Phifer, AF&Y Team To Develop Green Outdoor Fabric Collection

Phifer Inc., Tuscaloosa, Ala., has launched its Phifertex Marquesa Green collection of eco-friendly
outdoor deep seating fabrics made with Marquesa® solution-dyed filament yarns produced by Chapel
Hill, N.C.-based American Fibers and Yarns (AF&Y).

According to AF&Y, Marquesa yarns are made from a by-product of industrial waste and,
when compared with other man-made fibers and filaments, offer several green benefits including
lower energy requirements for production; and lower waste generation, with no harmful industrial
waste. Marquesa also provides inherent performance benefits including antimicrobial resistance,
stain resistance and colorfastness; and the fabrics can be recycled via AF&Y’s own recycling
system and regenerated into other products.

“Designing and creating fabrics for today’s leisure lifestyle also means taking into account
the impact they have on the environment,” said Hugo Benitez, national sales manager, designed
fabrics, Phifer. “With great success in our Marquesa Blends collection, introducing a 100-percent
Marquesa fabric was the next logical step for us.”


September 11, 2007

Hanesbrands Acquires Duraflex Plant In El Salvador

Hanesbrands Inc., Winston-Salem, N.C., has acquired the textile manufacturing operations of El
Salvador-based Industrias Duraflex S.A. de C.V. for an undisclosed price.

The operation, to be renamed Hanesbrands El Salvador Textiles, has been a supplier of fleece,
T-shirt and underwear fabric to Hanesbrands since the early 1990s; and now is the company’s second
self-owned offshore fabric-manufacturing operation, joining Hanesbrands’ recently opened
manufacturing facility in the Dominican Republic in that capacity. The 350,000-square-foot El
Salvador facility employs 1,300 workers and will continue to operate without interruption under the
direction of the existing management team.

“The addition of fabric production capacity in El Salvador is another significant milestone
in our efforts to create a lower-cost supply chain operating fewer, larger plants that are more
effectively aligned with our production flow,” said Richard A. Noll, CEO, Hanesbrands. “We already
own sewing plants in El Salvador and elsewhere in Central America. We now have a textile and sewing
base in Central America that gives us flexibility to expand and leverage our large scale of
production.”

Hanesbrands’ plans for the El Salvador facility include further investment to grow the
operation, which quadrupled its production capacity over the last two years.


September 11, 2007

DuPont Partners With Hyosung, Appoints Marketing Partner

In an effort to meet customer demand for more sophisticated and decorative swimwear prints and
lingerie fabrics, as well as to speed up response and custom design times for shorter runs, Hyosung
Corp., Korea, now offers swimwear and lingerie fabrics made with creora® spandex printed using
Wilmington, Del.-based DuPont Imaging Technologies’ DuPont™ Artistri™ 2020 printer. The printer
offers direct-to-fabric printing on an array of woven and knitted fabrics, including spandex — up
to 1.8 meters wide.

“We believe customers will be impressed with the quality and hand of the fabrics printed with
Artistri,” said Greg Vas Nunes, president, Europe and the Americas, Hyosung. “The combination of
our innovation in creora spandex in fabric and the Artistri acid dye ink provide outstanding
washfastness, durability and exceptional color penetration properties, making it ideal for the
intimate apparel and swimwear markets.”

In other news, DuPont Imaging Technologies has appointed England-based Brook International as
a marketing partner for the DuPont Artistri printing system. Brook provides print-ready polyester
fabrics for DuPont Artistri 2020 and 3320 digital textile printers. Fabric end-uses include
banners, flags, signage and in-store displays, as well as other graphic applications.


September 11, 2007

Chesnutt Proposes Program To Address Chinese Trade Practices

At a hearing conducted last week by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission in North
Carolina, James Chesnutt, former chairman of the National Council of Textile Organiztions (NCTO)
and CEO of National Spinning Inc., called for a nine-point program to address what, according to
the NCTO, is “a threat posed by China to the US textile and apparel industry.”

Created by Congress, the commission is mandated to monitor, investigate and submit an annual
report on the national security implications of trade and other relationships with China.

