House Members Introduce Bill To Offset Tax Advantage Of International Trade

A bipartisan group of members of the
House of Representatives, with the support of textile manufacturers and labor, have introduced
legislation designed to deal with a tax advantage enjoyed by some 150 US trading partners. The
legislation addresses the value-added tax (VAT) system available in overseas countries, but not in
the United States, that provides a tax break on their imports and exports. US manufacturers say the
VAT penalizes US-made goods in two ways: In foreign markets, US goods and services carry the cost
of US taxation as well as the added cost of the foreign VAT; and in the US market, foreign goods
that have been given a VAT tax rebate have a subsidy because no equivalent VAT tax exists in the
United States.

The Border Tax Equity Act of 2007 is sponsored by Reps. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., Mike Michaud,
D-Maine, Walter Jones, R-Va., and Duncan Hunter, R-Calif.

US textile manufacturers have long called for a remedy to the VAT problem. However, with
some 150 countries involved, it faces a tough road ahead.


June 5, 2007

Lubrizol Discontinues Use Of Noveon Company Name, Introduces New Logo

The Lubrizol Corp., Cleveland — a
producer of resins, polymers and specialty additives used by the textile, specialty paper,
adhesives and graphic arts industries, among other industries — has decided to discontinue use of
the name Noveon, except in connection with Lubrizol’s specialty consumer products. The decision,
along with a new company logo, is part of Lubrizol’s one-company initiative to form a common
identity for the company and its subsidiaries.

This news coincides with the announcement that Noveon Inc. and Noveon Canada Inc., wholly
owned subsidiaries of Lubrizol, have changed their names to Lubrizol Advanced Materials Inc., and
Lubrizol Advanced Materials Canada Inc., respectively. Other Lubrizol subsidiaries around the world
will follow with similar name changes beginning in July.

“Our goal is to clearly state to our investors, customers and other stakeholders that
Lubrizol is a united organization with a common philosophy and vision, focused on growth,” said
James Hambrick, president, chairman and CEO, Lubrizol. “The name and logo change will be beneficial
to how we do business. Eliminating the use of multiple names and logos will allow us to present
ourselves to the global marketplace in a consistent manner.”


June 5, 2007

The Winds Of Change

Not only because of cheap labor, but
also for environmental reasons, many production sites in the Western World, particularly in Western
Europe, have closed. To attain standards set by the environmental laws was simply too expensive for
many companies. Apart from the well-known reasons — such as cheap labour costs — poor environmental
laws or simply non-existing pollution control are reasons China was able to start its fast race to
the economic top of the world. And China’s pace increased even more after its accession to the
World Trade Organization. However, economic success often is intermingled with ecological problems.
Organizations in the Western Hemisphere have severely criticized China for this reason. Since last
year, China’s strategy has changed dramatically.

In June 2006, the China National Development and Reform Commission and the China National
Textile & Apparel Council held a conference to discuss the development of its textile and
apparel industry.

In a vision for the 11th Five-Year plan from 2006 to 2010, ambitious targets for the textile
and apparel industry were set, including the following:

• In 2010, China’s national textile and apparel industry will substantially increase its
self-innovating capacity and develop intellectual properties;

• The industrial structure will be further developed with a considerable improvement of the
overall level of technological equipment; and

• Low-level primary processing capacities with low-efficiency, high-energy consumption and
heavy pollution will be restricted or reduced to achieve a substantial improvement in energy
consumption and environmental preservation.

The following sectors of the textile and apparel industry were specifically named:

• cotton spinning and weaving;

• wool spinning;

• linen spinning and weaving;

• man-made fibers;

• apparel;

• industrial textile products;

• household textiles;

• printing;

• knitting; and

• silk.

Of course, textile machinery also was prominently mentioned. The ambitious plan calls for
the drive to raise the level of the whole industry. In the dyeing sector, the target is to phase
out equipment and dyeing factories that do not comply with the standards for anti-pollution
measures. Some factories have already been closed down.

Finishing is more than ever playing an important role in the global textile industry for
many different reasons. Textile machinery manufacturers are challenged to meet not only the
increasing environment-related requirements, but also flexibility and low maintenance needs. The
forthcoming ITMA 2007 in Munich, Germany, will show if these manufacturers have done their
homework.


June 5, 2007

Gerber Scientific Receives President’s ‘E’ Award

The Apparel and Flexible Materials
Division, Gerber Technology, of Tolland, Conn.-based Gerber Scientific Inc. has received the
President’s “E” Award — a prestigious award administered by the US Department of Commerce that
honors US exporters for their competitive achievements in global markets and the benefits their
success brings to the US economy.

“Gerber Technology has exported products for most of its nearly 40-year history,” said Marc
T. Giles, president and CEO, Gerber Scientific. “To be recognized by the Department of Commerce
with this prestigious award is indeed an honor for Gerber Technology, and a powerful validation of
the effectiveness of our international strategy.”

