Switzerland-based Rieter Group has signed a contract to sell all of its shares in India-based
Rieter-LMW Machinery Ltd. (RLM) to India-based Lakshmi Machine Works Ltd. (LMW), its partner in a
joint venture (JV) established in 1994. The transaction is expected to close in August 2011, and JV
production for Rieter will continue until June 30, 2011.

According to Rieter, market conditions in India have changed, and both companies going
forward will focus on their individual strengths. RLM currently employs 450 workers, whose jobs are
expected to be retained after completion of the sale.

Rieter will continue to operate in India and plans to ask RLM suppliers to join its global
sourcing network. The company has established a new plant in Wing to manufacture ring-spinning
frames for its Indian customers, and also manufactures machinery in a plant in Koregaon. Rieter has
approximately 975 employees altogether at both manufacturing sites plus more than 100 sales, sales
support and service staff throughout India.



April 5, 2011

Denmark-based Novozymes A/S, a manufacturer of industrial enzymes and biotechnological solutions,
reports that a life cycle assessment (LCA) conducted recently by the company shows that the use of
enzymes in textile processing can reduce water and energy consumption, carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions and processing time.

According to the company, possible savings per ton of knitted fabric include up to 70,000
liters of water and 1 ton of CO2, in addition to a 20- to 25-percent reduction in processing time.
Hong Kong-based textile and apparel manufacturer Esquel Group has conducted several trials in which
Novozymes solutions were applied at different production stages and reported that the use of
Novozymes enzymatic solution in place of conventional technology enabled it to save 30 cubic meters
of water per ton of knitted fabric just in the bleaching process.

“Novozymes’ solutions can contribute to decreasing dependence in the textile industry on
chemicals, lower consumption of energy and water, and bring down costs — all while maintaining
superior product quality,” said Sebastian Søderberg, Novozymes’ business development &
marketing director — Textile & Leather.

The company notes that with the use of enzymes, water consumption is reduced because
processes can be combined, effluent toxicity is reduced, and fewer rinses are required after one
process than when traditional chemicals are used. In addition, the enzymes degrade quickly into
harmless compounds; and because they are catalytic, smaller amounts are required for textile
processing compared to conventional chemical requirements. A further benefit is reduced costs for
treatment of water and effluent.

April 5, 2011

Researchers at RMIT University, Australia, have been developing materials containing a blend of
wool and Kevlar® for ballistic applications such as bullet-resistant vests that are expected to
cost less, be lighter-weight and have greater efficacy than traditional Kevlar vests.

RMIT School of Fashion and Textiles professors Dr. Rajiv Padhye and Dr. Lyndon Arnold report
that a vest made with the blended material has greater efficacy when wet than a 100-percent Kevlar
vest, which loses approximately 20 percent of its efficacy when wet and therefore must be treated
with an expensive waterproofing agent. They also found that only 28 to 30 layers of the blended
material are needed to provide the level of protection offered by 36 layers of 100-percent Kevlar
material.

“And because wool fibres expand naturally in water by up to 16 percent, the wool-Kevlar blend
actually becomes more effective in wet conditions,” Padhye said. “The result is a cheaper
bullet-resistant vest that works even better when it’s wet.”

Arnold noted that when wool is added to Kevlar, the friction is increased and the yarns hold
together more closely, so that fewer layers are needed to dissipate a bullet’s kinetic energy.
“With Kevlar averaging around $70 per kilogram, compared to about $12 for wool, reducing the amount
[of Kevlar] required to make a vest is a real incentive for manufacturers,” he added.

A blend comprising 20- to 25-percent wool and 75- to 80-percent Kevlar provides the optimal
performance, according to research findings.

The project has received funding from Australian Wool Innovation and material support,
including ballistics testing, from Australian Defence Apparel. Padhye and Arnold now are
collaborating with ballistics vest manufacturers in hopes of commercializing the wool/Kevlar
material.

April 5, 2011

The Consumer Division of Sawgrass Technologies Inc. — a Charleston, S.C.-based developer of digital
printing technologies — had added three SubliJet IQ® sublimation ink colors formulated for use with
the Epson® Stylus Pro 4880 Inkjet printer.

Fluorescent Pink, Fluorescent Yellow and Blacklight Blue may be used as individual spot
colors or combined with CMYK, and are suitable for creating high-visibility safety apparel and
signage or for fashionable, psychedelic and retro looks. Sawgrass reports that images printed using
the Fluorescent Pink and Fluorescent Yellow colors are especially vivid in natural and black light.

Blacklight Blue is invisible in natural light and can only be seen when exposed to black
light. It is comparable to ink used on driver’s licenses or nightclub hand-stamps and is suitable
for identification, anti-piracy and novelty applications.

The Epson Stylus Pro 4880 Inkjet printer employs raster image processor software, features an
eight-cartridge configuration and has a 17-by-22-inch printing field. The sublimation printing
solution is supported by Sawgrass’s PartnersPlus program, which offers online product support,
technical phone support and a full product warranty.

