Tsudakoma Establishes Shanghai Subsidiary

Japan-based Tsudakoma Corp. has established Tsudakoma (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. to provide parts, sales
and technical service to its customers in China. Heading up the organization are President Osamu
Miyamoto and General Manager Takeshi Okunami.

According to the company, parts for both air-jet and water-jet looms, as well as preparatory
machinery, will be available on short notice. Twenty engineers are employed in the technical
service area to respond quickly to customer inquiries and problems.

January 2004

Color Works


H
 aving the right colors can make a difference on a company’s profit or loss statement.
When a consumer walks into a store, the first thing she sees is color. Whether she is looking for
upholstery fabrics, carpets, towels, sweaters, socks or a new winter coat, if she doesn’t like the
colors she sees, chances are she will walk out of the store without looking any further. Although
the consumer is the final arbiter, her choices are felt throughout the supply chain. It’s up to the
retailer, designer, converter and spinner to select and match the right shades for the right
products each season.

Color forecasting, selection and matching have become an important part of the fashion and
home textile business. Many fiber companies have color experts on staff to advise direct and
indirect customers. There also are trade associations that track color and companies that are in
the business of color for products as diverse as printer inks, cosmetics, automotive interiors,
industrial products, contract design and apparel.

The first color forecasting service in this country, The Color Association of the United
States (CAUS), was established in 1915. Originally called the Textile Color Card Association of the
United States (TCCA), it was formed by the wool and silk industries, which needed color information
to market their fabrics. They were joined by thread, button and apparel manufacturers. TCCA issued
twice-yearly color cards, gave directions in color trends to the apparel market, offered formulas
for each forecasted color to members, and provided a center for color information. Fall/Winter
color cards were dyed in wool, Spring/Summer in silk.

colorcubes
The Interiors 2004/2005 color forecast released by The Color Association of the United
States (CAUS) shows the mercurial buff and brown shades in combination with yellows and pinks for
this year’s home fashions.

Photograph courtesy of CAUS


Color Standards Set In The 1920s


In order to have each shade of color be the same in every American industry, TCCA
standardized a list of staple colors. There were 110 colors in the first edition, issued in May
1915, on 5,000 cards under the title “Standard Color Reference of America.” In the 1920s, TCCA
developed an association with the US government and Armed Forces to standardize colors for military
uniforms, ribbons, decorations and flags.

Now in its tenth edition, the Standard Color Reference of America shows 192 colors including
Khaki, Light Olive Drab, West Point Grey and Marine Corps (blue) for the US Armed Services; Old
Glory Red and Old Glory Blue for the US flag; Princeton Orange, Harvard Crimson and Yale Blue for
Ivy League colleges; and official flag colors of nearly 20 foreign countries.

“Standard colors don’t change very often,” said Margaret Walch, CAUS director. “The Army
keeps the same shades. Can you imagine a parade with sailors all wearing different shades of navy
blue? A color isn’t standardized unless there is a reason. Schiaparelli Pink was standardized in
1937. It’s becoming popular again.”

In 1952, TCCA came out with the first Upholstery and Drapery Fabric Color Card. This was
expanded to include the entire home furnishings industry in 1969, and today is known as the
Interior Colors Forecast. Walch referred to it as colors for interiors and the environment.

In December 1955, TCCA’s Board of Directors changed the association’s name to The Color
Association of the United States in order to encompass the broader focus of the organization.
Today, CAUS serves man-made fibers, home furnishings, floor coverings, wallpaper, household
appliances, paints, plastics, automobiles, motion pictures, television and radio, along with
apparel industries. It is supported through membership dues.

colorcue
Pantone Inc.’s color charts are used to communicate color along the supply chain.


Creating Color


The Interior Colors Forecast is issued annually. A committee of industry experts in a
variety of areas of home and product design markets meets at CAUS headquarters in New York City to
discuss and select colors for each season. The color card comes out two years in advance and is
used for interiors, including residential and contract; graphic, product and industrial design;
automotive; packaging; and media.

For apparel there are separate color cards for women, men and children. An activewear card
is distributed once a year for the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) International,
North Palm Beach, Fla., for The Super Show®. It contains 24 colors – 12 for Spring/Summer and 12
for Fall/Winter. The apparel committees are composed of color professionals from fiber companies,
textile mills, converters, fashion designers and major retailers.

CAUS members have access to the association’s vast archives, with color cards and swatches
dating back to 1915. Walch, who is the author of three books on color and teaches a course on color
at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York City, is a source of information on color
tastes, trends and history.

