Organizers of the fifth International Conference on Advances in Textiles, Nonwoven and Technical
Textiles, ATNT 2008, to be held July 14-16, 2008, in Coimbatore, India, have extended a call for
papers to be presented at the conference, with a deadline for brief abstracts to be sent to the
organizing secretary by May 15, 2008.

Conference organizers include Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas; and Avinashilingam University
for Women, Coimbatore. Honorary sponsors include the Cary, N.C-based Association of the Nonwoven
Fabrics Industry; the Atlanta-based Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry’s
Nonwovens Division; the Roseville, Minn.-based Industrial Fabrics Association International’s
Safety and Protective Products Division; and the Society of Dyers and Colorists-India.

Papers presented will cover all aspects of textile research from fiber to finish, nonwovens
and technical textiles; as well as marketing and economics.

For more information, contact: Dr. Seshadri “Ram” Ramkumar, Organizing Secretary, The
Institute of Environmental and Human Health, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, USA; (806)
445-1925; fax: (806) 885-0228;
s.ramkumar@ttu.edu;
www.atnt2008.com.

April 8, 2008

Effective April 1 or as contracts allow, Germany-based BASF SE has raised the prices of its acrylic
monomers in order to improve margins.

In Europe, Africa and the Middle East, the company has increased prices as follows:

•  glacial acrylic acid and ethyl acrylate by 50 euros per metric ton;

•  n-butyl acrylate by 70 euros per metric ton; and

•  2-ethyl hexyl acrylate by 90 euros per metric ton.

In North America, the company has increased prices as follows:

•  glacial acrylic acid and methyl acrylate by 3 cents per pound or $66 per metric ton

•  n-butyl acrylate by 4 cents per pound or $88 per metric ton; and

•  2-ethyl hexyl acrylate by 7 cents per pound or $155 per metric ton.

The company has raised prices in Asia according to the product and country-specific aspects.

April 8, 2008

Post Consumer Carpet Processing Technologies LLC (PCC), Quogue, N.Y., has been named one of three
winners in the Earth category of the World Energy Globe Award, an award honoring environmentally
sustainable projects from around the world in five categories including Earth, Fire, Water, Air and
Youth. The only winner from the United States, PCC’s post-consumer carpet recycling technology was
one of 853 projects from 109 countries submitted for consideration.


The technology was developed by PCC co-owners Frank J. Levy, president of Quogue-based
textile machinery distributor Stellamcor Inc., and Sergio Dell’Orco, president of Italy-based
textile recycling machinery manufacturer Dell’Orco & Villani S.r.l. By separating
petroleum-based carpet fiber such as nylon 6,6 and others from petroleum-based backing and enabling
their reuse, each machinery line can divert up to 30 million pounds of used carpet annually from
landfills, also reducing energy consumption and the need to use virgin petroleum for new product.
The first line was commissioned at Atlanta-based carpet manufacturer Interface Inc.’s plant in
LaGrange, Ga., in September 2007, and Interface expects to install additional lines soon
(See “
Universal Fibers, InterfaceFLOR Team To Recycle Nylon 6,6,”
Textile World News, July/August 2007).

PCC Line: Each PCC carpet-separating line can divert up to 30 million pounds of used carpet
annually from landfills.

According to PCC, an estimated 5 billion pounds of non-biodegradable used carpet is sent to
landfills each year. That volume is equal to 1 mile by 1 mile by 100 feet. “If incinerated, the
carpets will release toxic chemicals,” Levy said. “If accumulated, they never will disintegrate,
posing terrible problems for future generations.”

“By reusing the [carpet] components, business people can be both profitable and socially
responsible,” added Dell’Orco. “We hope the recognition from this award will stimulate companies
and governments to help clean up the Earth’s landfills.”

The 2007 World Energy Globe Awards will be presented on May 26, 2008, at the European
Parliament in Brussels by European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering and former United
Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan. The gala event will be broadcast globally on television and
is expected to be accessible to 2.5 billion households.

April 8, 2008

For CEO Dr. Uwe Krüger, 2007 was the most successful year in the
Oerlikon Group’s recent history. In total, Oerlikon not only improved its growth curve in
2007, but accelerated it considerably with an organic sales growth rate of more than 20 percent pro
forma to 5.6 billion Swiss francs. Sales values thus exceeded the forecast by up to 5.5 billion
Swiss francs. The operative profit (EBIT) of the continuing business activities of 496 million
Swiss francs increased by 15 percent pro forma compared to 2006.

Record Result For Oerlikon Textile

According to Georg Stumpf, chairman of the board, the takeover of Saurer really proved
successful in 2007. In a segment comparison, Oerlikon Textile achieved the best result in its
history with a record increase in sales to 2,719 million Swiss francs – pro forma +27 percent.
According to Oerlikon, the main reason for this increase was the boom in staple yarns in Asian
markets plus the high degree of innovative strength of the segment.

Countless measures to optimize costs and increase productivity have led to an
increase in Oerlikon Textile’s EBIT, which more than tripled to reach 208 million Swiss francs, an
increase of 206 percent pro forma. The EBIT margin increased considerably from 3 percent pro forma
to 8 percent.

Promising Future

To further increase the earning power, a comprehensive program was implemented at the end of
2007 to optimize costs at Oerlikon’s headquarters, and this is expected to have a significant
savings impact for the current year. OC Oerlikon will continue in 2008 to adhere consistently to
its chosen direction. “Despite unmistakable signs of an economic slowdown, prospects for Oerlikon
remain positive,” Krüger said. The group is active in structural growth areas that will permit a
solid increase in sales and earnings for the medium- and long-term. In 2008, sales should reach
more than 6 billion Swiss francs, and a further increase in earnings is expected. In 2009 at the
latest, the group profit margin should reach more than 10 percent.

April 1, 2008

Switzerland-based Rieter Textile Systems, a division of Rieter Holding AG, reported
it received orders totaling a record 1,703.1 million Swiss francs in 2007, a 6-percent increase
over 2006 orders totaling 1,614.3 million Swiss francs. Sales in 2007 totaling 1,566.8 million
Swiss francs were 18-percent higher than in 2006, which saw a turnover of 1,322.2 million Swiss
francs.

Looking ahead, Rieter cited persistent uncertainties in the financial markets as it
predicted there would be a lower level of demand for textile machinery in 2008.

April 1, 2008