Lenzing Opens New Office In India

The Lenzing Group, Austria, has
opened a new sales and marketing office in Coimbatore, India, to offer Lenzing customers a team of
marketing professionals, technicians and merchandisers to assist them in marketing their products.

“A central task of our team is to support the brand manufacturers who source their products
in India,” said S. Jayarman, head of the new office. “We help to find the right fabrics [made with]
Lenzing fibers for the respective applications and thus offer international buyers vital support.”

The new Lenzing AG – India Branch Office is located at: 1st Floor, Rajnarayan Towers, 70,
Race Course, Coimbatore 641 018 India; 91 0 99440 55330; s.jayaraman@lenzing.com.


July 10, 2007

Hexion Tops Basell’s Bid For Huntsman

 
A bidding war appears to be shaping
up over the acquisition of Salt Lake City-based differentiated chemicals manufacturer Huntsman
Corp. (See “Huntsman Takes Over Arabian Polyol Joint Venture, Signs Acquisition Agreement With
Basell,” www.TextileWorld.com Breaking News, June 26, 2007). One week after Huntsman signed an
acquisition agreement with the Netherlands-based Basell — a manufacturer of polypropylene and
advanced polyolefin products — for $25.25 per share or $9.6 billion including the assumption of
debt, Hexion Specialty Chemicals Inc. — a Columbus, Ohio-based supplier of thermoset resins —
raised the ante, offering $27.25 per share or $10.4 billion including debt. Yesterday, Hexion
increased its offer to $28 per share or $10.5 billion.

Last Friday, Huntsman’s Transaction Committee and Board of Directors deemed Hexion’s initial
offer superior to the Basell offer. Huntsman has notified Basell, held by New York City-based
Access Industries, of the committee’s finding, but Huntsman’s Board of Directors continues to
recommend the Basell offer to its stockholders, and it must wait until three business days have
passed before taking definitive action to change its recommendation. In addition, Basell may
counter the Hexion offer during that period. As of Textile World’s press time, no further offer has
been tendered.

The terms of the agreement with Basell include a $200 million break-up fee to be paid to
Basell if another offer is accepted. Hexion, which is owned by an affiliate of Purchase, N.Y.-based
Apollo Management LP, has agreed to pay $100 million of that fee as part of its offer.

Hexion’s offer includes a $325 million reverse break-up fee payable by Hexion to Huntsman
should Hexion fail to obtain regulatory approval or financing for the deal, and a $225 million
break-up fee payable by Huntsman to Hexion related to certain termination actions by Huntsman’s
Transaction Committee or Board of Directors.


July 10, 2007

Ahlstrom To Close Bellingham Facility

In an effort to become more
cost-competitive, Ahlstrom Corp., Finland, will close its manufacturing plant in Bellingham, Mass.,
and move some of the plant’s assets to the company’s operation in Darlington, S.C. Eighty employees
in Bellingham will be affected.

The closure and subsequent consolidation, which will be begin early next year and finish by
July 2008, also will enable Ahlstrom to move its dust filtration operations closer to many of its
customers. The company does not anticipate that customer service will be disrupted.

“The consolidation allows us to improve our competitiveness by moving our most efficient
lines to our Darlington facility,” said Scott Murdock, vice president and general manager of
Ahlstrom’s Filtration North America unit. “Furthermore, the move will create some 50 to 60
positions at our Darlington, S.C., facility.”


July 10, 2007

Strategic Alliances Are In Demand

Last week, the Swiss sailboat Alinghi
successfully defended its Americas Cup title. Switzerland, with no access to the sea, has once
again been awarded the oldest sports trophy in the world.

So how did the landlocked national team do it? Against the Kiwis from New Zealand, owner
Ernesto Bertarelli was the only Swiss on board at the match race. However, he has known how, for
the second time, to get the right people on board and to coordinate trouble-free strategic
alliances between the crewmembers.

Due to the enduring globalization of
the production centers, strategic alliances are also extremely important in the textile machinery
industry, and have been on the advance for years. Chauvinism is out of place here as it is in
sports.

One example of this has been and continues to be the area of technical textiles, where the
complete production chain is always focused on the end product. Quality control at all steps is a
prerequisite for success. Germany-based Dilo’s product offering, for example, does not consist
merely of Dilo needling machines: Cards and openers are also part of its portfolio. Some months
ago, the NSC nonwoven, France, and Rieter Perfojet, France, commenced a strategic alliance to offer
turnkey lines that are configured according to exact product requirements.

