Citing declining year-over-year production volume, Germany-based Freudenberg Nonwovens has
announced it will shut down two production lines in its Hopkinsville, Ky., facility effective March
15 and move business served by the two lines to its Durham, N.C., facility. Both lines — one for
the production of staple fiber/binderbond nonwovens and one for adhesive webs — serve the
automotive industry.


“We have been working with the affected customers developing supply alternatives,” said
Stephan Liozu, vice president and general manager, Spunlaid Division North America. “We stand
committed to servicing our customer base in the North American automotive market and to bringing
new nonwovens technologies and solutions to our customers.”

Freudenberg Vitech LP, which also serves the automotive industry, and the company’s
Filtration Division will continue to operate in Hopkinsville. The Durham site’s spunlaid and staple
fiber operations will continue to serve the automotive industry as well as building product,
industrial and interlining markets in North America.

February 26, 2008

Tokyo-based based Kuraray Co. Ltd., manufacturer of Vectran® multifilament yarn spun from liquid
crystal polymer, is increasing Vectran fiber production by 40 percent to 1,000 tons per year. The
company announced it has completed an expansion project at its manufacturing plant in Saijo, Japan,
and will bring additional capacity online at its Fort Mill, S.C. manufacturing facility in May.


According to the company, Vectran fiber is suitable for performance and safety applications
where strength, durability and dimensional stability are important. Kuraray supplies the fiber to a
wide variety of manufacturing segments including aerospace, military, industrial, rope and cable,
and composites for such end-uses as NASA space systems, inflatable wind-turbine generators and
helicopter slings.

“We manufacture a very unique fiber whose combination of properties meets demanding
performance requirements where other fibers fail,” said Dr. Elizabeth G. Stoner, general manager,
Vectran Division. “We see many opportunities to expand the use of Vectran fiber. We are growing
rapidly and this capacity expansion is enabling us to better service our customers globally.”

February 26, 2008

Switzerland-based Rieter Holdings AG has sold its Germany-based Rieter Automatik GmbH pelletizing
machinery business unit to Switzerland-based CGS Management, a specialist in developing
medium-sized businesses into international industrial groups, for an undisclosed price. According
to Rieter, the business no longer is a core activity for the company’s Textile Systems Division,
which henceforth will focus on staple fiber and nonwovens production machinery, technology
components and service.

Rieter Automatik — a manufacturer of pelletizing systems and components including systems for the
production and recycling of plastics, or pelletization of low-viscosity liquids — employs 230
workers at its Grossostheim, Germany, facility and reported sales totaling approximately 70 million
Swiss francs (US$61.8 million) in 2007.

February 26, 2008

Avago Technologies, a San José, Calif.-based provider of analog interface components for consumer,
industrial and communications applications, has introduced the AEDS-9240 series of six-channel
optical encoder modules — extended-operating-temperature incremental encoders suitable for use in
applications that require resolutions from 360 to cycles per revolution. Such applications may
include textile machinery, industrial printers, industrial and factory automation equipment, tape
drives, plotters and other servo-motor applications that use brushless DC motors.


According to the company, the new modules provide advanced motion control detection with
integrated commutation outputs equivalent to those delivered by Hall switches, enabling reduction
of production costs, and enhancement of efficiencies and reliability. The module also is designed
with two-channel quadrature outputs and a third-channel ungated index output. Each module comprises
a lensed light-emitting diode source and a detector integrated circuit contained in a small plastic
package. The company says the module’s highly collimated light source and photo detector array
assure its function even when its mounting is misaligned.

February 26, 2008

April 15-18, Geneva, Switzerland, will be the center of the global nonwovens industry. The city
will host INDEX 08, the world’s largest and most important exhibition for the nonwovens industry.
The exhibition will be held at the Geneva Palexpo, near the airport. The number of companies
presenting new products will exceed 500 for the first time in the history of INDEX.

Latest Developments To Be Seen

 

Covering 50,000 square meters, including more than 20,000 square meters of booth space, INDEX
08 will present the latest nonwoven application and technology developments. It will bring together
leaders in all sectors of manufacturing, machinery and raw materials with leading industry
decision-makers, purchasing and sales professionals and key marketers.

“Index is the flagship event for the nonwovens industry, and the number of exhibitors and
visitors expected this year is further testimony to that,” said Pierre Wiertz, general manager of
EDANA, the international association representing the nonwovens and related industries, and sponsor
of INDEX 08.

