[TC]2 Installs Stork Sapphire Printer In Demo Center

Cary, N.C.-based Textile/Clothing
Technology Corp. ([TC]2) has added a Sapphire II digital printer from The Netherlands-based Stork
Digital Imaging B.V. to its Demonstration Center. [TC]2 plans to use the printer in digital
printing demonstrations and production of InkDrop Boutique products.

The printer is suitable for high-quality sampling and production runs, and printing on
difficult media such as stretch fabrics, as well as on a wide range of man-made and natural
fabrics, according to Stork.

“We welcome the addition of this technology, and Stork as an associate member of [TC]2,”
said Jud Early, vice president and chief technology officer. “We look forward to working closely
with the Stork team to broaden the understanding and adoption of digital printing technology for
custom products.”


February 28, 2006

Ciba To Sell Textile Effects Unit

Switzerland-based Ciba Specialty
Chemicals Inc. has signed an agreement with Salt Lake City-based chemical group Huntsman Corp.
whereby Ciba will sell its Textile Effects business for 332 million Swiss francs in cash and
assumed debt.

The Textile Effects sale, which has
an expected closing date in the third quarter of this year, was necessary because the unit’s number
of customers and products, local presence in many countries and supply chain structure differed
from Ciba’s other segments, requiring another operational structure, according to Armin Meyer,
board chairman and CEO, Ciba. The decision to sell the business, which had sales of 1.3 billion
Swiss francs in 2005, came after Ciba’s board evaluated different solutions to provide a
sustainable future for Textile Effects and strengthen the company overall, Meyer explained.

“The divestment supports the strategic intention of the Board of Directors to focus on the
core businesses — Plastic Additives, Coating Effects and Water & Paper Treatment, strengthening
and expanding the company’s overall position,” Meyer said. “This includes expanding our leadership
in the plastics and coatings industries as well as further developing our position in the area of
water treatment and paper chemicals, with a strong focus on improving the profitability in Water
& Paper Treatment.”

As part of the sale, the 3,300 employees of Textile Effects and 900 supporting staff will
transfer to Huntsman, which acquired Vantico Group S.A., Ciba’s former Performance Polymers
division, in 2003.


February 21, 2006

Polymer Group Inc. Announces New Corporate Headquarters In Charlotte Region

[NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C.] — Polymer
Group, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: POLGA/POLGB), one of the world’s leading producers of engineered
materials, today announced it will establish a new corporate headquarters in the Charlotte, N.C.
region, to better serve its customers and accommodate future growth of the business.

The new headquarters will bring together the company’s senior leadership, finance,
purchasing, human resources, sales, customer service and other administrative functions, currently
located in several locations in the U.S., into one central site with approximately 100 employees.

The relocation from the current headquarters in North Charleston, S.C., is planned to take
place by August, 2006. About a dozen executive management positions have been based at the North
Charleston site since 2003. Additionally, employees will be relocated from sites in Dayton, N.J.
and Mooresville and Raleigh, N.C.

The move puts PGI in closer proximity to its Mooresville, N.C., manufacturing site, where
the company is in the process of a $40 million expansion. The plant expansion is expected to be
completed by the middle of this year and will add approximately 50 jobs in the North Carolina area,
in addition to the positions being relocated from the headquarters consolidation.

“This relocation is very much in line with our plans for deliberate growth and expansion,
and makes perfect sense for the business,” said James Schaeffer, PGI’s chief executive officer. “
Bringing together these different disciplines under one roof will foster even greater collaboration
and cooperation across the company, and also puts us closer to our manufacturing operations and
customers. In addition, it will improve our efficiencies and provide us with the infrastructure we
need to continue to grow our business.”

Press release courtesy of Polymer Group, Inc.

February 21, 2006

Andritz, Küsters Develop Joint Venture

Austria-based Andritz AG and Germany-based Jagenberg AG, which took complete ownership of the
shares of Eduard Küsters Maschinenfabrik Gmbh & Co. KG in August 2005, have created Küsters
Technologie GmbH & Co. KG — a joint venture in Küsters’ paper and nonwovens industries. The new
enterprise will employ approximately 500 employees and have an annual turnover of 70 million to 80
million euros, the companies reported.

Jens Kellersmann, public relations representative for Eduard Küsters, said the joint venture
would be renamed Andritz Küsters GmbH & Co. KG following an antitrust evaluation. The companies
expect that evaluation to be completed by the end of March, according to Kellersmann.