Monthly workshops at CAUS offices go into topics relating color to lifestyle. Recent
meetings have covered the trend to pattern in fashion, interiors and graphic design; modern black
and corporate dress. Annual color symposiums take place every September. These two-day events
feature panel discussions and workshops. A bimonthly newsletter contains color information such as
interviews with committee members about seasonal color selections, current trends, news and events
relating to color.

Colors to watch, according to Walch, are purple and yellow. “We’ve had pinks and reds for
several seasons. Purple is the next step. It will go into all areas, from home to apparel, even
menswear, where we see it starting with raspberry.”

walch
Margaret Walch, director, The Color Association of the United States


Matching Color


Communicating color throughout the supply chain on a global basis is the major focus of
Pantone Inc., Carlstadt, N.J., which has offices and licensees in more than 100 countries. Pantone
colors are used in the graphic arts, textile, apparel, interior, plastics, architectural and
industrial design markets throughout the world. Founded in 1962 by Lawrence Herbert to produce
accurate color matches in graphic arts, the company has over the past 40 years expanded its reach
to other industries. Today, Pantone has added separate color systems for textiles, architecture and
interiors, and plastics.

Lisa Herbert, executive vice president, textile, home and fashion and TheRightColor, said
the Pantone Textile Color System® for apparel and home was launched in 1984 with about 1,000
colors. Today, there are 1,932 colors and a variety of products. All are available in cotton or
paper format. There is a separate system for architecture and interiors that allows designers to
connect different categories within the industry, including flooring, leather, fabrics, carpet,
fiber, furniture and laminates.

For apparel, the Pantone textile color system is essential to coordinate lines.
Manufacturers and retailers can specify Pantone color numbers from separate suppliers to get exact
color matches, so knitting yarns, bottomweight fabrics and prints work together.

lisa
Lisa Herbert, executive vice president, textile, home and fashion and TheRightColor,
Pantone Inc.

Cotton-based products include: a color selector reference book, which contains all of the
textile colors dyed on 100-percent cotton chips; a three-volume color swatch file with
2-inch-square removable swatches arranged by color family; and separate 4-inch-square swatch cards
of each color that can be cut into smaller pieces for distribution to multiple production
locations. Eight-by-10-inch swatches of the 475 top-selling colors also are available.

The paper color specifier book shows color arranged tonally, with six tear-out chips for
each color. Generally, there are seven colors per page. Replacement pages can be purchased
separately. The paper color guide is in the form of an easy-to-view fan. Colors are arranged
chromatically.

All of the color guides are written in seven languages. Colors are named as well as
numbered. Herbert explained the color numbering system: “The first two numbers refer to depth of
color, the last four designate shade.”

New technology recently introduced includes the Color Cue™ TX. The size of a flashlight,
this spectrocolorimeter has been preprogrammed with Pantone’s Color System and can immediately
identify the closest color of any flat surface with the click of a switch.

Digital access also is available and can be incorporated into most design software because
most computer printers use Pantone colors. For textiles, along with the basics, additional colors
are available.

Herbert explained that because different light can change how a color looks, all Pantone
shades are viewed under a daylight standard, D-65.

If someone needs a color that is not one of the 1,932 in its system, Pantone’s color lab
will develop the shade and dye sample yardage. Brooks G. Tippett, director of textile operations
and development, said custom color dyeing services to textile clients can dye up to 150 yards of
fabric. Pantone uses Roaches dye machines. Fabrics are washed, flat-dried and allowed to condition
in a light- and humidity-controlled environment.

All of Pantone’s colors on cotton are in stock. When a color needs to be redyed, the history
of that color is evaluated and compared to all previously dyed fabrics. Colors are visually
analyzed using a spectrophotometer, which reads the reflectance of light and gives numerical
values. A reading of 1.25 is considered acceptable. Pantone’s rigid standards to keep color
consistent from year to year raise that standard to 0.45.

Digital color communication has become an increasingly important tool. “It can save time and
cost substantially,” Tippett said. “A designer in New York can approve a lab dip from China in a
much shorter time.” Pantone works in partnership with eWarna.com: Pantone formulates a color, which
is read into the spectrophotometer and goes into the eWarna database. This information is
immediately received in China. It is so accurate and immediate that it eliminates sending lab dips
back and forth for approval, according to Pantone.

Tracking inventory levels gives Pantone insight into color preferences and trends. Of the 20
top-selling swatch cards, the number-one- and -two-ranked colors are Bright White and Snow White.
Stretch Limo (black) is number three, followed by Biking Red and Peacoat. There are four shades of
red, four whites, one gray, one yellow, one pink and eight blues on the list.