INDEX was first held in Geneva in 1984 and takes place every three years. This year, more
than 13,000 visitors are expected to see the offerings of leading nonwovens experts in eight key
sectors: packaging, filtration, composites, automotive, construction, medical, cleaning and hygiene
and home furnishing.

Extensive Program

INDEX 08 will feature the 2008 “Global Nonwovens Summit,” a forum for senior executives
within the nonwovens and related industries looking to develop and foster good working
relationships. The focus of the 2008 summit will be on raw materials, energy and ideas for
non-commercial collaborative efforts.

At a special ceremony during the exhibition, EDANA will present the INDEX 08 Awards for
innovations in the nonwovens field. The aim of the awards is to encourage and acknowledge
innovation and new ideas in nonwovens, raw materials and machinery.

The Innovation Pavilion will present projects research consortiums supported within the sixth
Framework Program for Research and Technology development.

Under the theme of “Solutions for Tomorrow,” exhibitors will present some of the latest
developments in the field of nonwovens. Provided free-of-charge to visitors, the presentations will
take place in a specially-constructed auditorium within the exhibition halls. In addition, three
general sessions, there will be three sessions focusing on nonwovens in filtration and automotive
applications, as well as nanotechnology.

Nonwovens In Action is designed to show the functional capabilities of nonwovens in apparel
applications. INDEX organizers Orgexpo; EDANA; and the School of Design and Nonwovens Research
Group at the University of Leeds, England, are collaborating to present this project.

More information about the show can be found at
www.index08.org.

February 19, 2008

As the US government announced the textile and apparel trade deficit with China reached a new
record high of $31.8 billion in 2007, textile industry lobbyists and their friends in Congress
launched a renewed effort to enact legislation designed to help offset China’s trade advantage
stemming from its undervalued currency. At a news conference on Capitol Hill, members of Congress
and representatives of some 25 trade associations, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of
Industrial Organizations, and the China Currency Coalition sounded an alarm and called for passage
of legislation sponsored by Reps. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., and Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, that would
discourage currency manipulation by China and other countries that undervalue their currencies. The
legislation would permit injured parties to seek remedies under US countervailing duty laws.

Claiming that the trade data are “further evidence that this problem is getting worse, not
better,” Ryan said: “Our economy is at risk of recessing, we continue to lose manufacturing jobs
and need to have the courage to do something about it.” He said the coalition backing his
legislation is the broadest he has seen, as it includes Democrats and Republicans, manufacturers
and labor, and representatives from throughout the nation. “They have come together to support
common sense legislation which will only ask China to live up to the standards it agreed to when it
joined the World Trade Organization,” he said.

Calling for quick passage of the Hunter-Ryan Currency Reform and Fair Trade Act of 2007, Cass
Johnson, president, National Council of Textile Organizations, said: “When foreign governments play
dirty to gain a competitive advantage, our government should respond, and at the very least,
provide US companies with adequate tools to defend themselves.” He said action on the currency
issue is particularly important in view of the fact that all import quotas on Chinese textiles and
apparel are due to be removed at the end of this year.

Auggie Tantillo, executive director, American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition, said
failure of the House of Representatives to pass meaningful anti-currency-manipulation legislation
in 2007 was “deeply disappointing” to US manufacturers and pointed out relief is needed “now more
than ever before.” Tantillo predicts if the House were to hold a vote on the Hunter-Ryan bill
tomorrow, the bill would pass overwhelmingly.

As the trade data were announced, the chairmen of the House Ways and Means Committee and its
Trade Subcommittee issued a press release that was highly critical of what they said are the “
misguided trade policies of the Bush administration,” stating, “Too often our trading partners are
allowed to break international rules to keep US exports out of their markets and engage in unfair
trade practices.” They charged that currency manipulation by China and other countries to gain a
competitive advantage is “a flagrant and long-standing breach of international rules.” Those
comments by the key members of Congress who deal with trade matters have taken on new significance
in view of the soaring trade deficit and the continuing loss of manufacturing jobs.

February 19, 2008

Cardinal Integrated LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Sun Capital Securities Group LLC, has
successfully completed a $21-per-share cash tender offer for approximately 2.5 million outstanding
shares of St. Louis-based branded apparel and soft goods marketer Kellwood Co. Added to Sun
Capital’s existing 11.4-percent holding of Kellwood shares, Cardinal Integrated will hold
approximately 93.7 percent of Kellwood outstanding shares.

Shares not acquired through the tender offer or otherwise owned by Cardinal Integrated or one
of its affiliates will be converted into the right to receive cash payments of $21 per share,
subject to appraisal rights. The transaction is valued at $762 million including net debt, upon
completion of the acquisition, which is expected very soon, according to a Sun Capital
spokesperson.