“The central issue is not what policies or practices the central government in Beijing has
undertaken, rather the central issue is how our own government has responded, or more accurately,
has failed to respond to China’s deliberate economic intervention on behalf of its citizens and its
industry,” said Chesnutt, testifying at the hearing.

As part of his testimony, Chesnutt released a NCTO analysis that shows the Chinese government
offers its textile manufacturers 73 subsidies, and he said the US government has failed to develop
any such comprehensive list of Chinese subsidies.

In order to address what he sees as problems with Chinese trade, Chesnutt proposed a
nine-step program that he said would lead to a “revitalization of the US textile industry.” The
program calls for:

• Congress to pass legislation that would address China’s currency manipulation;

• extension or replacement of the current China textile import safeguards, designed to
address market disruption;

• creation of a “Comprehensive Subsidy Database” for use by US manufacturers;

• an increase in anti-dumping and countervailing duty assistance to small and medium-sized US
manufacturers;

• increased enforcement efforts by the US Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce
to deal with illegal trade;

• a review of the Chinese government’s support for its state-owned industries, including
textiles, and penalization of illegal transactions;

• an increase in Customs enforcement efforts, with particular emphasis on China;

• development of a more effective enforcement system that holds US importers responsible for
illegal imports and provides stronger penalties for violations; and

• imposition of penalties on companies that import products made by Chinese companies that
pollute the environment.

Chesnutt concluded that US textile companies cannot survive “when they are pitted against the
Chinese government.”

In a related development, as the US Department of Labor issued its August employment data
showing the loss of 4,000 jobs nationally and a total of 215,000 jobs in the past 12 months, the
American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC) renewed its appeal for Congress to enact
legislation addressing the currency manipulation issue and problems resulting from the value-added
taxes imposed by other countries.

“It is imperative for Congress to level the playing field for US manufacturers expeditiously
by passing legislation that would address the massive disadvantage to US producers caused by
foreign value-added taxes and manipulated currencies,” said Auggie Tantillo, executive director,
AMTAC.

He added that foreign border taxes such as value-added taxes placed US manufacturers at a
disadvantage estimated at $294 billion in 2005, and that figure continues to increase.


September 11, 2007

Genecor Develops Denim-Finishing System

Rochester, N.Y.-based Genencor recently introduced the IndiStar™ ColorAdjust System
for the denim-finishing market. According to the company, the system enables denim processors to
develop their own formulations to create different denim looks from increased-contrast styles to
highly bleached, vintage looks.

The system comprises IndiStar Active, a highly active laccase enzyme granule; and
IndiStar Control, a denim-bleaching mediator chemical — both of which are gentle enough to use on
fabrics containing elastanes. Formulated using the proprietary Enzoguard™ granulation process,
IndiStar Active granules are protected from inactivation caused by oxygen and humidity. Genencor
states that under normal storage conditions, the IndiStar Control molecule is stable and not
subject to degradation.

“With this new product line, Genencor is extending its product portfolio for denim
treatment from the traditional stonewashing cellulase products to offering an environmentally
friendly solution for replacement of harsh chemicals such as chlorine and permanganate,” said John
Gell, vice president, Textiles and Industrial Specialties, Genencor. “This development will help
consumers to make sustainable choices in order to protect our environment.”


September/October 2007

G3i Launches GreenShield™ Nanofinish

Pittsford, N.Y.-based G3 Technology Innovations LLC (G3i) has introduced
GreenShield™, a soil- and stain-repellent textile finish produced using the principles of green
nanotechnology.

According to the company, the manufacturing process eliminates waste, and uses
ambient temperature and pressure and water-based solvents, minimizing the use of environmentally
detrimental chemistries as well as the amount of product needed to deliver the desired properties.
The company reports the new finish reduces the use of liquid- and stain-repelling fluorochemicals
by a factor of 10 by using what it calls the principle of micro- and nano-roughness, which creates
a pocket of air between the liquid or stain and the fabric, thereby preventing penetration into the
fabric. GreenShield also safely provides antimicrobial properties,
as well as antistatic properties.