As part of the change, Andritz gains majority share of the venture — 60 percent — and
industrial leadership of the new Krefeld-based business, which includes the Spartanburg-based
subsidiary Küsters Paper Machinery Corp. Jagenberg owns the remaining 40 percent of the new
business and maintains complete ownership of of Zittau-based Küsters Textile GmbH, formerly named
Küsters Zittauer Maschinenfabrik.

According to the companies, the joint venture clearly separates Küsters’ three industry
areas.

The wet-finishing textile machinery business, which was restructured before the latest
changes, operates exclusively out of Küsters Textile. Additionally, Küsters Textile’s Zittau site
is the only location for the group’s textile business, as the Krefeld textile site was closed in
December 2005. Küsters Textile also directs the company’s textile subsidiaries in India, China and
the United States.

Küsters Technologie in Krefeld, on the other hand, produces products for the nonwovens and
paper industries, including nonwoven and textile calenders and nonwoven wet finishing; and paper
roll technology, calenders, and press modules and sections.

“We follow the primary aim of creating industrial framework conditions for the individual
Küsters business fields which best support their successful continued existence,” said Erich W.
Bröker, CEO, Küsters. “Whereas, in view of intensifying global competition, a certain painful
restructuring step was unavoidable. The tie-up with Andritz opens up a markedly broadened market
access ….”

February 21, 2006

2004 US Organic Cotton Acreage Increases By 37 Percent

A 2005 survey from the Greenfield, Mass.-based Organic Trade Association (OTA) shows 12 US
farmers planted 5,550 acres of organic cotton in 2004 — a 37 percent increase from 2003 totals of
4,060 acres. Of that acreage, 5,020 contained organic upland cotton, while 530 were planted with
organic Pima cotton. Most of the acreage was in Texas, followed by California, New Mexico and
Missouri.

In 2005, there were 6,577 acres of planted organic cotton, mostly of the upland varietal.
That total represented a 19-percent increase over 2004.

In terms of harvesting, 2004 saw 6,814 bales of organic cotton, compared to 4,628 in 2003,
according to the survey and additional information from the Lubbock-based Texas Organic Cotton
Marketing Cooperative. Harvesting figures for 2005 are not currently available.

OTA reports that of the 52 people surveyed last year in seven states, 21 farmers responded,
including 12 organic cotton farmers and nine who did not grow organic cotton in 2004. The
association also notes that because only eight of the 16 Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative
members answered the survey, the organic cotton acreage and farmers numbers may be lower than
actual figures.

The survey was funded by a grant from Cary, N.C.-based Cotton Incorporated.

February 21, 2006

VISION 2006 Recognizes Disaster Relief Blanket

Nearly 400 attendees from the
consumer products and engineered fabrics industries recently came to Denver for the VISION 2006
Consumer Products conference, and to honor the 2006 Visionary Award winner. Chicopee, a division of
North Charleston, S.C.-based Polymer Group Inc. (PGI), won the award for its Disaster Relief
Blanket.

Attendees of the conference, which was organized by Cary, N.C.-based Association of the
Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA), chose the blanket over the Mr. Clean Magic Reach from
Cincinnati-based Proctor & Gamble Co.; Disposable Mitt with Body Wash from Dallas-based
Kimberly-Clark Corp.; Stayfree Advanced Protection from New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson &
Johnson and Cotton Enhanced Baby Wipes from PGI Nonwovens.

“The Vision 2006 attendees recognized the contributions the Chicopee Disaster Relief Blanket
is making in emergency situations around the world, and it was chosen over four other extremely
deserving and successful consumer products from some of the biggest names in the business,” said
Michael Jacobsen, Visionary Award project coordinator.”



February 21, 2006

Trade Deficit Alarms Textile Makers

A
s the US government announced the US
trade deficit in 2005 reached an all-time high of $726 billion, textile manufacturers warned the
deficit is resulting in job losses not only in textiles, but in other key manufacturing industries.
The 2005 record was $108 billion higher than 2004, and China’s role in the deficit rose to a record
high of $202 billion.

With regard to textiles and clothing, the trade deficit rose by $21 billion to a record
level of $82 billion. At the same time, textile and apparel employment fell to 639,000, a decline
of 408,000 since January of 2001. Overall manufacturing jobs fell by 2.9 million over the past five
years.

The report triggered a call from the Washington-based American Manufacturing Trade Action
Coalition (AMTAC) for “immediate action” by the US government to restrain Chinese imports of
textiles and other products. AMTAC Executive Director Auggie Tantillo said: “Clearly the United
States must reform its trade policy with China if it is to meaningfully confront the overall trade
problem. China is one of the five largest economies in the world and is a superpower in terms of
international trade. Yet China manipulates its currency, subsidizes its banking and industrial
sector and misreports its economic numbers. Clearly China is using predatory trade practices to
destroy US jobs and factories.”