Pantone’s involvement in fashion is increasing. Recently, it became a sponsor of New York’s
Fashion Week, and it is producing seasonal color trend books and reports. The Pantone View Color
Planner is a bi-annual trend-forecasting tool that offers color direction 24 months in advance. It
is geared to menswear, womenswear, activewear, cosmetics and industrial design.

brooks
Brooks G. Tippett, director, textile operations and development, Pantone Inc.


Making It Work


Color forecasting has come a long way since the first standardized list of staple colors was
introduced in the early 20th century. With the expertise of color consultants and trade
associations now widely available, color has become the springboard for many of the looks and
designs the consumer sees in apparel and home furnishings, among many other markets.

Color has become the basis for  important choices made throughout the supply chain –
from spinner to converter to designer to retailer. Making the right color choice makes the
difference – a satisfied consumer.

January 2004

European Manufacturers Seek Import Relief

European textile and apparel manufacturers have joined the chorus of demands that Chinese imports
be restricted. Citing a dramatic growth of imports that has made China Europe’s number-one overseas
supplier of textiles and apparel, Filiep Libeert, president of the European textile association
EUTATEX, called for using safeguards measures and other actions to reduce the impact of Chinese
imports on European markets. He charged that China is using a variety of subsidies and trade
barriers that have resulted in Chinese imports 29 times larger than European exports to China.
Saying this is complete nonsense, he specifically cited China’s artificial manipulation of what he
called its vastly undervalued currency and major purchases of textile machinery that could not be
accomplished by private financing.

He warned that European manufacturers face a stark challenge either to take whatever steps
are appropriate to persuade the Chinese to limit their appetite for the European Union market or
face the heavy responsibility of further factory closures. Libeert’s comments sound remarkably
similar to the arguments US textile manufacturers are making as they seek relief from surging
Chinese imports.

January 2004

GTP Adds New Partners

In its efforts to become a “total solutions provider,” Global Textile Partner (GTP), Switzerland,
has entered into alliances with Anovotek LLC and The Context Group.

Barnwell, S.C.-based Anovotek and its Anovotek Energy division will deliver expertise in
energy management strategies and technologies, product development, process engineering and
manufacturing.

The Context Group, Atlanta, with its years of experience in strategy and marketing, human
resource development, information technology, manufacturing, logistics, corporate finance and
supply chain management, will offer additional benefits to GTP clients.

“Anovotek and The Context Group have joined with GTP to bring added value for clients in
apparel, textiles and soft goods,” said Andy Butenhoff, worldwide business line manager, consulting
and training, GTP. “These new partners, with their extensive global textile experience and hands-on
skills, increase the range of GTP’s single source capabilities.”

January 2004

Industry Report Underscores Grim Conditions In 2003

The American Textile Manufacturers Institute’s (ATMI’s) annual business and economic report paints
a dismal picture of 2003 and lays much of the blame at the feet of Chinese imports and the failure
of the Bush administration to address the industry’s trade and economic problems.

Looking ahead, industry officials say 2004 may not be much better, and it could well be a
make or break year for US textiles.

In 2003, the textile industry lost 10 percent of its workforce, as more than 50 plants were
shuttered in what ATMI called the industry’s second worst performance in half a century. Overall,
textile and apparel imports rose 7 percent to $85.7 billion, with textiles alone increasing by 6
percent to $17 billion. Exports of textiles and apparel were down by 2 percent and exports of
textiles alone were up by only 1 percent. That resulted in a textile and apparel trade deficit of
$70 billion.

Imports from China rose some 85 percent last year, making China the largest supplier of
textiles and apparel, accounting for 19 percent of the market. China is now twice as large as
Mexico, which is the number two supplier.

