Fleissner, Albany International Team To Develop New Patterning Technology

Germany-based spunlace equipment
supplier Fleissner GmbH and Albany International Corp., an Albany, N.Y.-based supplier of
custom-designed spunlace nonwoven fabrics and sleeves for specialty applications, have entered into
a mutual cooperation to develop and sell new product patterning technology.

“This agreement between Albany International and Fleissner GmbH will assist in the rapid
introduction of new patterning technologies for our customers,” said David Peacock, vice president
and general manager, Global Engineered Fabrics, Albany International. “We appreciate the
opportunity to partner with an exceptional [original equipment manufacturer] such as Fleissner on
this recently developed technology and look forward to future developments in this area.”

“The cooperation of Fleissner and Albany will create opportunities to speed up the process
of customized patterning … during product development as well as continuous production,” said
Jürgen Heller, Ph.D., managing director, Fleissner. “We look forward to further strengthening our
relationship with Albany to the benefit of our customers.”


June 13, 2006

United States And South Korea Negotiate On FTA

On June 9, the United States and
South Korea concluded an initial round of negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) with no
progress reported on textile and apparel issues. While saying the negotiators made progress in a
number of areas, Assistant US Trade Representative Wendy Cutler conceded that a good deal of work
needs to be done if negotiators are to meet their goal of completing an agreement by the end of
this year.

Textiles and apparel are expected to be among some of the most contentious issues. While US
textile manufacturers would rather not have an agreement at all, they say that if an agreement is
pursued, it should have a yarn forward rule of origin, an effective short supply mechanism, no
tariff preference levels and no cumulation that would allow inputs from countries that have FTAs
with the United States.

Textile importers, on the other hand, are seeking flexibility that would encourage more
trade not only with South Korea, but also with other countries. Julia Hughes, vice president for
international trade and government relations for the New York City-based United States Association
of Importers of Textiles and Apparel, said the Korean agreement presents an opportunity to develop
a network between Korea and other countries that have FTAs with the United States, and those
linkages would result in more trade in areas where the United States is committed to encouraging
trade.

Cutler said the progress to date is “encouraging,” and she feels it will be possible to meet
the December goal for completing the agreement. That date is important because US trade negotiators
want to win congressional approval before the President’s Trade Promotion Authority expires next
July.

Another round of negotiations is scheduled July 10 in Seoul, and other talks will continue
throughout the summer and fall.

June 13, 2006

Solutia Raises Nylon Carpet Fiber Price

Solutia Inc., St. Louis, has
announced a 5- to 7-percent price increase for all nylon carpet fiber products shipped on or after
July 5, 2006. The company cited increased raw material and energy costs as reasons for the price
hike.


June 13, 2006

Susan C. Schwab Confirmed As Trade Negotiator

The US Senate has confirmed the
nomination of Susan C. Schwab as US Trade Representative (USTR) after the action was held up
briefly over questions about how tough she would be on China. Schwab had been serving as deputy
USTR.

Following her confirmation, Schwab said she is committed to move ahead with bilateral and
multilateral trade negotiations that are part of President George W. Bush’s “vision for free and
fair trade.” The new USTR faces a daunting trade agenda, including moving forward with the stalled
World Trade Organization’s Doha Round of trade liberalization negotiations, trade relations with
China and a number of pending or proposed bilateral free trade agreements.

The Arlington, Va.-based American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) praised the
nomination and urged Schwab to make full implementation of the Dominican Republic-Central America
Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA) her “top priority.” AAFA President and CEO Kevin Burke said Schwab
has been actively engaged in developing the US strategy for the Doha Round and has successfully
concluded other agreements. He noted that she has already developed close working relationships
with her counterparts in key countries around the world, as well as key members of the US Congress,
adding “that will serve her well as she prepares to move the Doha Round towards a successful
conclusion, completes implementation of CAFTA and works towards conclusion and congressional
approval of free trade agreements with Thailand, Colombia, Peru, South Korea and Malaysia.”


June 13, 2006

Invista Adds Nylon Capacity In Canada

Invista, Wichita, Kan., has added 5
kilotons of capacity at its plant in Canada, which produces nylon 6,6 yarns for airbags and other
industrial applications. The company reports the Kingston, Ontario, plant’s capacity increase is in
response to the North American automotive industry’s growing need for super-high-tenacity,
low-decitex-per-filament yarns for protective airbags, especially side airbags.

“This investment represents another significant step in the evolution and global growth of
our airbag business,” said Jeff Brown, airbag business director, Invista. “I am delighted to be
able to celebrate our project team’s success and congratulate the Kingston operations team, which
continues to demonstrate its commitment to achieving the goals of our business.”

The plant began producing first-grade material within 36 hours of start-up, which occurred
10 days ahead of schedule.


June 13, 2006

ITMF Releases 2005 Machinery Survey

The Switzerland-based International
Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) has released its 2005 textile machinery shipment survey,
which covers spinning, texturing, flat knitting, large circular knitting, weaving and finishing
machinery. The survey contains a compilation of information provided by about 120 textile machinery
manufacturers.

Short-staple spindle shipments totaling 11.2 million set a record in that category and
topped 2004 shipments by 7 percent. Of these, 7.2 million spindles went to China, 1.4 million to
India, 1 million to Pakistan, 540,000 to Bangladesh and 300,000 to Turkey.

Long-staple spindle shipments, at 182,836, were 5-percent lower overall than in 2004. Again,
China led in the number of shipments with 82,900 spindles, representing a 15-percent drop in
shipments. Turkey — with 42,300 spindles — and Italy — with 14,000 spindles — followed, registering
increases of 148 percent and 245 percent, respectively. Open-end rotor shipments declined by 10
percent to 374,000 positions, including 246,000 to China, 22,000 to Brazil, 20,000 to India and
18,000 to Turkey.

