Woodbury, Minn.-based Schenk Vision LLC, a provider of automated surface inspection systems and
industrial measurement technology, now offers EasyMeasure. Developed for nonwovens applications,
the solution, a new method of monitoring web process parameters, provides an alternative to
mechanical scanning of gauges. According to the company, EasyMeasure provides data points at a very
high spatial measurement density with 100-percent monitoring coverage, compared to mechanical
scanning systems that only monitor the typical “Z” pattern. The system uses a light source and
charge-coupled device (CCD) line scan cameras to provide a purely optical measurement.

EasyMeasure can be used in conjunction with Schenk’s EasyInspect 100-percent automated defect
inspection system to provide a single solution for both gauging and defect detection. According to
Schenk, the modules can be smoothly integrated into each other and can share hardware including CCD
cameras. The company also reports the systems reduce raw material usage and costs for
manufacturers.

April 13, 2010

Hyde Industrial Blade Solutions — a division of Southbridge, Mass.-based Hyde Tools Inc., a
manufacturer of industrial blades and surface preparation hand tools — has introduced Wilson™
brand textile and cloth blades for cutting a range of materials from natural or man-made fiber
fabrics or leather for apparel to carpet and upholstery in commercial cutting applications.

Wilson blades feature a hollow-ground, knife-edge design that prevents binding and allows a
better, cleaner cut than is achieved using other knives. According to the company, these durable
and highly corrosion-resistant blades last up to 72 percent longer than competitive blades in
long-term cost-per-cut comparisons, and also have been proven in ISO 8442-5-2004 standardized
testing to be 20 percent sharper. Hyde also reports the blades don’t require as many replacements,
so production downtime is reduced.

The blades are manufactured in ISO 9001:2008-certified facilities and are available as
slitter, shear, guillotine, ledger and mill blades; bias slitters; die knives; and hand knives for
manual or automated use on all major manufacturers’ textile cutting equipment.

April 13, 2010

Germany-based warp-knitting machinery manufacturer Karl Mayer Textilmaschinenfabrik GmbH has
introduced a revamped version of its HKS MSU S high-speed tricot machine with parallel weft
insertion. The new version of the machine, which is used to produce textiles used in semi-technical
and technical applications, offers optimized features such as the ability to process an increased
range of yarns including extremely fine yarns such as 17-decitex polyester filament yarns and
improved versatility in incorporating reinforced yarns. According to the company, the machine can
easily process long underlaps, and through use of the weft repeat option, can incorporate
reinforced yarns only at the points at which they’re needed. The HKS MSU S also can alternate zones
with different densities and configure the segments produced to specific widths, transitioning
smoothly from open to dense knitted constructions using the Multi Speed function.

April 13, 2010

Germany-based chemical company BASF SE has announced it will establish a new Polyurethane (PU)
Systems Solution House in Cartagena, Columbia to fulfill the demand of its growing markets in
Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador, as well as one in Chongqing, China to serve its growing market in
West China. Both sites will include local production along with sales and development staff and are
expected to be operational in 2011.

“We expect the market for PU systems in the Andean region to grow in the coming decade by 6
percent,” said Anton Traunfellner, managing director, BASF Polyurethanes in South America.”

In Chongqing, BASF also will build a state-of-the-art methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI)
plant with an annual production capacity of 400,000 kilotonnes. “The new PU System House will be
fully backward integrated into the planned MDI plant — a significant advantage our customers can
benefit from,” said Jacques Delmoitiez, president, BASF Polyurethanes. The PU house in Chongqing
will work with BASF’s existing systems houses and development centers in Shanghai and Nansha,
China.

BASF anticipates business opportunities in industries such as appliances, transportation,
construction and footwear in both the Andean and West China regions. Applications for the material
also include mattresses and other household goods.

April 13, 2010

Germany-based Pulcra Chemicals GmbH — a former subsidiary of Cognis GmbH, and supplier of
specialty chemicals — has completed its acquisition of Germany-based DyStar’s production site in
Geretsried, Germany.

DyStar filed for bankruptcy last year, and during the reorganization, a buyer was found for
all of DyStar’s assets except for the Geretsried site
(See ”
DyStar
Finds Buyer,” Dec. 15, 2009). The Geretsried facility became part of the DyStar family in
2006, when the company acquired the Dr. Th. Böhme group. DyStar continued to search for a favorable
outcome for the operation, and on April 1, Pulcra completed its acquisition of the textile, leather
and auxiliaries site including land, buildings, equipment and inventory. Pulcra is expected to
resume production at the idled facility in May, and will maintain the plant as its primary leather
and textile business production site within Europe.

“The production site at Geretsried is perfectly tailored to the needs of Pulcra Chemicals,”
said Yusuf Aktalay, CEO, Pulcra Chemicals. “As a supplier of process chemicals, we serve similar
types of customers that DyStar and Dr. Th. Böhme used to. We will greatly benefit from the
technological knowledge and expertise of the employees at Geretsried. By acquiring the site, Pulcra
Chemicals has strengthened its position in the market, and can further enhance the services and
products it provides to customers in Europe and all over the world.”

April 13, 2010

Bellefonte, Pa.-based NanoHorizons Inc. has appointed Istanbul, Turkey-based Uniteks as an
authorized distributor in Turkey for its SmartSilver™ nanoscale antimicrobial additive for textile,
healthcare and industrial applications. Uniteks immediately will begin marketing SmartSilver and
will target the apparel, carpet and home furnishings sectors.