April 5, 2011

AUSTRALIA — April 4, 2011 — Australian wool production is slowly rising, arresting a 20-year trend
of decline. Good seasonal conditions across eastern Australia, higher wool prices and a lift in the
retention of ewes and lambs has led the Australian Wool Production Forecasting Committee to
slightly lift its forecast for shorn wool production in 2010/11 to 340 million kilograms, up from
its forecast 335 mkg made in December 2010. “The small increase is due to a slight increase in
sheep shorn and average fleece weights,” Committee Chairman Russell Pattinson said.

In releasing its forecast today, the Committee noted that the increase in sheep shorn was, in
part, due to some early shearing due to seasonal conditions and in response to the strength of the
wool market.

The Committee has also noted a change in the diameter profile of the national clip with
reduced volumes of fine Merino wool being produced and an increased production of strong Merino and
cross-bred wool types, as was forecast in December.

The Committee has also released its first forecast for the 2011/12 season. The committee
expects shorn wool production to rise by 1% in 2011/12 to 345 mkg, due to a slight increase in
sheep numbers (68.3 million, an increase of 0.9% from the 2009/10 level of 67.7 million) and sheep
shorn. The increase in sheep numbers is in line with ABARES and Meat and Livestock Australia
forecasts.

Strong grower sentiment has been reported toward the retention of stock, especially Merinos.
This has been directly reflected in the significant decrease in the sheep turnoff, reported by the
Australian Bureau of Statistics together with data from MLA’s National Livestock Reporting Service
data. While the increase in sheep numbers and wool production may only be small, it certainly
suggests that the long run-down experienced since the early ’90s may be ending.

However, Western Australia is the exception.

“While the outlook for south-eastern Australia wool production in the coming year will
benefit from the excellent foundation laid by above average 2010/11 rainfall, the committee is
concerned with the poor seasonal conditions in Western Australia and will closely monitor this in
coming months,” Mr Pattinson added.

Posted on April 5, 2011

Source: Australian Wool Innovation Ltd.

MINNEAPOLIS — April 1, 2011 — Zepol Corp., a trade intelligence company, today announced another
major enhancement to its Trade Intelligence tools. The Dashboard tab enhancement allows users to
select specific criteria to be displayed within the Zepol interface for quick and easy analysis.
The Dashboard tab, based on customer requests, can be updated on a weekly basis with the newest
trade statistics.

“Zepol’s pursuit to continuously enhance our trade intelligence tools is a testament to our
ongoing commitment to our customers,” stated Paul Rasmussen, CEO & President of Zepol
Corporation. “The Dashboard feature will allow users to monitor their four most important searches
in one screen, thereby significantly improving efficiency and allowing for quick analysis of
products, competitors, and more.”

Each profile can be displayed numerically or in a Line, Pie, or Bar Chart, and users are able
to select the number of Items, Measure, and Time Frame. Professional and Enterprise users have
access to the Dashboard tab and can download the reports to Excel and schedule as an emailed
report. This innovative upgrade further sets Zepol apart as the leading trade intelligence company.

Posted on April 5, 2011

Source: Zepol Corp.

SITTARD, The Netherlands — March 30, 2011 — As a result of continued escalations in the costs of
key raw materials, DSM Engineering Plastics will increase prices on several engineering plastic
product lines in North America. Increases effective as of April 14, 2011 are as follows:

Akulon® Film Grades     +$0.12 per pound

Novamid® Film Grades  +$0.12 per pound

DSM Engineering Plastics, Inc. will increase the price of Akulon® polyamide polymer for use
in fibers, extrusion, and compounding effective as of April 4, 2011 as follows:

Akulon® Polyamide 6     +$0.12 per pound

Posted on March 30, 2011

Source: Royal DSM N.V.

For decades, the international textile community has been arguing about that fact that too many
exhibitions exist all over the world. However, in spite of all initiatives to stop this costly
trend, there is no end of the inflation of shows.

Another trend can be seen in Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Exhibition organizers Messe
Frankfurt GmbH succeeded in attracting the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) Garment and Leather
Technology Association away from a cooperation with Koelnmesse GmbH to be the conceptual sponsor of
the IMB show for textile processing machinery in Cologne, Germany, after the close of IMB 2009. The
association is now Messe Frankfurt’s conceptual partner for a new show in Frankfurt. Maybe with the
idea to reduce the number of exhibitions, Messe Frankfurt established Texprocess, and will hold its
first edition May 24 to 27, 2011, alongside Techtextil 2011, the most popular exhibition for
technical textile applications. Texprocess, International Trade Fair for the Processing of Textiles
and Flexible Materials, will mainly show manufacturing equipment and technologies for the apparel
industry.

Techtextil

Techtextil 2011 will be held May 24 to 26. The organizers call it “International Trade Fair
for Technical Textiles and Nonwovens, the leading trade fair for the technical textiles and
nonwovens sectors.” However, the forthcoming INDEX in Geneva, is still the number-one venue for the
entire nonwovens sector only
(See ”
The
Rupp Report: INDEX, The Nonwovens Industry Summit,” www.
TextileWorld.com, March 8, 2011).

