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 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.
January 2004
January 2004
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
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 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
Fi-Tech Inc., Richmond, Va., has affiliated with Herrmann Ultrasonics, a Schaumburg, Ill.-based
manufacturer of ultrasonic welding systems used for nonwovens, plastics and packaging applications.
Herrmann Ultrasonics offers application laboratories for testing and weld horn manufacturing.
Its Non-Contact/Non-Wear technology enables bonding, embossing, laminating and slitting of nonwoven
materials used in hygiene products, as well as conversion of nonwoven roll goods. Micro Gap
automated control technology ensures consistency in bonding, allowing full process control and
production speeds in excess of 1,000 feet per minute.
Herrmann Ultrasonic calenders use a Dialog touch CS interface with a color touch-screen
display to show process parameters and enable product changes by activating different welding
recipes.
December 2003
WL Ross Offer SetsBidding Floor For Cone MillsThe Board of Directors of Cone Mills Corp.,
Greensboro, has formally approved the definitive agreement with WL RossandCo. for the purchase of
Cone Mills assets, in accordance with Section 363 of Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code. The
agreement, which is subject to higher or better offers, sets a purchase price in excess of $90
million, including $46 million in cash, as well as assumption of Cone Mills outstanding
debtor-in-possession loans and selected other liabilities. It also provides for a break-up fee of
$1.8 million, subject to bankruptcy court approval, if a higher bid for the company is accepted.The
US Bankruptcy Court has approved bid procedures agreed upon by Cone Mills and its creditors. The
procedures allow for bids to be made on selected company assets as long as the total value of such
bids exceeds that of WL Ross original offer. Deadline for receipt of bids is January 23, 2004, with
an auction scheduled for January 29, 2004.
December 2003
Paris-based Lectra has launched three new versions of its Vector cutting system. VectorFashion MP,
VectorLingerie MP and VectorFurniture MP offer Lectras Mass Production (MP) cutting technology,
which made its debut in the VectorDenim system.Every industry has its own unique needs, said
Pierre-Michel Richer, Vector product manager. The new Vector MP line addresses these very different
industry challenges with specific, dedicated technology.Lectra reports the MP technology improves
cutting efficiency and productivity: Optimized markers reduce material waste; a bristle block
self-cleaning system enables extended high-volume production use; and an Eclipse option that allows
cutting during automatic material advance increases productivity by up to 10 percent. Lectra also
has released its latest-edition Diamino V5 marker-making software in three versions to address a
variety of customer needs. Diamino BasicMark is suitable for companies that make fewer markers.
Interactive Diamino MarkPack includes a Shaker function to automatically tighten placement of
pieces. Diamino MarkPro allows both interactive and automatic marker-making. An optional Expert
module automates batch processing of markers.Manufacturers are tackling new challenges: The number
of styles is growing continuously, while the quantities to be produced per product line are
decreasing, said Helmut Wagner, Diamino product manager. The company says Diamino V5 reduces
marker-making time and enables testing of marker combinations to find the best solution for each
style. It is integrated with Modaris pattern design software to reflect design changes immediately.
December 2003
Schlafhorst Installs 50,000th SaurerCzech NSB 32 Spinbox, Delivers BD 330 MachinesGermany-based W.
Schlafhorst AGandCo., a business unit of Switzerland-based Saurer Group, recently presented the
50,000th NSB 32 spinbox to a textile mill operated by Ramco Group, India.The NSB 32 is manufactured
by Saurer Czech a.s., Czech Republic, which operates as part of Schlafhorst, for the BD 320
semi-automatic rotor spinning machine. The spinbox uses the Electronic Vacuum Adjustment (EVA)
system to regulate the spinning vacuum produced by the suction system.Ramcos Textile Division
operates more than 1,800 Saurer Czech spinning positions. In addition to the BD 320 machines, Ramco
also has installed new BD 330 semi-automatic rotor spinning machines to spin 50-tex to 36-tex
cotton knitting and weaving yarns used in its knitting and weaving operations.
John Cundill (left), CEO, Schlafhorst, presents the 50,000th NSB 32 spinbox to P.R.
Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha, chairman, Ramco Group, Textile Division.The new Saurer Czech BD 330
generation is extremely productive and flexible, and requires significantly less energy than other
manual or semi-automatic rotor spinning machines, said P.R. Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha, chairman, Ramco
Group, Textile Division. A further merit of the new BD machine is the large assortment of spinning
components, which allows the machine to spin rotoyarns for a wide range of applications.
December 2003
DAK Fibers LLC, Charlotte, has developed an antimicrobial polyester staple fiber, SteriPur® AM.
Created in conjunction with Spartanburg-based MillikenandCompany, the fiber contains Milliken®
Chemicals AlphaSan® antimicrobial resin. AlphaSan is a zirconium phosphate-based ceramic ion
exchange resin that contains silver, which slows the growth of a broad spectrum of microorganisms
in textiles.AlphaSan is incorporated into the fibers during the polymer stage of manufacturing,
creating permanent antimicrobial properties.This innovation provides customers with another
opportunity to differentiate their products in the marketplace, said Jim Netzel, director of sales
and marketing, DAK Fibers. The end-uses for SteriPur are truly innumerable.SteriPur applications
include apparel, hosiery, home furnishings and nonwovens.
December 2003
