Katmandu Partners LLC — an Upland, Calif.-based full-service coloration and apparel company — has
introduced Kinetic Colorization™, a short-run, demand-activated coloring and printing technology.
Developed by Critical Mass, the technology is expected to bring fabric dyeing and apparel
manufacturing back to the United States from overseas, as it enables quick production and color
changes, thereby allowing customers to sample variations of styles without incurring the high costs
associated with sample production. It also enables production on demand, which facilitates quick
response to consumer preferences.

According to Katmandu, Kinetic Colorization is an advanced form of dye sublimation. The
proprietary technology sets off the energy stored in high-tech fabrics to create micro tunnels that
transport the dye through the center of the fiber, permanently trapping color below the fabric’s
surface. Unlike most conventional fabric coloring processes, the technology does not require the
use of water or chemicals, so it leaves no toxic residue. The process also can be used to dye many
nylons that previously could not be dyed using any form of sublimation. Katmandu reports the
process does not affect the performance features of a garment, and that fabrics colored using the
process demonstrate vibrant color, good wash fade resistance, durability and abrasion resistance.

“Kinetic Colorization is a replacement for both traditional wet printing and chemical dye
processes,” said Mark Robinson, president, Katmandu Partners. “Using energy multipliers, Kinetic
Colorization vastly improves energy conservation, product differentiation, and economics of
traditional wet printing.”

Kinetic Colorization facilitates a high degree of dyeing control and enables both
pass-through color and pattern print coloration for customizable items such as fully reversible
single-ply garments and double-sided garments with different colors and patterns on each side. The
process may be used on apparel, military fabrics, home décor and point-of-purchase signage, among
other applications.

“We are working with surf companies, active wear apparel companies, outdoor backpack
companies as well as some of the specialty mills and the military with regards to coloring their
fabrics,” said Brian Henry of Katmandu.

June 28, 2011

India-based commission dyer Selvam Process recently installed a Montex 6500 tenter built by
China-based Monforts Fong’s Textile Machinery Co. Ltd. — a joint venture between Germany-based A.
Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG. and Hong Kong-based Fong’s Industries Co. Ltd. — and
supplied by ATE Enterprises. Monforts reports it is the first Montex 6500 to be installed in India.
Selvam Process will use the tenter in its open-width heat-setting and finishing operations. Founded
in 1990, the company has traditionally processed tubular knitwear, and wanted to add open-width
finishing capabilities.

“We started to notice exporters were beginning to express an open-width preference in 2009,
offering less wastage,” said S. Raju, owner, Selvan Process. Raju began to look for a “total
solution” to enable the company to process both tubular and open-width knitwear in-house. “Savings
of as much as 3 percent can be made with open-width production compared with tubular finishing,” he
said.

Selvam Process dyes knitwear including 100-percent cotton, interlock, single jersey, rib,
honeycomb and fleece for customers such as GAP, M&S, AG, Mack and Ferro. The company also
recently introduced a range of blends incorporating polyester/cotton, polyester and viscose, and
also is beginning to offer dyed Lycra® blends, which require heat-set treatment.

“The new 8-chamber Montex stenter will process up to 15 [tons per day],” Raju said. “This
additional capacity will not only include our own in-house open-width production but also knitwear
from other local dyers for heat set treatment.”

The installed Montex 6500 has eight chambers and twin padders, and can handle fabric weights
from 110-grams-per-square-meter (g/m2) single jersey to 300-g/m2 fleece. Regarding the decision to
add the Montex 6500, Raju said: “With conventional dyeing techniques, the unit can only be used as
a dryer. The Monforts stenter is a multi-purpose unit offering drying, heat setting, curing,
coating and finishing.” Raju also noted that the tenter can apply heat setting and finishing to
both sides of the fabric; and softeners may be added during the finishing process.

June 28, 2011

Sweden-based OrganoClick AB, a developer and provider of biofiber materials and chemical products,
has introduced two technologies based on biodegradable ingredients — OrganoTex™, a water-repellent
finish for cellulose-based fabrics that uses no fluorocarbons or other chemicals that are toxic to
the environment; and OC-biobinder™, a biopolymer-based binder that is used to improve mechanical
properties of cellulose-based nonwoven and coated textiles.

“The textile processing industry has for many years relied on chemicals that are very
effective, but on the other hand are often not degradable in nature and even may cause severe
effects on eco-systems or on human health,” said Mårten Hellberg, CEO, OrganoClick. “As customers
are starting to realize this problem, we believe that our new products have a tremendous potential
for textile manufacturers or textile product brands desiring to combine sustainable and organic
textiles with functionality.”

OrganoTex technology involves binding of a highly hydrophobic, biodegradable bio-additive to
the fiber via strong covalent chemical bonds that are highly resistant to laundering, according to
OrganoClick. The finish can be applied using dipping, padding and other conventional application
methods. The company adds that the water-repellency is durable and effective for the normal life of
the textile product.