September/October 2007

DyStar Acquires Remaining Boehme Filate Stake, Merges Auxiliaries Line

Frankfurt-based textile and leather dye, auxiliary and services provider DyStar
Textilfarben GmbH & Co. Deutschland KG has acquired the remaining 25 percent of shares of
Reidsville, N.C.-based Boehme Filatex Inc. DyStar has held a 75-percent stake in the company since
acquiring the Germany-based Boehme Group in August 2006.

In related news, effective
October 1, DyStar will merge the Boehme auxiliaries business with its own operation,
as planned. Accordingly, the Boehme product ranges will be combined with the DyStar ranges and
marketed under current DyStar brands, including Sera® pretreatment and dyeing auxiliaries, Evo®
effect finish and technical textiles auxiliaries and Lava® garment-finishing products.

In order to ensure a smooth
transition, Boehme products will be labeled with both the original and the new
brands for a period of time.

“Customers can be sure that they will receive the same high-quality products and
advisory services after integration,” said Dr. Peter Roschger, head of DyStar’s textile auxiliaries
business. “The aim is to build up our auxiliaries business via our global sales platform and to
develop and commercialize textile solutions that benefit our customers.”


September/October 2007

Freudenberg, TRC Launch Bicomfiber Joint Venture

Two Argentina-based companies, Freudenberg Telas Sin Tejer S.A. — a subsidiary of
Germany-based Freudenberg Nonwovens — and Tel Rad Cuyo (TRC) S.A., have entered into an agreement
to launch Bicomfiber S.A., a joint venture for bicomponent fiber production. The new plant, to be
located near Buenos Aires, will have an annual capacity of more than 10,000 tons.

TRC, a leading producer of polypropylene fibers for the hygiene market in Latin
America, is the main shareholder in the joint venture. “We are proud of the new venture, which
enlarges our involvement within the market in Latin America,” said Guillermo Kraves, president,
TRC.

“With this new venture, we will be able to offer a complete package of different
materials for the markets where we are presently active, being better prepared for the new
challenges to come,” said Juan Carlos Borchardt, president, Freudenberg Nonwovens Latin
America.

September/October 2007

IFAI Expo Doubles Down On Vegas




vegasT
 he Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), Roseville, Minn., will welcome
more than 450 exhibitors and 8,000 anticipated visitors to the Las Vegas Convention Center for IFAI
Expo 2007, to be held October 3-5 in Las Vegas.

The annual event showcases the latest research, product developments and
technologies for a wide array of specialty fabrics markets that include air and tension structures;
awnings and canopies; composites; contract sewing and sealing; geotextiles; health care and
medical; marine tops, covers and upholstery; packaging; safety and protective; and signage; to name
a few. This year, the expo will comprise a trade show, symposiums, workshops, seminars, meetings
and a number of special events.
(See Table 1 for a comprehensive event schedule.)



IFAI Exhibitors Keep Coming Back



“It looks at this point that our retention rate of 2006 exhibitors for IFAI Expo
2007 will be about 80 percent,” said Stephen M. Warner, president, IFAI. “I believe this is the
highest retention rate amongst textile-oriented shows in the United States.

“Exhibitors make decisions based upon past performance … not just promises by the
show organizers. Exhibitors may try a show once, but they won’t be back if they don’t get the right
audience. Exhibiting has just become too expensive, and companies have to be more selective of the
shows in which they participate. So we feel our high exhibitor retention rate reflects the
exhibitor’s feeling that IFAI Expo is truly the ‘can’t miss’ event for their company,” Warner
explained.

He added that the post-IFAI Expo 2006 survey also revealed that 94 percent of
exhibitors found new potential customers; and 76 percent found new potential suppliers, partners
and distributors among other exhibitors.



Everything For Everyone



According to IFAI, and in accordance with its high exhibitor retention rate, the
expo has become the largest specialty fabrics show in the Americas. Organizers expect visitors to
this year’s event to include architects, designers, engineers, equipment users, manufacturers,
marketing specialists, procurement specialists, project managers, those involved in research and
development, sewers, shop personnel and welders. In short, all those involved in the industry can
expect to find something relevant to their place in it.