Single-heater drawtexturing spindle shipments were down by 48 percent to 6,900, half of
which went to China and 15 percent to Turkey. Double-heater drawtexturing spindle shipments
declined by 21 percent to 308,000, with 260,000 — 84 percent — going to China, 13,700 to India and
7,700 to Hong Kong.

Weaving machinery shipments also dropped in 2005. Shuttleless loom shipments fell by 16
percent to 53,500 units, with 88 percent going to Asia including 61 percent to China, 9 percent to
India and 7 percent to Bangladesh. Turkey and Italy accounted for 4 percent and 2 percent,
respectfully, of those shipments.

The ITMF survey recorded a record high for circular-knitting machinery shipments, which
totaled 30,500 units — 32-percent more than in 2004 — including 22,500 machines going to China.
Electronic flat-knitting machinery shipments declined by 8 percent to 10,500, with 85 percent
destined for Asia — including 46 percent for Hong Kong and 27 percent for China — and 12 percent
for Europe.

Finishing machinery shipments for knit and woven fabrics were included in the survey for the
first time. Technologies included both wet and dry finishing, and processes included both
continuous and discontinuous.


June 13, 2006

NCSU To Host IFFTI Conference

The International Foundation of
Fashion Technology Institutes (IFFTI), an India-based association comprised of fashion education
institutions, will stage its eighth annual conference June 18-22 at North Carolina State University
(NCSU) College of Textiles, Raleigh, N.C. The theme of this year’s conference will be Fashion in
the Digital Age.

IFFTI’s Executive Committee meeting will convene Sunday, June 18, and the IFFTI Council
meeting and student design competition judging will take place the following day. A series of five
morning and afternoon sessions covering The Process, The Tools, The Materials, Intellectual
Property and Future Leaders, and The Business will begin Tuesday morning, June 20, and conclude
with a Thursday morning session on June 22.

A keynote address will kick off each day, beginning with a presentation Tuesday morning
titled “Integrating Technology in Costume Design” by Douglas Enderle, an Emmy Award-winning costume
designer at Disney World. Judson Early, corporate vice president and chief technology officer,
Textile/Clothing Technology Corp., will deliver Wednesday’s address, “Digital Toolbox”; and Marshal
Gordon, senior vice president, worldwide sales and marketing, TradeCard Inc., will speak on “
Financing Fashion” on Thursday morning.

Other events include a conference dinner Wednesday evening, as well as tours and the closing
session of IFFTI’s Executive Committee meeting Thursday afternoon.

IFFTI was formed in 1999 to develop a global network of fashion education institutions that
would collaborate to advance education in design, technology and business for fashion and related
businesses. Activities include the annual conference, collaboration on bilateral agreements and
professional development initiatives. The foundation’s student design competition, organized by
Japan-based Bunka Women’s University and presented during the annual conference, rewards student
design achievements.


June 13, 2006

Veltex To Enter Designer Clothing

City of Industry, Calif.-based Veltex
Corp. reports it plans to expand into the designer clothing industry under the trade name
VeltexWest with the goal of introducing a men’s line during New York’s 2007 fashion week. The
textile and apparel manufacturer, distributor and importer will market VeltexWest products under
its existing licensing brands such as Veltex Apparel®.

The move is a “natural step in the evolution of Veltex,” said Javeed Matin, CEO. “Our
investment will permit us to become a major player in the retail supply business in addition to the
promotional products industry,” he said.

Veltex recently acquired the retail supply division of a major Canadian textile company.
That division, operating under the Veltex-Canada name, will become Veltex’s US and Canadian retail
supply business. Two of the four divisions that comprise Veltex are Veltex Apparel and Veltex
Explorer Inc., which service the Canadian and US promotional products industries, respectively. The
company’s Velvet Textile Mills division produces consumer and industrial fabrics, and its KCA
Garment Industries division manufactures apparel.


June 13, 2006

Picanol Launches OMNIjet

Belgium-based Picanol NV has
introduced the OMNIjet, a value-added air-jet weaving machine based on OMNIplus 800 technology.
According to the company, the low-built, ergonomically and modularly designed OMNIjet is
user-friendly, enabling high-speed weaving of high-quality fabrics at the lowest possible cost.

Features include: optimized insertion preparation for two or four colors or yarn types;
liquid crystal display and push buttons for setting of all main machine functions; reed width of
150, 190 or 230 centimeters; high-performance filling insertion with reduced air consumption;
electronic take-up and let-off, both driven by independent servomotors; energy-efficient Sumo main
motor with direct machine drive; fast warp gaiting and cloth doffing; rotary selvage units; and
easing motion; among other features. The company reports the machine’s modular concept enables a
minimal initial investment cost that allows future adaptations as needed. In addition, the OMNIjet
is the only weaving machine in its class to offer Autospeed, made possible by the integration of
electronic insertion controls with the Sumo-drive, according to Picanol.


June 6, 2006

Suessen QSS Rates Raw Material Qualtiy

Spindelfabrik Suessen GmbH, Germany,
now offers the QuickSpin System (QSS) for evaluation of raw material quality prior to spinning. The
system enables accurate prediction of yarn properties and processability, even when evaluating very
small fiber samples, according to the company.

Consisting of two separate units — Microdust-Trash Analyzer (MDTA 3) and QuickSpin Unit
(QSU) — QSS provides data as to a fiber’s cleanability, opening behavior, cohesion and stickiness;
as well as influences and tendencies coming from various raw materials. It also makes it possible
to develop cost-effective blends of different fibers.


June 6, 2006

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