The 2011 edition of the Denim Runway design contest — a competition launched in 2010 for apparel
design students at Lubbock, Texas-based Texas Tech University with the purpose of educating
contestants on all links of the denim supply chain — is underway. Sponsored by Lubbock-based Plains
Cotton Cooperative Association (PCCA) and Cotton Council International (CCI) — the Washington-based
export promotion arm of the National Cotton Council, Memphis, Tenn. — in collaboration with the
university’s Apparel Design and Manufacturing Department (ADM) in the College of Human Sciences,
the contest offers students a comprehensive look at the cotton industry.

“It is vitally important for consumers to know and understand where their fiber comes from
and everything involved in the entire supply chain,” said Wally Darneille, president and CEO, PCCA,
which operates the only vertically integrated denim apparel supply chain in the Western Hemisphere.

Students visited a local cotton farm during harvest in October 2010 to learn about cotton
production and environmental stewardship and also visited a cotton gin to see the first steps of
processing cotton and hear presentations about PCCA’s cotton marketing programs. In February 2011,
the students toured American Cotton Growers, PCCA’s denim mill in Littlefield, Texas, to observe
production of the denim fabric they will use in their designs for the contest. Students will return
to the mill April 7-8 to work with PCCA employees to finish their designs.

“This year, we worked with the ADM faculty to add two new categories so more students can be
involved and to give these student-designers an opportunity to see every phase of cotton production
from cotton fields to denim manufacturing,” Darneille said.

In addition to the fashion jeans competition featuring designs for men’s and women’s jeans,
the Casual category offers contestants the opportunity to design and create anything using denim
fabric, and the Cotton Trend Board category allows contestants to research trends for cotton fiber
and apparel.

Denim Runway 2011 contest winners will be announced at Texas Tech’s TECHStyle Fashion Show on
April 30. Winners in the women’s and men’s jeans category will receive an all-expense-paid trip to
Denimatrix LP, PCCA’s cutting and sewing facility in Guatemala, where they will have the
opportunity to participate in the entire process of creating high-fashion jeans; as well as an
all-expense-paid trip by CCI to the Colombiamoda apparel sourcing show in Colombia. The winner in
the Casual category will receive a $500 cash prize and a recognition plaque, and the Cotton Trend
Board winner will receive a $200 cash prize and a recognition plaque.

March 29, 2011

Charlotte-based SATO America Inc. — a manufacturer of barcode printing, labeling and electronic
product code/radio frequency identification solutions, and the North American division of
Tokyo-based SATO Corp. — has introduced GY412, an industrial-design direct thermal printer with two
print heads that print simultaneously on both sides of a coated label. According to the company,
the new printer offers improved productivity and cost savings because it removes the need for
secondary printers to print packing slips and the associated cost of additional printing supplies;
and also eliminates waste such as the label liner used with single-sided label printers.

“Typically, most companies utilize up to three printers for their picking, packing, and
shipping processes,” said Robert Linse, president, SATO America. “One printer for the pick list,
one for the packing slip, and one for their shipping label; but now with the GY412, the need for
the packing slip printer and the associated costs of paper, ink or toner, and packing slip adhesive
pouches is eliminated. This is a significant savings in real dollars as well as in labor costs as
the solution may allow process modification and reassignment of staff to more critical need
activities.”

The GY412 is suitable for applications including transportation, logistics, e-commerce
fulfillments and forms, and shipping labels, among others. The printer features a variety of
onboard linear and two-dimensional symbologies; high-speed printing up to 10 inches per second; and
interface options including USB 2.0, LAN (10/100BaseT) and RS-232C (Serial).

March 29, 2011

AmSafe Industries Inc. — a Phoenix-based provider of engineered textile products for aviation,
defense and specialty vehicle applications — has received a $4 million contract from the United
Kingdom (UK) Ministry of Defence (MOD) to supply its Tarian QuickShield rocket-propelled-grenade
(RPG) protection system.