Visitors will have the opportunity to see more than 30 categories of available
products including adhesives; coatings; cordage; cutting, material-handling, rewinding, sealing,
sewing, slitting and spreading equipment; fibers and yarns; laminating; nonwovens; testing
equipment and services; weaving and knitting; and webbing and narrow fabrics; among others.

“IFAI Expo is well-known as a ‘buyers show,’” Warner said, adding that in the past,
the show has received the prestigious International Buyers Program designation from the US
Department of Commerce. The program enables thousands of foreign buyers each year to meet with US
companies at major trade shows in the United States.


Page26



Pre-Show Activities



IFAI Expo 2007 pre-show programs will begin the morning of Tuesday, October 2, with
a symposium entitled “Sustainable Design with Fabric,” offered by the Lightweight Structures
Association — IFAI’s division representing the lightweight structures industry in the Americas —
and Fabric Architecture magazine. The four-session, day-long program is targeted to architects,
interior and landscape designers, engineers, and textile and manufacturing specialists, among
others.

Warner explained that the symposium’s subject matter is a reflection of the state of
the specialty fabrics industry and IFAI members’ interest.

“IFAI Expo has evolved as the industry has evolved. This is a very diverse industry
made up of niche markets. Each year we selectively organize special symposiums on the markets and
trends that may be emerging within our industry,” he said.

“I just came back from Japan, and the most frequent question I was asked by textile
leaders there was whether we are addressing the issue of designing for the environment. It’s a
global ‘hot’ topic that crosses geographic regions and many of the niche markets that make up our
industry. Sustainable applications range from shade-producing awnings to the use of environmentally
friendly geosynthetics to temporary lightweight structures,” he added.

At the symposium, experts in the field will discuss energy-saving ideas and green
building resources, as well as sustainable building trends using fabrics. Architects attending the
symposium will have the opportunity to earn American Institute of Architects/Continuing Education
System credits, and all attendees will have a chance to network during a sponsored lunch and
evening reception.

The Industrial Fabrics Foundation (IFF), the charitable research and educational arm
of IFAI, will hold its second annual golf tournament Tuesday afternoon at the nearby Revere Golf
Club. A percentage of registration fees for the outing will support textile-related scholarships
and research.



Symposiums,Workshops And Seminars



The expo will offer more than 90 speakers at 13 symposiums, workshops and seminars
alongside the trade show. IFAI’s Professional Awning Manufacturers Association and Industrial
Fabric Products Review (IFPR) magazine will partner to offer a four-session symposium on new
strategies and solutions for awnings.

E-textiles, or smart textiles, will be covered in a four-session symposium sponsored
by IFAI’s Safety & Protective Products Division and IFPR, both of which will also offer a
three-session symposium entitled “Sports Gear Innovations.”

IFAI’s Professional Awning Manufacturers Association and IFPR will offer a
four-session symposium entitled “Awnings: New Strategies & Solutions.”

IFAI’s Truck Cover & Tarp Association and IFPR will offer a three-session
symposium entitled “Load Covering and Cargo Securement.” IFAI’s Tent Rental Division will offer a
three-session symposium entitled “Bold Solutions for Today’s Tents,” to be followed by a reception
co-sponsored by the division and InTents magazine.

“Battlefield Textiles — A Global Exchange,” will be the topic during a three-session
symposium sponsored by the Safety and Protective Products Division, the United States Industrial
Fabrics Institute (USIFI) — also a division of IFAI — and IFPR.

“Choose Fabric Graphics — Expand Your Markets,” a four-session symposium dedicated
to applying graphics to fabric — sponsored by IFAI’s Fabric Graphics Association and Fabric
Graphics magazine — rounds out the symposium schedule.

