Malwee Malhas Ltd., Brazil, has added four new Thies dyeing machines to its existing line of
pressure drying equipment supplied by Germany-based Thies GmbH & Co. The new machines will
enable the company to expand its ability to keep up with changes in styles and to experiment with
new fabrics and colors.

Malwee — a manufacturer of branded fitnesswear, and children’s and young adult’s casual- and
beachwear — has installed a Thies Luft-roto plus SII fabric-dyeing machine for processing all types
of fabrics, fibers and blends; a soft-TRD DS XL fabric-dyeing for crease-sensitive fabrics, as well
as pile and wool fabrics; a mini-soft TRD for small production runs and sample dyeing; and a
five-kier eco-bloc quattro yarn dye house machine, which handles high levels of batch-to-batch or
machine-to-machine production.

Thies’ Brazilian distributor, Petersen Matex Imp. e Exp. Ltda, provided the new machinery and
will handle its service and maintenance.



December 27, 2007

Effective Jan. 1, 2008, Polymer Group Inc. (PGI), Charlotte, will increase the price of certain
nonwoven roll goods by 5 to 7 percent. Increases will vary by product, and mainly will apply to
products made with petroleum-based raw materials such as polyester and polypropylene.

PGI also announced that the price of certain polypropylene-based products will increase
depending on region.



December 27, 2008

Strateline Industries, a new business that will produce nonwoven substrates from recycled
materials, is recycling an existing manufacturing facility in Rogers, Ark., to be its base of
operations, with plans to put employees from the plant’s former operation back to work and add
additional employees within the next three years.

The company has officially opened for business in a 250,000-square-foot facility that was
shut down July by Charlotte-based nonwovens producer Polymer Group Inc. (PGI), which employed 120
workers at the plant. Strateline will invest $63 million in its new operation, which ultimately
will employ 150 people in the manufacture of continuous roll-good nonwoven substrates from recycled
post-industrial materials — primarily cotton, but also a range of other fiber materials — producing
the first-ever sustainably repurposed cotton nonwoven materials, according to the company. Jeffrey
Post, Strateline’s director of marketing, said the substrates initially will be used in end
products such as wet wipes, but there is also potential for developing nonwovens for the
automotive, medical, and home and contract furniture industries.

“We partner with companies and repurpose fiber waste streams, using those fibers as feedstock
instead of using virgin fiber,” Post said. “Strateline has a patent on technology using a high
percentage of cotton in a nonwoven substrate.”

Post said Strateline has a relationship with Wagoner, Okla.-based Sustainable Solutions Inc.,
which will regenerate used fiber into engineered fiber lengths. The substrates manufactured by
Strateline will be converted by Sheboygan, Wis.-based Rockline Industries, which operates a
facility in Springdale, Ark., not far from Rogers.

In its initial stage of operation, Strateline has put approximately 50 former PGI employees
back on the job to conduct prototype trial runs and check equipment that was shut down by PGI, Post
said. The company will add a fourth manufacturing line to three existing lines left from PGI’s
operation, and ultimately will run two spunlace lines.

The company also will invest in technology to modify existing equipment to address
sustainability issues. “Our business strategy is based not only on sustainable end products, but
also on an internal sustainability protocol,” Post said. “We’ll be concerned with how green our
suppliers are as well as with energy use, upcycling practices and such. With regard to energy use,
we will be assessing our environmental footprint and how we can be smarter about energy use in the
future.”

December 18, 2007

GreenShield™ — an oil- and water-repellent textile finish manufactured by G3 Technology Innovations
(G3i), a Pittsford, N.Y.-based manufacturer of environmentally friendly nanomaterials — has been
certified by Scientific Certification Systems (SCS), an Emeryville, Calif.-based third-party
certification services provider and standards developer, as a Low Fluorocarbon treatment.

The finish — the first textile finish to receive the SCS certification — provides most
fabrics with comparable or better repellency using on average eight times less fluorocarbon than
conventional repellent finishes, according to G3i. It is made using proprietary waste-eliminating,
energy-saving technology that utilizes water-based solvents.

“This is a real breakthrough for the textile industry,” said Dr. Joseph Bringley, chief
technology officer, G3i. “The balance between the performance requirements of fabrics and the need
to lessen the impact of those fabrics on the environment and human health are extremely important
to the specifiers and consumers of textiles.”

December 18, 2007

As part
of an upgrading and expansion plan, Brazil-based Buddemeyer S.A. has installed an Atlas Copco ZR
315 VSD FF oil-free compressor to supply air to each of its 70 looms. The family-owned company
manufactures 300 metric tons monthly of cotton products including bedspreads, bathmats, robes and
towels.

The new compressor, which has been installed alongside another compressor supplied by
Sweden-based Atlas Copco, delivers 855 liters of air per second, is powered by a 315-kiloWatt motor
operating at 50 hertz, and works at up to 7.5 bar.

Buddemeyer expects to conduct its expansion — which will include replacing all of its looms
with new machines — over the next three years.

