Switzerland-based HeiQ Materials AG — a manufacturer of silver composite additives and
high-performance, sustainable textile finishes — has unveiled Barrier by HeiQ, a particle-based
textile finish that repels water, oil and stains. The system features a 3-D surface built-up by
specialized microsized particles that are firmly embedded in the textile finish.

According to the company, utilizing Barrier by HeiQ technology can reduce the use of
fluorine-based repellency chemicals by up to 60 percent. Other benefits of the Barrier by HeiQ
system include wash durability; a simple one-step padding application; consistent performance;
cost-effectiveness; direct compatibility with other HeiQ textile effects; and suitability for all
fabric types.

June 23, 2009

Greer, S.C.-based technical textiles consultancy Industrial Textile Associates (ITA) has formed an
alliance with Dr. Subhash K. Batra of SKBA — Charles A. Cannon Professor, Emeritus, at Raleigh,
N.C.-based North Carolina State University’s (NCSU’s) College of Textiles, and director emeritus of
NCSU’s Nonwovens Cooperative Research Center — to focus on technical textiles and engineered
fiber-based product production and applications.

Services offered will include studies and technical consultations such as performance and
usage evaluations of fibers, yarns and fabrics; as well as assistance to companies wishing to
become active or increase their presence in the technical textiles marketplace. The ITA/SKBA
alliance also may lead to the organization of new conferences targeting specific technical textiles
segments.

“With the difficult economic and changing times, it is imperative that companies thoroughly
evaluate their operation and their plans to move forward, prepared for the inevitable recovery,”
said William C. “Bill” Smith, principal and founder, ITA. “ITA/SKBA can be of value in that process
with unbiased viewpoints that only a small, dedicated and experienced consulting firm can provide.
Providing practical and company-focused recommendations will be our strength. We will be pleased to
work with new as well as experienced companies committed to succeed in this complex marketplace of
technical textiles/engineered fiber-based products.”

ITA associates also include Dr. Jim Hendrix, who specializes in polymer chemistry and yarn
and product development, and Dr. Dong Zhang, who specializes in nonwovens research. 

June 16, 2009

Austria-based cellulosic fiber and polymer producer Lenzing Group and Weyerhaeuser — a Federal
Way, Wash.-based softwood market pulp producer, and a leader in cellulose-based research and
development — have commissioned a pilot plant to investigate the commercial potential of
TencelWeb™, a new technology for the direct production of lyocell nonwoven fabrics targeted toward
industrial and personal care products. The pilot plant, to be built in Lenzing, Austria, will focus
on testing large-scale production of this meltblown and spunbond technology for cellulose fiber.

“This cooperation combines over 20 years of Lenzing’s expertise in the development of lyocell
staple fiber and Weyerhaeuser’s extensive experience in applying technology to cellulose to create
innovative, sustainable products,” said Don Atkinson, vice president, market development and
innovation for the Cellulose Fibers Business, Weyerhaeuser.

“Working with key partners in the industry, the next stage of our joint development work will
focus on understanding the key process economics and the unique capabilities of TencelWeb™,” said
Robert Smith, new business and innovation director, Nonwovens Business Unit, Lenzing.

June 16, 2009

TenCate Geosynthetics, a division of the Netherlands-based Royal Ten Cate, is supplying its
Geotube® technology to Nigeria to reinforce and protect riverbanks in the Niger Delta in Nigeria
and for the rehabilitation and protection of the coastal strip of the Grand Isle near New Orleans.

TenCate’s Geotube technology is an erosion prevention system comprising a large tubular
textile container filled with local sand or sludge. According to TenCate, the system is more
sustainable than traditional shoreline protection materials such as concrete, boulders or stones;
is more effective than sand reclamation; and can easily be integrated into landscape. TenCate is
working with the Niger Delta Development Commission to reinforce the riverbanks in Nigeria, and
with the US Army Corps of Engineers to rehabilitate beaches in New Orleans that were damaged by
Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike in 2008.