In addition to citing concerns about textile trade, Tantillo said China is becoming a major
factor in automobile and auto parts manufacturing.

While textile manufacturers are alarmed by the trade deficit, Kevin Burke, president of the
Arlington, Va.-based American Apparel and Footwear Association, said 2005 was “another banner year”
with 98 percent of all shoes and 92 percent of all clothing sold in the United States imported.
However, he expressed concern over what he called a “disturbing trend” in trade with Central
American countries as clothing imports from that area declined. He blamed a delay in implementing
the Dominican Republic/Central American Free Trade Agreement, which was targeted to be in place at
the beginning of the year. Burke said the delay is threatening hundreds of thousands of apparel
jobs in both the US textile and Central American apparel industries.

February 14, 2006

Lone Star Assumes Control Over Moenus

Dallas-based Lone Star Funds, a
global equity fund that focuses on distressed investments, has taken over the business activities
of Germany-based textile machinery manufacturer Moenus Textilmaschinen GmbH, including the company’s
German business sites in Gera, Mönchengladbach and Hamburg, and its Olomouc site in the Czech
Republic.

The January 2 takeover of the sites, which employ approximately 400 employees, occurred to
put the company in a better financial position, Moenus reports. The company expects the move will
revitalize its growth and strengthen its market position.

February 7, 2006

Springs Global Announces New Organizational Structure

Springs Global US Inc., Fort Mill,
S.C. — a subsidiary of Springs Global Holdings S.A, Brazil, which was formed by the merger of
Springs Industries’ home textile business and Coteminas, Springs’ Brazil-based supplier — announced
a new organizational structure for the merged company.

Crandall Close Bowles and Josué Gomes da Silva, co-CEOs of Springs Global Holdings, said
Springs’ key account strategy is the model for the new organization.

Tom O’Connor, executive vice president, is in charge of all North and South American account
teams, and also is responsible for expanding share of existing markets, building market share in
Europe and developing new markets. He also is responsible for bed, bath and fabric window treatment
merchandising, marketing, design and product development. Reporting to O’Connor are Tom Gaffney,
head of bedding merchandising, and Dick Grissinger, head of bath merchandising. The Creative
Products, Baby, Basic Bedding, Owen Blankets, Canada, Wholesale and Springs Direct businesses,
which have retained their current leadership and structure, also report through O’Connor.

Pedro Bastos, formerly vice president of operations, Coteminas, leads global manufacturing
operations, which include approximately 25 bedding and bath manufacturing facilities in the United
States, Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.

Jeff Nigh, formerly senior vice president, bedding operations, Springs, oversees customer
service, demand planning, production planning and scheduling, capacity integration, international
and domestic transportation, and a bath products distribution center.

Chris Baker, formerly executive vice president and president of Springs’ Bath business,
heads up the global sourcing and purchasing organizations. He has responsibility for raw materials,
energy, finished goods and component sourcing, global supplier management, global strategic
alliances and Springs Asia.

Mario Sette, formerly director of export, Coteminas, is responsible for merging the two
companies so as to optimize cost savings and efficiencies, and to develop and help implement
related programs.

Roberto Cristofanilli, controller and head of information technology, Coteminas, heads up a
new Shared Services organization, with responsibility for integrating finance and technology
functions.

February 7, 2006

Performance Fibers Moves Headquarters

Global industrial polyester supplier
Performance Fibers Inc., formerly of Colonial Heights, Va., has moved its corporate headquarters,
along with 50 local employees, to downtown Richmond, Va., as part of its separation from
Morristown, N.J.-based Honeywell International Inc.

The company has left the Honeywell Technical Center on Woods Edge Road, where it had been
located for more than a year, and moved its staff in various executive, commercial, finance,
technical and administration positions to a new office in the Merrill Lynch building, 707 E. Main
St., Suite 1800.

“Our new location, in the heart of Richmond’s financial and legal community, reflects the
company’s position as one of the global leaders in the industrial fibers industry,” said Greg
Rogowski, president and CEO, Performance Fibers. “It puts us closer to the Richmond International
Airport, making travel to our global customers more accessible.”

Performance Fibers became a stand-alone partner of Boca Raton, Fla.-based private investment
firm Sun Capital Partners Inc. in December 2004.

February 7, 2006

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