composed of industrialists proposing new equipment,
machines or software.

Stephen M. Warner is publisher of BeaverLake6 Report,
beaverlake6.com, a Web-based newsletter reporting on
trends, data and issues that he feels influence the technical textiles industry. He also is former
president and CEO of Industrial Fabrics Association International.

January/February 2013

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