Pendergrass, Ga.-based TenCate Industrial Fabrics, also a division of Royal Ten Cate, has
named Elkins Park, Pa.-based Lancer Textiles Inc. as Master Distributor for the Industrial Fabrics
division. TenCate’s Industrial Fabrics division develops products for specific markets such as
horticulture, agriculture, containment, filtration, transportation/construction and industrial
nonwovens, among other markets.

“As our Master Distributor partner, Lancer Textiles will stock and sell first quality
products of our most popular styles and put ups and will help bridge the gap for those customers
that have special converting needs, who buy small quantities, or who are unable to buy direct due
to minimum order requirements,” said Kevin Jung, director of sales and marketing, TenCate’s
Industrial Fabrics division.

June 16, 2009

DSM Dyneema — a division of the Netherlands-based Royal DSM NV, a life and materials sciences
company that manufactures Dyneema® high-performance polyethylene fiber — and Bluewater Energy
Services BV — a member of the Netherlands-based Bluewater group of companies — have introduced a
Composite Cryogenic Hose made with Dyneema® ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene fiber.
According to the companies, the hose is the first truly flexible large-bore hose for high-volume
offshore transfer of liquefied natural gas (LNG).

LNG transfer hoses should be large-bore, durable, able to handle high loads, and flexible
enough to function in harsh weather conditions. Low LNG temperatures, combined with an unfavorable
marine environment, limit the type of materials that are suitable for constructing the hoses. A
patented circular braided layer made from Dyneema provides the Composite Cryogenic Hose with high
axial strength, light weight, low-temperature resistance, flexibility and increased pressure
capacity. The hoses allow large-volume fluid transfer, thereby shortening the marine transfer
process as well as the overall risk exposure.

DSM Dyneema and Bluewater developed the Composite Cryogenic Hose over 10 years as part of a
joint research and development program. The hose is the first cryogenic application in which
Dyneema fiber has been used. DSM Dyneema and Bluewater also have formed a strategic partnership for
the development and marketing of innovative products.

June 16, 2009

The M-Textile line of digital textile inks manufactured by Mt. Pleasant, S.C.-based Sawgrass
Technologies Inc. — a developer of digital printing technologies — have undergone testing at
Philadelphia University using American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) test
methods to evaluate colorfastness to ultraviolet light, laundering, wet and dry crocking, and
perspiration. The inks were found to meet three-year outdoor durability standards.

M-Textile inks are water-based, modified-pigment inks suitable for printing on both natural
and man-made fiber textiles. No wet post-processing is required. According to the company, the inks
are made using a binder-free formula that eliminates head-clogging, maintenance and downtime
associated with traditional water-based pigment inks. The dyes may replace acid, reactive and
disperse dyes, all of which require steaming, washing, drying and sometimes wastewater treatment.
In addition, M-Textile inks do not contain hazardous or toxic air pollutants; and offer time,
energy and cost savings, requiring only three minutes of inline heat fixation.

June 16, 2009

Austria-based Lenzing Instruments GmbH & Co. KG, a manufacturer of testing instruments, has
entered into an agreement with the Germany-based FIBRE, Faserinstitut Bremen, at the University of
Bremen, for the production and sale of the NOS 200 system used to analyze fiber orientation in a
nonwoven web. The system inspects nonwoven webs, and using charge-coupled device cameras and image
evaluation techniques gives real-time feedback that can be used for process control on a nonwoven
production line. The technology now is available to nonwovens manufacturers worldwide through
Lenzing’s existing network of contacts in the nonwovens industry and its distribution network.

Lenzing also recently gained the exclusive global license from Switzerland-based textile
machinery mechanical and electronic components producer Retech AG to sell its Prompt-ATQ online
sensor for monitoring yarn tension during air texturizing manufacturing. The sensor alerts the
operator to problems during production such as a dirty nozzle, defect yarn guides, missing fancy
yarns and incorrect heater temperature so that corrections may be made immediately.

In other company news, Lenzing Instruments has assumed worldwide sales and service for the
GE-TE-FLOW, a water permeability tester for geotextiles manufactured by Germany-based analytical
systems producer Eco-Mess. Lenzing Instruments reports the fully automatic, computer-controlled
instrument GE-TE-FLOW has been tested and proven in industrial production and public testing
laboratories.

June 16, 2009