Techtextil is no doubt the world’s highlight for the combined technical textiles/nonwovens
sector, and an absolute must for every company and individual that is working with industrial
fabrics and is willing to enter new market opportunities. Fibers, fabrics, machinery, R&D, and
even retailers and wholesalers can find the solution under one roof for any new product relating to
industrial fabrics, including durable nonwovens. Nevertheless, with nearly 1,200 exhibitors from 45
countries and 24,000 trade visitors from 85 countries exhibiting at Techtextil 2009, Michael
Jänecke, brand director of Techtextil, is expecting at least the same figures regarding exhibitors
and visitors for this year’s show. Pre-sales figures show a positive trend.

Material Vision

In addition to Texprocess, also taking place in parallel to Techtextil is Material Vision,
Materials for Product Development, Design and Architecture International Trade Fair and Conference.

“Three trade fairs at the same time and at the same place — not only does this offer
significant synergies, but it is also of interest to both exhibitors and visitors in terms of cost
and time considerations,” Jänecke said. However, time will tell if three events plus a symposium at
the same time are not competing with one another and confusing not only the exhibitors of each
sector, but also — and even more — the visitors.

Communication

In the field of industrial textiles applications, it has been of major importance that there
be an ongoing discussion and cooperation among all interested parties. In this connection,
nanotechnology can play an important role, including nanofibers for various applications such as
filtration as well as nanoscale surface finishes including soil-release, abrasion-resistant,
conductive and luminescent. However, nanotechnology has not yet totally been explored. There is
still some strong hesitation because the results and influence of this technology are not yet fully
known.

Clever Products

Today, technical fibers must have additional properties such as antimicrobial and flame
resistance, warming and cooling qualities, or self-cleaning effects — or even
temperature-regulation, as in phase-change polyester fiber, which should neutralize temperature
fluctuations.

A Swiss manufacturer will demonstrate new high-performance fabrics including what it calls a
rechargeable drug-delivery textile whose approach turns around the improvement of factors such as
wellbeing, prevention and therapy. The textile base material can be impregnated individually with
substances that provide beneficial or therapeutic effects. Originally, the manufacturer conceived
the material for medical wellness in protective apparel or sportswear, but now, the plan is to use
it for dispensing drugs. The product was under development for more than seven years.

Composite Fabrics

Composite structures are probably the most promising sector of this industry in the next few
years. Using the right fibers for the right fabrics and combining them in different layers — even
with nonwovens — results in products with inherent characteristics that were impossible a few years
ago. Virtually every product is possible, and the further development of new resins and fibers such
as carbon opens new possibilities, where the skies are the limit. And textiles play an important
role in the sky: airplanes are constructed more with composite materials instead of steel, thanks
to the inherent qualities of composites and — first of all — much lower weight, which leads to
reduced fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions.

Various companies are focusing on the prominent subject of sustainability, which is becoming
more and more a key factor for market success, mainly in the West, but also in Asia, thanks to the
increasing awareness for the environment.

For a cleaner environment, duroplastic and thermoplastic bonded layers are also applied for
rotor blades of wind-driven power-generating equipment. The discussion about alternative energy
production is again on the front pages of all newspapers and in the focus of television news around
the globe after the disaster in the Japanese nuclear plants. “These facts,” Jänecke said, “will
lead the producers of tailor-made industrial fabrics and products to the forefront of interest, and
I expect that this will lead them to considerable growth rates.”

March 29, 2011

Safety Components Fabric Technologies Inc., Greenville — an International Textile Group company —
has revamped the HydroMax™ water-repellent, mildew-resistant, breathable finish it applies to its
WeatherMax® outdoor fabric, woven using Greensboro, N.C.-based Unifi Inc.’s solution-dyed SaturaMax
solution-dyed yarns. The company has replaced the traditional C8-based polytetrafluoroethylene
chemistry previously used in the finish with more eco-friendly C6-based chemistry, and reports the
revamped finish retains its original high-performance characteristics.

“Our technical staff and suppliers have been working on making our fabric even more
environmentally friendly for over a year to make sure our performance level did not decline,” said
John Pierce, WeatherMax product manager. “We are very pleased we were able to improve the finish
for both WeatherMax 80 and WeatherMax LT, while reducing environmental impact.”

WeatherMax 80 weighs 8 ounces per square yard (oz/yd2), and WeatherMax LT weighs 6.5 oz/yd2.
Safety Components also makes WeatherMax in an 8.5-oz/yd2 flame-resistant variety, WeatherMax FR.

According to Safety Components, WeatherMax is completely recyclable and highly breathable,
and is twice as strong and six times as tear- and abrasion-resistant as acrylic fabrics. The
company guarantees the fabric’s color retention for five years minimum.

March 29, 2011