Tarian QuickShield is based on Amsafe’s patented Tarian technology, which comprises a
lightweight modular system that replaces traditional bar or slat armor on vehicles such as
high-mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWVs) that cannot handle the weight of traditional
RPG armor. The lightweight textile net system can be used in place of damaged or missing bar armor.
According to the company, it can easily be stowed aboard the vehicle and immediately fitted to
replace damaged bar armor without disrupting a crew’s mission.

“The introduction of Tarian QuickShield into operations in Afghanistan allows vehicle crew to
rapidly repair damaged bar armor in the field, without the need for specialist tools, and will
therefore help to ensure better vehicle protection during extended missions away from bases,” said
Major Gareth East, REME, UK MOD Specialist & Logistic Vehicles Project Team.

Introduced in 2009, Tarian technology has been tested in the UK by the Defence Science and
Technology Laboratory, a division of the Ministry of Defence, and in the United States by the
Department of Defense’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), and has been shown to
withstand more than 550 live firing shots. Tarian is up to 98-percent lighter than steel bar/slat
armor and up to 94-percent lighter than aluminum bar/slat armor.

March 29, 2011

Morrison Textile Machinery Co., Fort Lawn, S.C., reports it recently has received orders for denim
processing machinery and equipment from several denim manufacturers in Mexico and Asia. Sales of
Morrison Denim Systems include the following:

Mexico-based Manufacturas Kaltex S.A. de C.V. is expanding its production with the
installation of two MDS integrated denim finishing ranges that feature S8 compressive shrinking
units with AutoGRIND™ for automated resurfacing/belt grinding based on a two-hour grind cycle.
AutoGrind documents current belt thickness and meters produced since the previous grind cycle. A
GrindVAC™ vacuum system captures belt resurfacing by-products.

In Bangladesh, Ha-Meem Denim Ltd. has ordered a second MDS integrated denim finishing range,
this one featuring a new modular component design and S8 rubber belt shrinking unit with GrindVac
and SanforTROL™ shrinkage control. According to Morrison, SanforTrol is the only truly closed-loop
shrinkage control system available.

As part of a planned expansion, Partex Denim Ltd., also based in Bangladesh, has ordered
Morrison’s SPECTRUM™ 250 indigo rope range for 24 or 32 rope production, four BW 450 ball warpers
with creels, 10 MDS RB 550 rebeamers with yarn strummers, reverse drive accumulators and tub
turners, and two MDS integrated denim finishing ranges with S8 rubber belt shrinking unit with
GrindVac and SanforTrol and a WESTechnologies™ data collection system.

Three China-based companies — Shaoguan Shunchang Weaving, Shijiazhuang Fangyu I & E and
Upper Universe — have ordered indigo rope dye ranges for 24 ropes with 12 dye boxes and over dye
steamers to enable processing of dark shades and maximize color flexibility.

In India, Oswal Denim Ltd. has ordered another Spectrum rope range with eight dye boxes for
processing of dark shades and certain sulfur dyes; as well as a second MDS integrated denim
finishing range with a new modular designed compressive shrinking unit featuring AutoGrind.

India-based LNJ Denim, part of RSWM Ltd., has ordered 2 MDS RB 550 rebeamers, each featuring
AC drives, reverse drive accumulators, sheet strummers and single end winders.

March 29, 2011

Bekaert Carding Solutions, part of Belgium-based advanced materials and coatings supplier NV
Bekaert SA, reports its SiroLock® doffer and worker wire provides improved fiber control and web
quality, and increased productivity on nonwoven and long-staple roller cards.

SiroLock was developed for use on the breast section of the card’s main cylinder, where it
can take up to 50-percent more fibers than conventional card wire, thereby reducing recycling of
fibers as well as the need for cleaning stops, according to Bekaert. Other advantages include
reduced fly, resulting in decreased raw material costs and improved web regularity; and improved
blending and the ability to have wider settings between cylinders and workers/doffers than with
conventional wire as a result of the higher carding spaces created. The wire also can be used in
processing a wide range of fibers including hollow, siliconized, aramid and melt fibers; as well as
a wide range of fiber densities.