In the overall economic picture, corporate sales were down 3 percent to $47 billion, but
profits on the reduced sales were up 70 percent over 2002. The profit increase, however, is from a
comparatively small base of $400 million. The annual business review showed that: Textile
employment continued its long-term contraction in 2003. Looking at the past fifty years, last years
ten percent rate of decline in employment was second only to the 13 percent rate the industry
suffered in 2001. Textile Mill and Textile Product Mill employment combined fell to 428,000 workers
at year-end 2003, which represented a loss of 50,000 industry jobs from year-end 2002. Textile mill
shipments, as defined by the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Category 313
(Fabric, Yarn, Thread, and Finishing), fell in 2003 by another eight percent to $39.8 billion.
Textile corporate sales also declined in 2003. After a modest three percent gain in 2002, sales
fell three percent last year to $47 billion. Textile corporate sales are the sales of corporations
whose largest percentage of revenue comes from textile operations as defined by NAICS categories
313 (Textile Mills) and 314 (Textile Product Mills) combined. Consistent data for this series only
go back to fourth quarter 2000. As financially weak mills were closed, less productive operations
were shut down and payrolls were trimmed, the U.S. textile industry managed to operate in the black
in 2003. After-tax corporate profits for Textile Mills and Textile Product Mills combined were $700
million (or 1.5% of sales), which represents an improvement over 2002 results, which were hammered
by a huge loss in the fourth quarter. During 2003, the Textile Mill workweek was consistently below
that of the comparable month in 2002. This decreased activity pulled the average industry workweek
for 2003 down by one hour and 36 minutes from 2002. Following a modest decline in 2002, the
producer price index (PPI) for selected textile mill products rose one percent in 2003. Within the
aggregate index last year, the PPI for yarn was up nearly one percent from the prior year, while
that for broadwoven greige fabric fell by 0.5 percent. Last year’s decline in broadwoven greige
fabric prices was the smallest in five years. Total fiber consumption on the cotton spinning
system, where yarn for most apparel and home furnishings use is produced, fell ten percent in 2003,
the sixth consecutive annual decline. The drop brought consumption last year to a low not seen
since the early 1980s. This contraction in the consumption of raw material is the result of a
consolidation which saw the industry lose more than 1,600,000 ring spindles, nearly 300,000
open-end rotors, and 27,000 air-jet positions since the end of 2000. Led by a huge increase in
shipments from China, imports of yarn, fabric, and made-ups jumped nine percent in 2003, following
a huge 26 percent surge during the previous year. Besides China, such large Asian exporters as
India and South Korea added to the flood of low-cost textiles that entered the U.S. market. As the
dollar weakened against non-Asian currencies, total U.S. exports of yarn, fabric, and made-ups
managed a very modest one percent gain last year. Although exports to most major destinations, such
as Canada, Mexico, and the EU, were down, export growth to the CBI countries helped offset the
declines to other destinations. Note: For details of the U.S. textile industrys 2003 performance as
compared with 2002, see the following textile industry benchmarks. The U.S. government statistical
agencies have completed the transition from reporting data on a Standard Industrial Classification
(SIC) basis to reporting on the new North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) basis.
Data reported in prior years on an SIC basis are not directly comparable to those reported on a
NAICS basis as the industry definitions have been changed. SIC 22 Textile Mills included yarn,
fabric, finishing, vertical apparel knitting, carpet, tire cord, ropeandcordage, and miscellaneous
industrial products. NAICS 313 Textile Mills includes yarn, fabric, and finishing, while NAICS 314
Textile Product Mills includes carpet, tire cord, ropeandcordage, miscellaneous industrial
products, and cut-and-sewn home furnishings and industrial textile products. TEXTILE INDUStrY
BENCHMARKS 2002-2003Prepared by the American Textile Manufacturers InstituteFiber Consumption On
Cotton System (Billion Pounds)2002 4.552003 4.10% Change 2002-2003 -10Shipments (Billion $)Textile
Mills (NAICS 313)2002 43.22003 39.8% Change 2002-2003 -8Textile Products (NAICS 314)2002 34.22003
34.9% Change 2002-2003 +2Corporate Sales (NAICS 313and314) (Billion $)2002 48.52003 47.0% Change
2002-2003 -3Profits After Taxes (NAICS 313and314) (Billion $)2002 .42003 0.7% Change 2002-2003
+70Earnings On Sales (Percent)Textiles (NAICS 313and314)2002 0.52003 1.5All Manufacturing2002
3.22003 5.1Employment (Year End)Textiles (NAICS 313and314)2002 478,0002003 428,000% Change
2002-2003 -10All Manufacturing2002 15,034,0002003 14,521,000% Change 2002-2003 -3Average Workweek
In Hours (NAICS 313)2002 40.72003 39.1% Change 2002-2003 -4Hourly Earnings (NAICS 313and314)
(Annual Average $)2002 11.732003 12.00% Change 2002-2003 +2Weekly Earnings (NAICS 313and314)
(Annual Average $)2002 476.702003 469.41% Change 2002-2003 -2Index Of Hours Worked
(2002=100)Textiles (NAICS 313)2002 1002003 87.6% Change 2002-2003 -12All Manufacturing2002 1002003
95.4% Change 2002-2003 -5Producer Price Index (1982=100)Textiles2002 121.12003 121.9% Change
2002-2003 +1All Commodities2002 131.12003 138.0% Change 2002-2003 +5TextileandApparel Imports
(Millions Customs $)2002 79,9092003 85,691% Change 2002-2003 +7Textiles Only2002 16,0992003 17,030%
Change 2002-2003 +6TextileandApparel Exports (Million FAS $)2002 15,7552003 15,455% Change
2002-2003 -2Textiles Only2002 10,2692003 10,394% Change 2002-2003 +1TextileandApparel Trade Balance
(Million $)2002 (65,154)2003 (70,236)% Change 2002-2003 +9Textiles Only2002 (5,830)2003 (6,636)%
Change 2002-2003 +14TextileandApparel Imports (Million SME)2002 38,2882003 41,906% Change 2002-2003
+9Textiles Only2002 21,0322003 22,989% Change 2002-2003 +9All 2003 data were estimated from latest
year-to-date information supplied by the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Bureau of Labor
Statistics.