Once the merger is complete, Kellwood will become wholly owned, privately held subsidiary of
Cardinal Integrated.

“As a strong, private company, Kellwood will continue to execute on its strategic priorities
to position the company as a brand-focused marketing enterprise,” said Robert C. Skinner Jr.,
chairman, president and CEO, Kellwood.

February 19, 2008

The Netherlands-based Printos — a manufacturer of drop-on-demand, digital, solenoid valve-jet
printing/coating heads, business unit of Wood Dale, Ill.-based Videojet Technologies Inc. and
partner of Wools of New Zealand — introduced the P16, a new digital printing solution for wool
carpets at Domotex, the international trade fair for the carpet and floor coverings industry, held
recently in Hannover, Germany.

According to Printos, the P16 multichannel printing/coating heads are suitable for applying
various fluids onto a range of substrates, but the heads’ high flow capabilities make them
particularly suitable for penetrating high-pile wool and nylon carpets. The company reports the
technology offers high-speed operation, repeatable fluid dispensing and precision drop placement,
in addition to full process control and monitoring and full-color image preparation.

New software, specialty inks, electronics and data path add to the flexibility of the P16
technology. Made mainly from stainless steel, the printing head is easy to maintain, according to
the company.

At Domotex, Printos demonstrated the P16 on a T4 sample printer. The company has also
developed the H8 head, which features eight P16 heads, for high-output coating and printing.

February 19, 20008

Glen Raven Distribution Group, Glen Raven, N.C., now offers Storm-A-Rest™ window and door panels to
protect homes from hurricane damage. Manufactured by Spring Hope, N.C.-based armor and
high-performance fabric specialists JHRG LLC, the panels are made with Supreme Protector® fabric
with Spectra® ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene fiber from Morristown, N.J.-based Honeywell
Specialty Materials. The Supreme Protector fabric has been certified under Florida Building Code
FL8442 to meet or exceed large-missile-impact D and 155+-mile-per-hour wind specifications for Wind
Zone 4 — comprising the area within one mile of Florida’s coastline, where an estimated 7.3 million
homes are located.

“Florida has adopted some of the country’s toughest building codes following [Category 5]
Hurricane Andrew in 1992,” said Joe Gelo, business director, Advanced Fibers and Composites,
Honeywell. “This application demonstrates yet another example of how Spectra fiber’s strength can
help end-use products perform in harsh environments.”

In addition to having a strength-to-weight ratio 15 times greater than that of steel, the
lightweight panels allow 76 percent of daylight to pass through — an advantage over competitive
products in the event of power outages — and also prevent wind-driven rain from passing through.
According to Glen Raven, the made-to-order panels are easy to install using standard tools and
Tapcon or Sammy fasteners in brick, concrete or wood; and are easily removed for storage during
fair-weather months. They also are trimmed with a choice of Glen Raven Technical Fabrics LLC’s
Sunbrella® fabrics.

February 19, 2008

Austria-based fiber manufacturer Lenzing Group plans to expand capacity at its Lenzing, Austria,
manufacturing facility for the production of Lenzing FR® flame-resistant fiber. The expansion will
enable the company to supply increased volumes of the fiber to Union City, Ga.-based TenCate
Protective Fabrics for use in its Defender™M Lenzing FR/para-aramid-blend fabrics to be used for US
armed forces military combat uniforms
(See “
Quality
Fabric Of the Month: Saving Our Troops,”
Textile World, September/October 2007).

A special amendment to the US National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, signed
into law recently by President George W. Bush, exempts FR rayon fiber for five years from
requirements that it be manufactured in the United States in order to be used in garments supplied
to the US armed forces. Lenzing FR is produced only at the Lenzing facility, which devotes about 50
percent of its capacity to the production of specialty fibers.

TenCate’s Defender M fabric offers inherent FR properties in addition to moisture management
and breathability. The Lenzing FR/para-aramid blend also can increase the fabric’s thermal
protection properties. The fabric has been specified by the US Army and Marine Corps to replace the
nylon/cotton uniform fabric used currently.

According to Lenzing, increased manufacturing flexibility and capacity at the Lenzing site
will enable it to focus on Lenzing FR production for the Defender M application. The ensuing
increased production of Defender M also will enable TenCate to supply the fabric to the armed
forces of other countries, which now are conducting wear trials and tests of the fabric, Lenzing
and TenCate report.

February 19, 2008