March 29, 2011

Some weeks ago, the Rupp Report reported about the preliminary results of the Switzerland-based
Rieter Group
(See ”
The
Rupp Report: Rieter Is Back With Success,” www.
TextileWorld.com, February 8, 2011). The preview was quite positive and was
confirmed today at Rieter’s presentation of its annual financial results. Also confirmed was a
rumor that existed for several months – and even years, but with an unforeseen result: The
automotive part of the Rieter Group will not be sold, but the two group members will be separated
into two independent stock-listed companies: Rieter AG, comprising the current Rieter Textile
Systems; and Autoneum Holding AG, comprising the current Rieter Automotive Systems.

Back To Profitability

Erwin Stoller, executive chairman of the Board of Directors, opened the press conference with
some positive remarks. He said the group succeeded with its turnaround after two consecutive years
of losses with a break-even successfully lowered, some new products and further positive
strengthening of its activities in growth markets such as China, India and Turkey. Large demand
volume also came from Bangladesh, Brazil, Indonesia, South Korea, the United States and Uzbekistan.
Both the machinery and the components businesses showed strong increases in incoming orders for
2010.

In Europe, Rieter employed temporary personnel to increase capacity. In China and India, new
plants began production. Stoller mentioned the company continued to invest in innovation and access
to new markets in the crisis years in order to be prepared for the upswing with attractive products
and an enhanced presence in growth regions. “However,” he said, “compared to the year 2007 the
sales for 2010 are still 34 percent below that record year. Sales in the second half were slightly
higher than in the first six months and totaled 2,585.8 million Swiss francs, compared to 1,956.3
million Swiss francs in 2009.”

Split-up

But the most important news was the announcement that the Rieter Group will be separated into
two independently owned and managed stock-listed companies, as mentioned above. The surprise was
not the separation, but the way it will be done. Stoller mentioned that this separation is subject
to the approval of the 2011 Annual General Meeting (AGM) on April 13, 2011.

Rieter outlined the following plan in its announcement:

• Subject to AGM approval, Rieter Holding will change its corporate purpose and distribute the
  shares of the entity holding the business of its Automotive Systems division to its shareholders in
  the form of a special dividend. The name of the new company will be Autoneum Holding AG.
• The new company Autoneum will be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange as of mid-May 2011.
  Hans-Peter Schwald is expected to be nominated as Chairman of the Board, Martin Hirzel as CEO, Urs
  Leinhäuser as CFO and Deputy CEO.
• The current Rieter Textile Systems Division will continue to trade as an independent company
  under the name of Rieter (symbol RIEN).

After completion of the separation, the Rieter Executive Team is expected to comprise Erwin
Stoller, executive chairman; Peter Gnägi, head of the Spun Yarns Systems business group; Werner
Strasser, head of the Premium Textile Components business group; Joris Gröflin, CFO; and Thomas
Anwander, general counsel.

Rieter’s announcement also outlined the following with regard to share distribution and
listings:

• Subject to the approval of the separation by the 2011 AGM, each Rieter Holding shareholder will
  receive one registered Autoneum Share for each Rieter Holding Share held at the Cut-off Date in the
  form of a special dividend. Holders of Rieter Holding Shares will not pay any consideration for
  such Autoneum Shares.
• Upon completion of the separation, the Autoneum Shares are expected to be listed and traded on
  the SIX in accordance with the Main Standard. The Rieter Holding Shares will remain listed on the
  SIX.