January 2004

Liz Claiborne Purchases ENYCE

Liz Claiborne Inc., New York City, has completed its purchase of the equity interest of ENYCE
Holding LLC, also based in New York City, for $114 million, including the retirement of debt at
closing.

The purchase includes the ENYCE® men’s line, which accounts for 84 percent of net sales; and
Lady ENYCE® line, which accounts for 16 percent. The streetwear fashion brands were expected to
generate $95 million in net sales in fiscal 2003.

January 2004

Ludlow Textiles – 135 Years And Counting

Ludlow Textiles Co. Inc., founded in Ludlow, Mass., in 1868, has operated continuously for 135
years. In its early days, then-Ludlow Manufacturing Associates employed 5,000 people in 1.5 million
square feet of space and was known as the largest jute mill in the world. Prior to World War II, it
produced jute gunny sacks and grain bags; cotton baling, twine, webbing and yarn; and linen
threads. Ludlow came under its current ownership in 1983. Today, it operates out of one of the
original factory buildings as a state-of-the-art facility, manufacturing industrial cords, tapes,
threads, twines and yarns. The company was the first industrial thread manufacturer to achieve ISO
9001 registration for its entire process.

ludlow


Left to right: Martin A. Lower, chairman and CEO; Mark J.Wandzilak, president; Edward T.
Stevenson, vice president, administration and international; and Joseph J. John Jr., executive vice
president, Ludlow Textiles Co. Inc.

Its research department is involved in improving and developing products made
with a wide range of man-made fibers that are braided, cabled, plied, twisted, coated, dyed or
otherwise processed to provide various performance attributes; as well as linen cords, threads and
yarns; and jute cord and webbing.Our long-standing philosophy of total product support has made
Ludlow the preferred supplier of twines, threads, cords, tapes and yarns to nearly 1,000 customers
worldwide, said Joseph J. John Jr., executive vice president. Our engineers often partner with
customers in research and development, and they really appreciate our willingness to go the extra
mile.

January 2004

January 2004

Plastomer Technologies Introduces PTFE Fiber

Newtown, Pa.-based Plastomer Technologies has developed a full line of Plastolon brand
polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) fibers. The fibers are chemically inert, have a low coefficient of
friction, offer ultraviolet protection and are thermally resistant at temperatures up to 550°F.
Fibers are available in flat or twisted formats in sizes starting at 600 denier.

January 2004

Ems-Griltech Installs Hotmelt Lines In TS Centers

Laboratory hotmelt coating and lamination lines in the Technical Service (TS) Centers at
Ems-Griltech’s Switzerland-based headquarters and Ems-Griltech Americas, Sumter, S.C., allow
customers to conduct trials using Griltex hotmelt adhesives under actual working conditions in
order to choose the best solution for a particular application.

A Lacom hotmelt coating line installed in Switzerland can be configured with a multi roller
or engraved roller-coating head. A Klieverik belt calender with Ecosafe equipment is used to
produce laminates.

A Roto-Therm hotmelt coating and lamination line at the Sumter center is configured with a
gravure coating roll and includes IR preheating and calender rolls for in-line laminations.

December 2003

Picanol Korea Moves Branch Office

Picanol Korea Ltd., Belgium-based weaving machine manufacturer Picanol NV’s Korean subsidiary, has
moved its Taegu branch office, which provides mechanical and electronic repair services, spare
parts and training facilities. The new office is located at 1120-10, Joongri-Dong, Seo-Gu, Taegu,
South Korea; 82 53 521 1811; fax 82 53 521 1810.

December 2003

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