The company — one of eight US businesses to receive the award this year — supplies automated
manufacturing systems for apparel, flexible materials, sign-making and specialty graphics, and has
offices, agents and distributors in 125 countries. Seventy-five percent of its product revenue in
fiscal year 2006 was created from sales to companies outside the United States — representing an
additional 20-percent growth on top of the 15-percent growth it experienced between 2002 and 2005.

“Gerber Technology has demonstrated a sustained commitment to export expansion,” said
Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez during the award presentation. “Gerber Technology’s
achievements have undoubtedly contributed to national export expansion efforts that support the US
economy and create American jobs.”


May 29, 2007

Wellman Sells Wellstrand® Assets To David C. Poole Co.

Wellman Inc., Fort Mill, S.C., has
sold assets related to its Wellstrand® fiber business, including manufacturing equipment and the
license to use the brand name, to David C. Poole Co. Inc., a Greenville-based distributor of
man-made staple fibers and polyethylene terephthalate bottle-grade resins.

“The sale of these assets reflects our strategy to focus on our chemical-based business,”
said Thomas M. Duff, Wellman’s chairman and CEO.

“I am pleased to add Wellstrand, a specialty coarse denier polyester staple fiber, to our
family of product offerings,” said David Poole, president, David C. Poole Co. “We have already
resumed manufacturing Wellstrand fiber in Johnsonville, S.C. Our product, which is manufactured
primarily from post-consumer recycled raw materials, is ideal for various industrial applications.
Wellstrand fiber is available in a variety of deniers ranging from 45 to 500 [deniers per
filament].”


May 29, 2007

Datacolor Supplies Pantone, Coats With CONDITIONER™

Lawrenceville, N.J.-based Datacolor
recently supplied Pantone Inc. and Coats plc with a Datacolor CONDITIONER™ to support color
management in their respective operations. The Conditioner ensures color sample consistency by
conditioning samples at fixed humidity and temperature prior to measurement in only five to 10
minutes.

Pantone, a Carlstadt, N.J.-based color specialist, will implement the Conditioner to
facilitate rapid conditioning of textile samples for color.

“Pantone selected Datacolor as a new supplier of reliable, high-quality conditioner machines
to facilitate color management of our Smart Color Swatch Cards for the fashion and home
industries,” said Brooks Tippett, director, textile operations and development, Pantone. “We share
Datacolor’s passion and commitment for maintaining color throughout the manufacturing process to
deliver true color consistency across any substance.”

England-based Coats plc, a manufacturer of sewing thread and needlecraft products, will use
the Conditioner to speed up development and manufacture of thread coloration by doing away with
variability factors caused by varying environmental conditions in the more than 60 countries where
it maintains facilities.

“After extensive testing of different systems, Coats found that the Datacolor Conditioner
was robust and reliable to support the rapid conditioning of our standard thread samples,” said
Andrew Morgan, technology director, Coats. “In terms of cost and performance, we found Conditioner
to be the best machine to meet the demands of our global operations, and are pleased to have
Datacolor as a supplier of both conditioners and spectrophotometers in our global
locations.”


May 29, 2007

US, China Economic Meetings Produced Limited Results

The US/China Strategic Economic
Dialogue, held in Washington May 22-23, produced some limited results in the areas of financial
services and air travel, but it was pretty much a bust where international trade issues were
concerned. The Chinese delegation of 25 high-level government officials arrived in Washington
protesting recent US trade sanctions, while the US delegation was insisting that something must be
done to reduce the $233 billion Chinese trade deficit. In the end, the Chinese were still
complaining about economic sanctions, and very little, if anything, was done to address the trade
deficit.

President George W. Bush said the meetings were “very friendly,” and Treasury Secretary
Henry M. Paulson Jr., who headed the US delegation, said there was “wide agreement” on a number of
next steps on financial services, energy and the environment, and civil aviation. He said he
expects talks to continue “in a cooperative spirit.”

With respect to one of the burning issues — China’s alleged currency manipulation — Paulson
said China has taken some steps to increase the flexibility of its currency, but he indicated more
must be done, particularly in the face of complaints by members of Congress and many business
interests, including textiles, that progress is not fast enough. He said the pace of change has
picked up, but added, “I believe it is very much in their interests and the interests of the world
that they move more quickly.”

At the conclusion of the meetings, Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez said protection
of intellectual property rights and market access “remain at the top of our agenda.” He also said
the United States intends to stand by its decision to use countervailing duty laws to combat
illegally subsidized goods from non-market economies such as China, adding, “We have a firm
commitment to use tools at our disposal to enforce fair competition.” When US Trade Representative
Susan C. Schwab was asked about progress on trade issues she simply said, “We had a healthy
exchange of ideas.”

The US Business and Industry Council (USBIC) blasted the dialogue, saying the two sets of
meetings, last December and in May, have produced “no meaningful results,” and it called on
Congress to take control of US/China trade policy. “The failure of the White House’s approach is
now clear, so the ball is clearly in Congress’s court,” said USBIC’s President Kevin L. Kearns. “
With Democrats who have long supported bolder and smarter China trade policies now in charge, there
are no more excuses for continued Congressional inaction.” USBIC is strongly backing legislation
pending in both the House and Senate that would declare currency manipulation an unfair trade
practice, subject to sanctions under US countervailing duty laws.