December 18, 2007

A new sail developed by Germany-based sailmaker Dimension-Polyant GmbH has shown its mettle during
a 4,300-mile race across the Atlantic Ocean, with no sign of wear at the end of the trial.

The newest sails in the company’s line of D4® membrane sails are made with Dyneema® SK78
high-modulus polyethylene fiber developed to provide improved dimensional stability. The sails were
used by racers Marc Emig and Bertrand de Broc, sponsored by the AST Groupe Française, in the
40-foot class in the Transat Jacques Vabre race from Le Havre, France, to Salvador de Bahia,
Brazil. Dimension-Polyant plans a market debut of the new D4 sails in the coming year.

“After four years of development using Dyneema fiber, we have found that this material
significantly enhances the value of our D4 membrane technology,” said Uwe Stein, managing director,
Dimension-Polyant. “Dyneema further reduces sailcloth weight and boosts strength for optimal shape
retention, durability and performance. With the tremendous results of our sailcloth test during the
Transat Jacques Vabre race, we are fully confident about launching this new product next year.”

According to DSM Dyneema, the Netherlands-based manufacturer of the fiber, the custom-made D4
sails with Dyneema comprise two surface film layers enveloping layers of Dyneema fiber. Using a
computer-controlled machine, the fiber is laid over one surface layer in precise curved arrays
based on the sail design. The second surface layer is placed over the Dyneema arrays, and the sail
is laminated together using controlled heat and extreme pressure.



December 18, 2007

Paris-based fashion technology solutions provider Lectra has signed its first Privilege partnership
in China with Donghua University in Shanghai. Lectra’s Privilege partnership program, along with
its Advanced partnership program was established in September 2007 to enhance the company’s
presence and activity within educational institutions around the world.

The Privilege partnership takes a tailored approach to an institution’s specific needs, while
the Advanced partnership includes end-of-study support and sponsoring.

In the case of Donghua, Lectra will offer its expertise in the form of conferences,
internships and support for student projects; use of software and training materials at reduced or
no cost; and exchange of information and data related to best industrial practices. Lectra plans to
invite Donghua students and faculty to its headquarters in Paris, and to cooperate with them on
joint-development programs, such as the recent participation by Donghua University students in
Lectra-sponsored fashion shows at the China International Sewing Machinery & Accessories Show
held in Shanghai last September.

“Our goal is to ensure that our students receive training that is perfectly adapted to the
industry’s needs,” said Li Ke Ling, dean, School of Fashion & Art Design, Donghua University. “
We know Lectra is the best partner for us and has the best solutions. We are excited about all the
projects we will develop together.”



December 18, 2007

Wichita,
Kan.-based Invista has partnered with Aunde Italia S.p.A., Italy, to manufacture and supply
automotive upholstery made with highly durable Cordura® fabric. The new upholstery is available in
the new Fiat Cinquecento Lounge and Sport models.

“Aunde Italia entered into a relationship with Invista because we recognized the superior
quality of Cordura fabric,” said Antonio Brusadelli, CEO, Aunde Italia. “The fabric’s reputation
for long-lasting durability and Invista’s successful track record in the automotive industry made
Cordura fabric the right choice.”



December 18, 2007

The premier edition of the Aachen-Dresden International Textile Conference — created by combining
conferences previously held in Aachen, Germany, and Dresden, Germany — attracted 500 visitors
including 20 percent from outside Germany; and highlighted the areas of textile chemistry,
materials research, technology and engineering.

The conference, held at the Eurogress Congress Center in Aachen, offered a variety of lecture
topics including tether technology for space applications, materials research and plastics
technology for lightweight textile structures and new composite materials, and textile machinery,
among others.

At the conference, the Association of Friends and Sponsors of the Institute of Textile and
Clothing Technology (ITB) at the Techniche Universität Dresden recognized Wolfgang Truemper with an
award for his diploma thesis, while the Aachen Textile Center Inc. awarded its Förderpreis Textil
2007 to Sascha Pargen, Benedikt Wirth and Melanie Wipfler for work on their respective theses.

An exhibition of 80 posters submitted by students and associates of the organizing research
institutes rounded out the conference.

The next Aachen-Dresden International Textile Conference will be held on Dec. 4-5, 2008, in
Dresden. The conference will alternate between the cities of Aachen and Dresden on an annual basis.


December 18, 2007

Effective Jan. 1, 2008, or as contracts allow, The Dow Chemical Co., Midland, Mich., will raise the
price in North America of a number of its oxygenated solvents products. The price of certain acids,
esters and e-series ethers will increase by 3 cents per pound; certain alcohols by 3 to 4 cents per
pound; and certain acetone derivative and p-series glycol ethers by 3 to 5 cents per pound.

Also effective January 1, the company will increase in North America the off-list prices of
certain Tergitol™ and Triton™ surfactants by 3 cents per pound; and certain Carbowax™ and Carbowax
Sentry™ polyethylene glycols and other polyglycol products by 3 to 20 cents per pound.

The company attributes the price increases to an increase in the cost of energy and raw
materials — especially oil, gasoline and olefins — over the last 10 months, as well as the tight
supply of raw materials.



December 18, 2007