“None of these symposiums would have been offered 10 years ago,” Warner said,
referring to those covering e-textiles, battlefield textiles and fabric graphics. “As a trade
association representing this industry, we feel it is our responsibility to continue to introduce
these types of programs for our industry … to show new possibilities, new trends, new markets, new
opportunities. When you travel home after our show,  you will know that you attended the
industry event of the year.”

Workshops will be conducted on a number of topics. Design software sessions will
cover banners and exhibit displays, tents and tensioned structures, and awnings and canopies. A
fabric-welding workshop will be conducted in four sessions that will provide hands-on
fabric-welding demonstrations.

Upholstery Journal magazine, IFAI’s Marine Fabricators Association and the online
Professional Upholstery & Soft Furnishings Group will offer “Upholstery Done Right!” — a
workshop on upholstery and interior design techniques using group demonstrations with featured IFAI
Expo 2007 equipment vendors.

Seminars will cover doing business with the government, and emerging market
strategies that will aid businesses in creating excitement about their products and brands.

USIFI and IFPR will sponsor “Gov Biz 101” for attendees who are working with the
government. The seminar will cover such topics as military specifications, hub zones and trade
legislation. “Emerging Market Strategies” will comprise two sessions presenting new solutions for
creating better visibility for a company’s brands and products.

In addition, on Wednesday morning, IFAI will offer certification orientation for
industry professionals who wish to learn about testing phases and eligibility requirements of
becoming certified.


upholstery
The “Upholstery Done Right!” workshop will include group demonstrations with featured
equipment vendors.









Special Events



In addition to the golf outing on Tuesday, IFF will hold its 5th annual silent
auction throughout the show.
IFAI will hold its annual meeting late Wednesday afternoon. The association will
present an overview of activities conducted over the last year, and elect new officers for the
upcoming year. Winners of the 2007 International Achievement Award competition, now in its 60th
year, will be announced. Awards are given in 28 categories, and include Awards of Excellence and
Outstanding Achievement Awards.

Also at the meeting, in association with IFAI’s ongoing Awnings Today consumer
awareness campaign, Rose McKinney, president of Risdall-McKinney Public Relations, New Brighton,
Minn., will discuss growing consumer demand for and awareness of awnings.

A welcome reception and high-tech fashion show will be held Wednesday evening. The
fashion show will feature 24 apparel pieces that incorporate high-tech, high-performance
textiles.

Philip Lempert — an industry expert on consumer behavior, market trends, new
products and the retail environment; noted author and columnist; and founder and editor of Xtreme
Retail23 and Facts, Figures & the Future; among other distinctions — will deliver the expo’s
key-note address Thursday morning.

The IFAI International Reception will be held Thursday evening.
The Chairman’s Gala Reception and Dinner will conclude the expo Thursday evening.
The event will recognize accomplishments of the past year, recipients of professional
certifications, and new and retiring board members. A slide show of the Achievement Award winners
also will be presented.

Other meetings also will be held during the expo. The Safety & Protective
Products Division will hold its annual meeting Wednesday afternoon, while the Professional Awning
Manufacturers Association will hold its annual meeting Thursday afternoon. The Truck Cover &
Tarp Association and USIFI will conduct business meetings Thursday afternoon, and the Fabric
Graphics Association will conduct its annual meeting Friday afternoon.


For more information about IFAI Expo, visit www.ifaiexpo.com. To register for the
trade show, contact Tracie Coopet (651) 225-6947; tkcoopet@ifai.com. To register for symposiums and
workshops, contact Jill Rutledge (651) 225-6981; jmrutledge@ifai.com; or Barbara Connett (651)
225-6914; bjconnett@ifai.com.


September/October 2007

Oerlikon Neumag Moves Airlaid Business To Germany

Germany-based Oerlikon Neumag has relocated its M&J Fibretech airlaid business
from Denmark to its headquarters in Neumünster, Germany, in order to better link its nonwoven
segments and to give M&J access to a development department. Oerlikon states the move also will
optimize consulting, purchasing, engineering and project management, as well as plant erection and
commissioning.

Oerlikon will maintain its airlaid laboratory in Horsens, Denmark, for customer
trials.


September/October 2007

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