“Through our strategic alliance with Uniteks, we will continue SmartSilver’s international
growth into a critical textile market,” said Timothy Skedzuhn, vice president, Textile Business
Unit, NanoHorizons. “Uniteks is a well respected, highly successful textile company and is
committed to establishing SmartSilver as the antimicrobial technology of choice in Turkey.”

April 13, 2010

Spartanburg-based Sage Automotive Interiors — a supplier of automotive bodycloth to original
equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for seating, door panel surfaces and headliners — has announced
plans to invest approximately $10 million to expand its Gayley, S.C., manufacturing plant, with the
expectation of adding about 80 new employees to the facility’s current workforce of more than 200
over the next five years. The Gayley plant is one of Sage’s most modern and technologically
advanced manufacturing facilities and produces the company’s YES Essentials line of durable,
stain-resistant, odor-eliminating fabrics, which are used by automotive manufacturers including
Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Hyundai.

Sage Automotive Interiors, formerly known as Autotex, originally was the Automotive Body
Cloth division of Spartanburg-based Milliken & Company, which sold the division last year to
Greenville-based investment firm Azalea Capital LLC
(See ”
Milliken
To Sell Automotive Fabrics Business To Management Group,” May 26, 2009). The company’s
workforce currently totals approximately 1,000 people at locations in the United States as well as
Japan, China, Brazil, Korea and Europe.

The company has been investing in the Gayley facility from the beginning, and according to
Sage CEO Dirk Pieper, will continue to upgrade the physical plant as well as install new equipment.
“This initiative, already partially implemented, will markedly improve and expand our manufacturing
capabilities in Greenville County,” Pieper said. “It will extend our capacity to serve OEMs the
world over as both the domestic and international markets improve during the next several
years.” 

Sage recently announced it will move its headquarters into a new facility on Clemson
University’s International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) campus in Greenville.

“From CU-ICAR and Clemson University to the Upstate’s robust advanced manufacturing community
and deep talent pool, Greenville County is precisely the right location for Sage to expand,” Pieper
said. “Here, we are on the front end of evolving trends in automotive interiors, and the global
reach and opportunities of this company make us excited about our future in the Upstate. We will
now be able to grow as our markets do.”

April 13, 2010

David T. Rouse and partner have formed a new business, Carolina-Pacific Fibers LLC, to import and
distribute industrial polyester yarns manufactured by China-based Jiangsu Hengli Chemical Fiber Co.
Ltd. The new Charlotte-based company will supply Hengli high-tenacity polyester, low-shrink and
super-low-shrink polyester, high-modulus-low-shrink products, and twisted polyester yarns to
industrial markets in the United States and the Americas; and will provide those markets with
customer support as well.

“We feel the time has come for a full service import, distribution and service provider in
the United States, and that is what we are building,” Rouse said. “Our goal is to provide
consistent and reliable supply of high-quality value-added products that the U.S. customers demand
and deserve.”

April 13, 2010

PULLMAN, Wash., April 7, 2010 — Researchers at Washington State University are working to develop
a biodegradable mulch that would provide an alternative to costly and environmentally detrimental
plastic mulch. 

The research project spans three states and five research institutions, said Debra Inglis,
associate plant pathologist and project director. Inglis is based at WSU’s Northwest Washington
Research and Extension Center in Mount Vernon.

The WSU Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles is playing a significant
role in the research. The Textile Research Lab is responsible for testing many of the intrinsic
qualities of both fabric and plastic mulches, said Karen Leonas, the department chair. Two AMDT
undergraduates, Marc LaPointe and Leanne Goldstein, are conducting the physical and mechanical
testing of the mulches.

“Textiles play a big role in the evaluation of the product, and with the textiles lab, we’re
well situated to contribute to this project in an important way,” Leonas said. 

The fabrics are being tested to determine how well they respond responds to different kinds
of weather conditions and their biodegradation rate.

Leonas said the research project started when she ran into a long-time colleague who was
studying biodegradable materials. Leonas asked the colleague to send her an abstract of his
research, and then forwarded the abstract to the chair of WSU’s Department of Horticulture and
Landscape Architecture. Rick Knowles, chair of horticulture and landscape architecture, realized
this research could be applied to the agricultural realm, and introduced Leonas to Carol Miles, an
associate vegetable horticulturalist who was researching alternative mulches for weed control in
vegetable production systems <
http://www.tfrec.wsu.edu/pages/orgrte/Project/279>
.

“We found there was an overlap in the research, and decided to proceed with the project,”
Miles said.

This research project has enormous potential to positively impact farmers, Miles said. The
alternative mulch could potentially create a reduction in the waste stream of plastic mulch, most
of which is currently disposed of in landfills. This in turn would potentially eliminate the cost
farmers pay to remove and dispose of the plastic mulch.

“This alternative would also benefit communities because many agricultural communities in the
United States do not currently have access to agricultural plastics recycling,” Miles said.

Miles said there is much to be learned about how biodegradable mulch would impact the health
and quality of soil. Biodegradable mulch should leave no toxic residue in the soil and, ideally,
would improve soil quality and decrease soil-borne plant diseases.

There is also potential to expand this research and supply alternatives to other types of
plastic far beyond agriculture, Miles said. 

“Only one percent of all plastics used are agricultural, and there are many other potential
opportunities for this technology–plastic bags being just one example” Miles said.

Posted on April 13, 2010

Press Release Courtesy of Washington State University