Trützschler GmbH & Co. KG, Germany, known globally for its preparatory machines for
spinning mills and for some time also in the area of nonwovens, recently bought Fleissner GmbH from
Germany-based Zimmer. Now Trützschler also can offer further processing of carded fiber webs.

And a few days ago, Trützschler transmitted the following to the media: Marzoli S.p.A.,
Italy — a textile machinery company belonging to the Camozzi Group — and Trützschler have agreed to
enter into a far-reaching cooperation for the construction of lap winders and combing machines, and
the further development of these products. Marzoli will build future Trützschler combing machines.
Sales and customer service are handled by the worldwide Trützschler service network.

As a result, Trützschler can provide its customers with all required machines for spinning
preparation from one source. With the new combing machine, performing at up to 500 nips per minute,
Trützschler will offer a top product that is optimally matched to its cards and draw frames.
Trützschler and Camozzi have decided to take this step to comply with the compelling request by
worldwide customers for a continuous, technically first-class combing line.

The concentration goes on also in the classic textile industry: The greatest shopping spree
of the last few years started the former Saurer and today’s Oerlikon Group. There is hardly an area
of the entire textile industry in which the Oerlikon Group does not offer some type of machinery.

It is obvious: Strategic alliances are also in great demand in the textile machinery
industry. And one might be anxious to know who’s next to team up with whom? Everybody will know the
latest at ITMA 2007.


July 10, 2007

Milliken Introduces Smart Towel, Damask HD Table Linen

Milliken & Company, Spartanburg, has introduced the Cheers Smart Towel for cleaning of food and
beverage premises. Made of microfiber fabric, the towel absorbs liquid easily, produces minimal
lint, is impervious to bleach and exhibits minimal contraction or shrinkage, according to the
company. The towel also has been shown in laboratory wash tests to last five to seven times longer
than competitive cotton towels. In addition, it offers laundering savings in the form of reduced
energy needs and stain rejects.

The company also has introduced Damask HD, a table linen jacquard fabric made with finer
yarns and a new fabric construction that reduces stain rejects. Lab tests have shown that it
retains its color longer than competitive cotton and polyester/cotton fabrics. The fabric is
offered in five different higher-contrast patterns.

“Damask HD offers the same elegant qualities of Milliken’s current spun/filament fabric with
new, clarified patterns,” said Rick Jarrard, general manager of Milliken’s Napery business. “The
durable, pill-resisting quality of Milliken Damask has not changed.”


July 3, 2007

Monforts Unveils New Coating Unit For Montex Tenter

A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG, Germany, has developed an integrated coating device
for its Montex tenter. The new device, which uses the “knife over air” principle, is suitable for
acrylic and silicon paste and foam single-side-coating applications on woven and nonwoven fabrics
for a range of purposes including water-repellent sunshades and awnings, pigmented denim and
outdoor apparel.

The new coating unit is installed in the Montex tenter’s rail-mounted inlet platform. Coating
chemicals are prepared in a mobile foam generator/mixer next to the platform and transferred
through an applicator across the coating device, which applies the coating evenly to the fabric. A
wider coating device is also available.


July 3, 2007

Valdese Weavers
Purchases Joan Fabrics Business Units

Valdese, N.C.-based Valdese Weavers, a developer, producer and marketer of textile products used in
the contract and residential markets, has acquired the Guild 360 Contract and Circa/Doblin business
units of Tyngsboro, Mass.-based Joan Fabrics. A manufacturer of woven jacquard and velour fabrics
for similar markets in North America, Joan Fabrics recently filed for Chapter 11 reorganization.
The transaction, subject to the approval of the Bankruptcy Court, is expected to close this month.

Valdese expects Circa/Doblin to operate as a separate Valese Weavers business unit under its
current management team. The Guild 360 Contract unit will merge into Valdese Weavers Contract.

“We plan to fully leverage the assets of Circa/Doblin with our vertical operations at Valdese
Weavers to enhance Circa/Doblin’s ability to supply fashion-forward products with an absolute
commitment to quality and service,” said Michael Shelton, president and CEO, Valdese Weavers. “For
Guild 360, our expectation is to solidify the service aspect of this business, and thereby
re-establish the credibility of these products in the marketplace.”


July 3, 2007

Biancalani Unveils Airo®24 For Fabric Finishing

Italy-based Biancalani S.p.A. has introduced the Airo®24 machine for drying and softening fabrics
in continuous and in open width. According to the company, the new machine’s drying capacity of 400
kilograms per hour, treatment speed of 2,400 meters per minute (m/min) and productivity of 40 m/min
translate into reduced production costs — with the lowest cost per meter compared with production
costs of similar machines, while at the same time ensuring the hand effect associated with Airo
finishing in all types of fabrics.

