Belgium-based Picanol NV’s flexible OptiMax rapier machine features a modular design. Therefore,
functional groups on the machine are completely separate both electrically and mechanically. One
functional group can be exchanged for another without having to modify or rewire the machine.
Functional groups are easily changed, such as from dobby to jacquard or from single beam to split
beam, as may be necessary to handle sudden changes in demand.

For high-speed leno weaving the OptiMax can be equipped with an OptiLeno module. To convert
the machine to cam box operation, the module is removed and can be stored for later use. It takes
about four hours to convert the machine as well as to put the module back into operation, according
to Picanol.

The company reports the conversion option is a convenient solution for weavers who do not use
the high-speed leno system year-round. Whereas the traditional leno system, based on leno heddles,
is also very easy to change, it does not offer the OptiLeno’s high-speed potential. Before the
OptiLeno option became available, some weavers may have refused leno orders because the traditional
production speed was less than half that of their other style. OptiLeno is used mainly to produce
open fabrics made with multifilament, polypropylene tape, monofilament or glass fiber. Picanol has
delivered the first modular OptiLeno installation for fine E-glass styling, ranging from 34 to 300
Tex. The module can be stored with the warp ends still drawn in the module, enabling faster
start-ups when it is refitted on the machine.

February 16, 2010

President Barack Obama has weighed in on unfair international trade practices, saying they cannot
be used to give other countries government-subsidized trade advantages. At a meeting with the
Senate Democratic Policy Committee, the president said, “We must get much tougher about enforcement
of existing trade rules, putting constant pressure on China and other countries to open their
markets in reciprocal ways.”

Obama specifically mentioned currency manipulation, saying, “One of the challenges that we’ve
got to get much tougher about is currency rates and how they match up to make sure that our goods
are not artificially inflated and their goods are not artificially deflated in price.” He said such
actions place the United States at “a huge competitive disadvantage.”

The Chinese government quickly responded with government spokesperson Ma Zhaoxu saying China
does not seek a trade surplus with the United States and that “wrongful accusations and pressure
will not help solve the issue.” He went on to say that even if the currency’s value rises, it is
China’s “own business and China will not appreciate the yuan in accordance with the U.S. demand.”
An economist with the Ministry of Commerce said that even if China’s exchange rate is revalued,
U.S. importers would look to other low-cost countries for their products.

A number of economists and U.S. manufacturers estimate that the yuan is undervalued by 25 to
40 percent against the dollar and other currencies. This makes China’s exports cheaper and imports
more expensive.

At a Senate hearing following Obama’s comments, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking
Republican member of the Senate Finance Committee, urged the Obama administration to label China a
currency manipulator, a step the administration has been reluctant to take, opting instead to rely
on diplomatic negotiations. Saying he has given the administration the “benefit of the doubt on
diplomatic efforts, but so far that has not produced any results,” Grassley said it is time to
label China a currency manipulator and impose U.S. trade law remedies.

“This Administration can cite China as currency manipulator,” Grassley said. “Secretary of
the Treasury [Timothy] Geithner already acknowledged as much during his confirmation proceedings.
Maybe that will get China’s attention and lead to a more level playing field.”

With Congress and the administration embarked on a mission to create more jobs at home, the
Chinese trade deficit and the currency manipulation increasingly could become priority issues.

February 9, 2010

Italy-based Idrosistem Energy Srl — a developer of water treatment and recovery systems for
spunlace lines — has announced that Jacob Holm Industries GmbH — a Switzerland-based manufacturer
of spunlaced and composite nonwoven roll goods for the hygiene, baby and adult care, cosmetic,
household, industrial wipe, automotive, packaging and technical nonwovens markets — has
commissioned a new, upgraded Idrosistem water filtration system at its production center in France.

“The results of this filtration plant, in terms of bacteria reduction and water quality, are
beyond our expectations,” said Saverio Trevisan, president, Idrosistem. “The bacteria level is so
low that from this point of view the filtered water is comparable to the drinkable one. The process
is composed by a combination of ozone and [ultraviolet subtype C] sterilization that avoids any use
of biocide in the water loop. We can say that this plant is really the ‘best in class’ among our
more than 50 spunlace water filtration lines.”

“This investment reflects Jacob Holm’s commitment to developing a new range of sustainable
products targeting both existing and new markets,” said Stephen Landon, president and COO, Jacob
Holm.

February 9, 2010

Trützschler GmbH & Co. KG, Germany — represented by Charlotte-based American Truetzschler Inc.
and Trützschler Card Clothing (TCC) — has acquired all production facilities, patents, and
copyrights of John D. Hollingsworth on Wheels Inc. (HOW) — a Greenville-based designer,
manufacturer, servicer and tester of textile equipment, which shuttered its operations on Dec. 30,
2009. Founded in the late 1800s, HOW closed its doors as a result of the impacts of the U.S.
textile industry’s continued decline
(See ”
John
D. Hollingsworth To Shutter Operations,” Nov. 3, 2009).