OC-biobinder technology involves use of a polysaccaride derivate to bind the fibers together
via strong covalent chemical bonds, thereby enhancing the stiffness or strength of nonwovens and
other textiles. The binder can be applied using conventional methods. The polysaccaride derivate
comes from renewable sources, is biodegradable and is nontoxic to humans; and it can be used in
place of chemical, petroleum-based binders, according to the company.

June 28, 2011

The Consumer Division of Sawgrass Technologies Inc. — a Charleston, S.C.-based developer of digital
printing technologies — has introduced a SubliJet®-R sublimation printing solution for Ricoh Aficio
GX7000 and Ricoh Aficio GX e3300N inkjet printers that is compatible with Apple’s Mac operating
system (Mac OS). The Ricoh Aficio GX7000 and GX e3300N are business-class sublimation printing
platforms that use Ricoh’s GelSprinter technology and deliver up to 144 sublimation transfers per
hour.

SubliJet-R is a high-viscosity gel sublimation ink used to print on polyester fabrics or
articles that have a polymer coating. According to Sawgrass, the ink produces premium, full-color
images that will not crack, peel or wash away. The Mac OS solution enables Mac users to personalize
and customize a variety of consumer products using full-color and photographic images. It includes
MacProfile, a color management software bundle that is designed to work with Adobe® Photoshop®,
Illustrator® and Photoshop Elements. MacProfile is International Color Consortium (ICC)-profile
optimized; and includes Sawgrass’s Palette Swatch Library and Proofing Palette, which offer exact
color matching when used together, Sawgrass reports.

June 28, 2011

WASHINGTON, D.C. — June 24, 2011 — The United States and its TPP partners — Australia, Brunei
Darussalam, Chile, Malaysia, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam — concluded the seventh
round of negotiations today in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, making further step-by-step progress
toward their goal of reaching the outlines of an ambitious, 21st century agreement by the APEC
Leaders’ meeting in November.  

As at the previous round in Singapore, the TPP countries extended the length of the round in
Vietnam to ensure the teams had sufficient time to make meaningful progress in all areas of the
negotiation. The additional time was helpful in producing the good progress that was achieved in
further developing the detailed legal texts of the agreement, which encompass all areas of their
commercial relationships. During the week, the countries reviewed new proposals that the United
States and other TPP countries tabled this round; including on intellectual property, transparency,
telecommunications, customs, environment; and advanced their efforts to consolidate the various
proposals that the countries put forward in previous rounds. They also sought to further clarify
their understanding of each other’s positions and continued the rigorous process of finding
mutually-acceptable ways to address the specific sensitivities of each country.  

Among the issues on which the teams had particularly productive discussions were the new
cross-cutting issues that will feature for the first time in the TPP. After consulting internally
on the U.S. text tabled at the sixth round, they furthered their efforts to find common ground on
the regulatory coherence text intended to make the regulatory systems of their countries operate in
a more consistent and seamless manner and avoid the types of regulatory barriers that are
increasingly among the key obstacles to trade. The teams also had constructive discussions on
approaches to development in the TPP and the importance of ensuring that the agreement serves to
close the development gap among TPP members.  

While making continued progress on the texts across all the negotiating groups, the nine
teams also furthered their work on the accompanying commitments on access to each other’s markets
for goods, services, and government procurement.  They made further headway in Vietnam in
their discussions on services, investment, and government procurement, and on product specific
rules of origin. They also discussed their respective requests and offers on industrial goods,
agriculture, and textiles, working to close gaps in their positions. The nine teams reviewed in
detail each country’s offers and possible approaches to achieving their common goals of producing
the most ambitious package possible, supporting the creation and retention of jobs, and promoting
regional integration.    

In order to accelerate the process, the TPP countries agreed to redouble their efforts in the
months ahead. They agreed to intensify their interssessional work, including consulting on existing
proposals internally, providing revised offers on the various market access areas, and working to
develop proposals to address outstanding issues. In addition, the teams agreed to identify issues
on which to focus at the next round in the United States in early September, and to seek to reach
agreement on as many of those issues as possible at the next round. To begin this work, several
members of the U.S. negotiating team will travel to Hanoi, Vietnam and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia next
week. The U.S. team also is working to prepare additional legal text by the next round, and as it
does so it will continue consulting closely with Congress and
stakeholders.        

Prior to the start of the formal negotiating round, Vietnam hosted 140 stakeholders
representing business, civil society, and academic groups.  Stakeholders from the United
States and other TPP countries made presentations on a wide range of issues. On June 23, the
Vietnamese delegation hosted a workshop to discuss Vietnam’s labor law and the efforts it has
underway to strengthen the labor code and trade union law.  

Posted on June 28, 2011

Source: USTR