May 29, 2007

Swift Spinning Acquired By Blackstreet Capital

Swift Spinning Inc., a Columbus,
Ga.-based spinner of ring-spun cotton yarn used in socks, high-end denim and branded apparel, has
received a financial shot in the arm as a result of the acquisition of a controlling interest in
the company by Bethesda, Md.-based private equity firm Blackstreet Capital Management LLC from
Tokyo-based Marubeni Corp.

According to Trey Hodges, Swift Spinning’s president and COO, the century-old company will
continue to operate as it has from the beginning as a yarn manufacturer and sales company,
retaining its 375 employees and two facilities in Columbus. Blackstreet Operating Partner Ric
Miller will join the company’s existing management, serving as its new chairman.

“We’ve invested a lot of money in our plants over the last five to ten years,” Hodges said,
adding that Blackstreet plans to invest “whatever we need to go forward to run our business.

“They bought us knowing this industry has not been seeing the best of times, and they
believe that some textiles will survive in this hemisphere,” Hodges continued. “There will still be
some shaking out in the industry, but you can’t get everything from overseas because there’s still
a six-to-eight-week window for delivery. The commodities will still continue to come [from
overseas], but everybody that survives [in the US industry] has got to replenish that [quickly], or
be in a niche business.”

Hodges added that a good portion of Swift Spinning’s product is shipped to Central America
for further processing into apparel. “We’re selling our yarns to about 15 name brands,” he
said.


May 29, 2007

NCSU Researchers Produce Artificial Muscle-Like Fibers

Two North Carolina State University (NCSU) researchers have produced plastic tube structures
resembling human muscle strands and applied electrical currents to make the tubes mimic muscle
activity. Tushar Ghosh, Ph.D., a professor at the Raleigh, N.C.-based universitys College of
Textiles, and John Muth, Ph.D., an associate professor at the College of Engineering, see
opportunities to develop such fibers for a wide range of applications including smart textiles,
biomedicine, prosthetics and robotics.

With their work funded by a grant from the Spring House, Pa.-based National Textiles Center,
Ghosh and Muth applied electrical currents to polyurethane and silicone tubes to produce behavior
similar to that exhibited in human muscle. The prototypes, approximately the size of a pencil lead,
are the first artificial muscle-like fibers produced in a lab, according to NCSU. The next step in
the research is to make smaller fibers comparable in size to muscle fibers.

“We have developed a fiber at a large scale and demonstrated that you can generate significant
levels of force,” Ghosh said. “The muscles in our bodies are made of fibers, and if we can mimic
those fibers, get them down to scale and bundle them in the same way, we believe we can make very
useful devices with them.”

“We’ve been interested in these ideas of being able to control the shapes of fabrics using
electricity or some other forces for some time,” Muth added. “There are a wide variety of potential
uses for these tpes of fibers. A good next step would be to reduce the size of these fibers to a
smaller scale.”


May 22, 2007

Three Great Events Organizers Report Strong Attendance SRO Seminars

Organizers of Three Great Events, a triennial colocation of Material World, SPESA Expo and
Technology Solutions, reported strong, diversified, global participation and seminars with
standing-room-only (SRO) audiences at the 2007 gathering, held earlier this month at the Miami
Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Fla.

“We were extremely pleased to have the opportunity once again to join forces with SPESA Expo to
bring together a comprehensive industry gathering,” said Tim von Gal, president, Material World.
“All three sectors experienced solid success and each benefited from the momentum the combined
event generated. In addition to industry networking, fabric sampling, demonstrations of garment
production capabilities and technology, Material World continues to distinguish itself as a trade
show where orders are written.”

“The collaboration and cooperation among the three organizations strengthened our individual
products and facilitated business and educational opportunities,” said Benton Gardner, executive
vice president, SPESA.

Material World, owned and produced by Atlanta-based Urban Expositions LLC, is an official event
of the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), Arlington, Va. SPESA Expo is owned and
produced by the Sewn Products Equipment Suppliers of the Americas (SPESA), Raleigh, N.C. Technology
Solutions is jointly produced by Urban Expositions, AAFA and SPESA. The three colocated shows
featured exhibitors from the Americas, Europe, China, India and Pakistan showcasing machinery and
equipment; fabric, trims, yarn and components; full-package solutions; technology; and a range of
services including freight forwarding, forecasting, financial, and color and trim. Educational
seminars; special AAFA/SPESA-sponsored programs such as The Executive Sourcing Summit and The
Leadership Forum: Benchmarking Effective Brand Management; Sepals Cool Zone featuring
state-of-the-art technologies to support a totally digital textile/apparel supply chain; a Trend
Pavilion; a Garment Trend area; and other presentations rounded out the offerings.


May 22, 2007

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