No Big Changes

According to Rieter, one important result of the separation will be the greater strategic and
operational flexibility of each company, allowing both to profit from further development potential
and growth opportunities, for example, through partnerships or cooperations. Stoller said the
separation will not have a big impact on current operations and business activities: “Already in
the past, both companies operated as separate business units with their own management teams and
organizations; and there was no synergy effect at all. Thanks to this split, both companies can
work in a more independent business environment and are in a better position to find additional
strategic partners. And the moment with these positive results couldn’t be better for a
separation.” Having said that, Stoller also mentioned there is absolutely no need to release any
personnel, stating, “The proposed separation is not expected to result in any job losses.”

The newly formed Autoneum will continue to offer innovative and cost-effective
noise-reduction and heat-management solutions that will enhance vehicle comfort and value. Autoneum
supplies a broad portfolio of products to major automotive original equipment manufacturers
worldwide through its four regional business groups covering Europe; North America; Asia; and South
America, the Middle East and Africa.

The Future

For 2011, Rieter expects sales to increase substantially. However, nobody knows the
consequences of natural disasters such as the crisis in Japan, or political turmoil such as what is
occurring in North Africa. Rieter expects further operating margin improvement compared with 2010
overall, primarily owing to higher textile machinery and technology components volumes. Rieter also
plans to invest further to speed production plant expansion in Asia and thereby enhance its market
position in China and India.

“This is a historic moment for Rieter,” Stoller said. “In 1915 Rieter also produced turbines,
bridges, sewing machines, even weaving looms and many more products. These products were abandoned,
and after World War I, Rieter started booming. I am convinced that this new structure will lead us
to new heights.”

March 22, 2011

Naples, Fla.-based Industrial Nanotech Inc. — a supplier of nanotechnology-based specialty
industrial coatings — reports it has entered into an agreement with an industrial boiler
manufacturer to provide its Nansulate® energy-saving protective coating for application on all of
the manufacturer’s new equipment. Industrial Nanotech reports revenues from the deal, which marks
its entrance into the heat process equipment original equipment manufacturer (OEM) market, are
estimated to be worth approximately $5 million annually. The company’s environmentally safe
Nansulate coatings are water-based and offer thermal insulation, corrosion prevention, resistance
to mold growth, fire resistance, chemical resistance and lead encapsulation.

“We have been very successful for many years at reducing the energy consumption of heat
process equipment for our previous customers who insulated their existing in-service boilers with
our coatings, resulting in Nansulate® generally paying it for itself in 12-18 months,” said
Francesca Crolley, vice president of business development, Industrial Nanotech. “With these proven
energy cost savings, plus the protective benefits that our coatings offer and their long-term
durability, it was a natural progression for manufacturers of this type of equipment to begin to
install it at the factory to make their products more energy efficient. This project is an
important first step into the OEM market for energy efficiency of heat process equipment, including
boilers, heat exchangers, steam traps, valves, distribution and return lines, and pressure
reduction stations and is a valued addition to our other current OEM projects which include
building materials and consumer goods.”

March 22, 2011

CustomInk.com — a McLean, Va.-based online provider of custom digital and screen printing and
embroidery services for apparel and accessories — has established a digital and screen printing
operation for custom apparel in Charlottesville, Va. The company plans to add more than 100 jobs at
the facility, which currently employs around 30 people. The new printing operations will account
for a large share of the company’s order volume.

“This is an exciting step for CustomInk,” said President Marc Katz. “The Charlottesville
location should create the right conditions for the success of our production operation and give us
a lot of flexibility over the long-term.”

Founded in 2000 by former college classmates Marc Katz, Mike Driscoll and Dave Christenson,
CustomInk.com’s business has rapidly expanded. The company, which has been recognized for its
entrepreneurialism and workplace environment, now employs more than 275 people and has printed more
than 15 million custom T-shirts.

“What began as an idea among three college classmates has grown into quite an entrepreneurial
company,” said Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell. “Albemarle County is the perfect fit for
CustomInk’s expansion, as the region provides the workforce that the company is targeting,
including recent UVA graduates.”

March 22, 2011