The takeover will enable TCC to continue HOW’s production at its existing facilities. TCC,
founded in 2003, manufactures a full range of card and roller card clothings for the spinning and
nonwovens industries. The company has introduced new manufacturing processes with integrated
in-process quality controls and runs a global service network.

HOW specialists have joined Trützschler’s U.S. sales and marketing team and American
Truetzschler’s field service.

In 2003, Trützschler acquired all of HOW’s activities outside the United States and Canada,
including production facilities in Brazil, Mexico and Germany, as well as HOW’s European service
stations. Those activities operated under the name Trützschler Hollingsworth Card Clothing and
Service, while HOW continued production for its U.S. and Canadian operations at its Greenville
headquarters.



February 9, 2010

With the recent delivery of a RSB-D 221 double-head autoleveler drawframe to a customer in India,
Switzerland-based Rieter Textile Systems has delivered a total of 3,000 RSB/SB series drawframes to
companies in that country.

The RSB-D 221 — manufactured in Rieter’s plant near Pune, India — was sold to
Coimbatore-based KKP Textile Ltd., a spinner of high-quality combed and carded cotton yarns in
counts ranging from Ne 10 to 40 using 78,000 ring spindles and 1,080 rotors. KKP Factory Manager
Ellappan Rajavel was presented with an engraved golden plate bearing the words “3000th RSB in
India” by Jürgen Müller, product manager, drawframes, of Germany-based Rieter Ingolstadt GmbH.

The new space- and energy-saving drawframe, featuring two independent machine sides that can
be set to operate at two different speeds with two different roller distances and drafts, offers a
maximum delivery speed of 2 x 1,100 meters per minute, with production quality and output
equivalent to those of the RSB-D 40 single-head drawframe, according to Rieter. KKP Textiles is
processing carded cotton in one head of the RSB-D 221 and combed cotton in the other. The company
reports the drawframe’s productivity is 30-percent higher than other locally available autoleveler
drawframes.

February 9, 2010

Cotton Incorporated — the Cary, N.C.-based research and marketing company representing U.S. upland
cotton and cotton importers — has introduced Cotton Expedite™, a solution from its Cotton
Management System™ and the first software to offer cotton merchants and co-ops a complete solution
for contract management, logistics control, reporting and other process flow needs. 

“Business today is a global proposition, increasingly reliant on electronic systems and 24/7
operations, and the cotton industry is no exception,” said Kirk Andrews, associate director of
program development, Cotton Incorporated. “That is why we developed this tool to help cotton
merchants and co-ops streamline their processes.”

Cotton Expedite enables merchants and co-ops to control and track cotton from purchase
through delivery. It is able to link electronic documents and databases as well as logistics and
inventory retrieval systems to coordinate data. The software has a built-in document management
feature and can be implemented into a business’s freight forwarder. Reference and reporting tools
include mix selection, inventory filters, rate and tariff management, and stock collateral
management, among others. Cotton Incorporated reports the software is scalable and is suitable for
both smaller-scale and enterprise-scale logistics management. 

February 9, 2010

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has sent letters to 78 U.S. companies, warning they may be
breaking the law by labeling and advertising rayon fiber clothing and other textile products as
“bamboo.” In the letters, the FTC warns that in order to avoid action by the commission, the
companies should review labeling and advertising for textile products they are selling and remove
or correct any misleading bamboo.

The FTC points out that rayon, a man-made fiber created from cellulose found in plants and
trees, is processed using harsh chemicals that emit hazardous air pollution. The letter states,
“Rayon, even if manufactured using cellulose from bamboo, must be described using an appropriate
term recognized under the FTC’s Textile Rules. … Failing to properly label and advertise textiles
misleads consumers and runs afoul of both the Textile Rules and the FTC Act.”

“We need to make sure companies use proper labeling and advertising in their efforts to
appeal to environmentally conscious consumers,” said David C. Vladeck, director of the agency’s
Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Rayon is rayon, even if bamboo has been used somewhere along the
line in the manufacturing process.”

In addition to the warning letters, the FTC sent each company a summary of decisions finding
that failure to use proper fiber names in textile labeling and advertising is deceptive and
violates the FTC Act, under which it can seek civil penalties of up to $16,000 per violation
against any company that receives the warning information but does not correct advertising and
labeling. The complete list of companies receiving warning letters, as well as other bamboo-related
FTC materials, can be found on the FTC’s website at
www.ftc.gov/bamboo. 



February 9, 2010

Wichita, Kan.-based Invista, a global integrated fibers and polymers manufacturer, has debuted
Cordura® denim fabric containing a blend of 88-percent Invista™ T420 nylon 6,6 fiber and 12-percent
cotton. Cordura denim offers the look, feel and comfort of traditional 100-percent cotton denim but
is more durable, lasting 50- to 60-percent longer when industrial laundered, and also is three
times more abrasion-resistant, Invista reports.

Artistic Milliners (Pvt.) Ltd., a vertically integrated textile company based in Pakistan,
will produce Cordura denim fabric for use in full garments, which soon will be available in the
United States.

February 9, 2010