Biancalani reports fabrics processed using the Airo24 also exhibit very good dimensional
stability and shrinkage, bright and pleasing color, and abrasion resistance without generating
hairiness. Within particular fabrics, advantages include improved shape retention in technical
fabrics; fuller, more luxurious terry cloth; good body in cottons; and added value in silk and wool
fabrics.


July 3, 2007

Huntsman To Purchase
Metrochem’s Baroda Division

The Textile Effects Division of Huntsman Corp., Salt Lake City, is set to purchase India-based
Metrochem Industries Ltd.’s Baroda Division — a manufacturer of textile dyes and intermediates that
has long served as a supplier for Textile Effects — for $46.5 million. The acquisition is expected
to close in January 2008.

“This acquisition further strengthens Huntsman’s textiles business and represents another
example of Huntsman’s ongoing commitment to further growth of its differentiated product lines,”
said Paul Hulme, president, Materials and Effects Division, Huntsman. “After the acquisition of the
Textile Effects business from Ciba in June 2006, we announced a restructuring plan for the business
that includes an investment plan to optimize our supply chain in Asia, our fastest growing market.
We are very pleased to be able to announce this acquisition, which is a major milestone in our
growth and geographic strategy.”

This announcement comes on the heels of Huntsman’s recent acquisition of majority ownership
of the Arabian Polyol Co., a polyurethanes joint venture it owned with Saudi Arabia-based Basic
Chemical Industries Ltd. It also follows the Netherlands-based Basell’s recent announcement that it
intends to acquire Huntsman in a multibillion-dollar deal. That transaction is not expected to
close until the fourth quarter of this year.


July 3, 2007

Hanesbrands Streamlining Efforts
Include Global Plant Closures, Management Cuts

As part of its ongoing strategy to streamline its operations and improve its cost competitiveness,
Hanesbrands Inc. has announced it will close nine plants in four countries and transfer production
to other manufacturing facilities, and reduce management and administrative personnel worldwide.
The Winston-Salem, N.C.-based manufacturer and marketer of branded innerwear, outerwear and hosiery
expects to complete most of this latest consolidation round — which will affect 5,300 employees in
current positions and result in the addition of some 3,000 jobs at other facilities — by the end of
2007.

The plants slated for closure include: an intimate apparel fabric cutting plant in Montreal
with some 50 employees; two sewing plants in the Dominican Republic with 2,500 employees; four knit
product and intimate apparel sewing and fabric cutting plants in Mexico with 2,200 employees; an
innerwear fabric cutting plant in Puerto Rico with some 150 employees; and an intimate apparel
fabric lamination and sewing plant in Statesville, N.C., with 70 employees. Production at these
plants will be transferred to lower-cost facilities in Asia, Central America and Mexico. In
addition, Hanesbrands will eliminate approximately 350 management and administrative jobs, 90
percent of which are in the United States.

“This streamlining is part of our larger cost-reduction and process-standardization
strategies to increase competitiveness and become a more effective organization,” said Richard A.
Noll, CEO. “Taking these actions will better position us to achieve our long-term growth goals and
financial objectives and help us in our efforts to offset independent company costs and selected
investments we are making in our business.”

“In addition to improving cost competitiveness, these moves will improve the alignment of our
sewing operations with the flow of textiles and will leverage the company’s large scale in
high-volume products,” said Gerald Evans, executive vice president and chief global supply chain
officer. “This realignment will also better position us for expansion of our Asian supply chain. In
November, we acquired a sewing facility in Thailand, our first self-owned Asian production
facility.”

Since Hanesbrands’ launch as an independent, publicly traded company in September 2006, the
company has announced a series of plant closures and production transfers to lower-cost facilities
in the interest of improving its cost competitiveness and supply chain flexibility. Previous
actions include the closure of three plants in Mexico and the Carolinas in late 2006 and early
2007, and the transfer of production to other US, Caribbean and Central American facilities; the
closure of a Puerto Rican facility and transfer to the Caribbean basin in January 2007; the
shutdown by the end of this year of its Stratford Road plant in Winston-Salem and transfer to
Central America and the Caribbean basin; and the closure of three Dominican Republic plants by the
end of September 2007 and transfer to other Central American facilities.


July 3, 2007

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