Innovative Yarns Spark New Developments



developments_96S

ome of the technological developments shown at the Expofil yarn fair last June
(See “Technology Advances At Expofil,”
ATI
August 1999) have given birth. In March at Premiere Vision, there were the
retro-reflective yarns, paper yarns and dissolving yarns, all blended with other fibers and woven
into some of the season’s best-selling fabrics.

At the time, some of these developments may have sounded far-fetched. With foresight,
imagination, an innate sense of style and a desire to create new, saleable fabrics, French, Italian
and Swiss textile companies have introduced fabrics which have all of the aesthetic and performance
characteristics clothing designers are seeking, plus a little something extra.


That Something Extra

Chimere, the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) yarn that dissolves in hot water, produced by Paul
Bonte, the techno division of St. Lieven, turned up in color wovens at Isotex, a division of
Isoule. Here the PVA has been used with linen/cotton in summer jackets and dress-weight fabrics.
Colorful checks and plaids have the added dimension of transparent patterns running through them.
The look is akin to a leno weave.

Gerard Alzieu, president of Isoule, said that special designs can be woven and sample
yardage delivered in about two weeks.

Retro-reflective yarns were shown at Expofil by several spinners including Paul Bonte. Paper
yarns turned up at Pozzi Electra.

Schoeller, Switzerland, picked up both of these ideas. The company blended retro-reflective
yarns with silk/metal for semi-lustrous jacket-weight cloths.

Paper was blended with aramid. The result was a stiff fabric that was popular with boot and
bag manufacturers.

Woolmark was another to show paper at Premiere Vision. A development fabric woven by Luigi
Botto of 75-percent wool/25-percent paper was shown made into a tailored dress. The fabric drapes
well and has a cool, supple hand.

jenny64_954
Christine Jenny, Schoeller, wears a jacket

made of the company’s silk/metal/retro-

reflective material.


Fall 2001 And Beyond


What yarns will the weavers and knitters sample for their next lines? Expofil’s Fashion
Director Sylvie Tastemain said: “Natural fibers are tailored to meet our requirements for comfort
and performance transformed by the addition of synthetic fibers.”

Tastemain’s color forecast is subtle and refined. There are misted neutrals and grey tinted
pastels. A range of warm opulent reds, browns and purples features shades of baked clay and tanned
leather. There is a group of cold deep blues and forest greens. Five lively colors set off the more
subdued tones.

Tastemain shows rustic yarns and fabrics which have a craft look. Some of these are coarse
multi-ply in camel hair, cashmere and alpaca, with low-twist and even-twist effects giving the
yarns rounded surfaces. Compact woven fabrics, basket weaves and etamines with a soft hand are
shown produced from worsted wool slightly overtwisted with carded wool.

Lightweight tweeds, brushed and calendered reversible woolen fabrics and relief-effects are
other wool and wool blend fabrics shown. Some of these are knitted or woven with uneven spun yarns
in blends of wool/linen or wool/wild silk. Others are spun with silk or viscose neps.

Voile knits are produced from wool/cashmere/PVA yarns. Some of these are enriched with
metallised-plastic-covered yarns for special pattern effect. Contrasting textures and interplays of
transparency are shown, some using extra-fine wool twisted with trilobal nylon.

Fluid and lustrous fabrics are knitted or woven with fine woolen or worsted yarns blended
with silk, viscose, polyester or nylon. Dense, spongy lightweight knitted fabrics with plush loops
are created in wool/cotton/nylon.

For diaphanous effects, Tastemain shows mohair blended with silk, viscose or plant fibers.
The mohair appears like a veil on the surface of the yarn. Fine, colored kid mohair yarns are
twisted with tussah silk, filament viscose or linen. The color contrast creates a shot effect.
These yarns are shown in loose knits with lacy effects.

A lacquered or glistening effect is achieved using mohair combined with cotton covered in
transparent nylon and a metallised-plastic yarn.

Crepe twists and irregular textures are shown in fabrics with granite-like or grainy
surfaces. Light and fluid knitted fabrics and smooth, lustrous wovens are shown in intimate blends
of wool/silk, silk/cotton and wool/ polyester microfiber.

Stretch and shrink yarns are shown in crumpled and folded surfaced fabrics. The range goes
from double knits to organza and shot taffeta.

Frosted effects combine twisted yarns with flat filaments or strips of transparent nylon.
The look is glistening and cracked.

Felted looks, radiant effects, yarns made from recycled cotton fabrics, velvet, plush and
printed yarns are among the highlights of Tastemain’s forecast for Fall 2001/Winter 2002. All will
be on view in Paris at Expofil, June 6-8.

April 2000

The Forecast Is Clear And Bright


A
long with the freezing temperatures, ice and snow that covered a large part of the nation
this winter, a ray of warmth emerged. In January, international forecasters, stylists, studios and
a small group of fabric companies presented trends for Spring/Summer 2001 and beyond. Their message
is optimistic. After a decade of black and grey, color returns. Fabrics will be light, fluid and
refined, woven or knitted in blends of natural and man-made fibers. Prints make a comeback.


Freedom Of Movement

pinksweater_935Jean
Hegedus, DuPont Lycra® marketing knitwear manager, noted that sweaters are a fast-growing category
in women’s apparel. Elasticized sweaters are growing more rapidly than the category as a whole.

“In December ’99 we ran a sweater survey on our Lycra website. Respondents’ comments fell
into three categories, softness, comfort and freedom of movement, and shape and newness retention,”
Hegedus said.

Hegedus also pointed out that Lycra low-power yarns, which were developed specifically for
knitwear applications, have less “snapback,” allowing better control of garment weight and sizing.

Sheila-Mary Carruthers, global knitwear consultant for DuPont Lycra presented colors and
fabrics for Spring 2001. Developmental fabrics showed a variety of constructions, weights and
textures all knitted in yarns containing Lycra from global resources.

One group of soft sheer fabrics, knitted with Supplex®, polypropylene, acrylic, rayon or
cashmere with Lycra, had a touch of metallic glimmer. A clear, mid-level color palette was shown in
shades of cream, skin pink, clay mauve, turquoise and earth hues. Fabrics in this group were
knitted with yarns from international spinners including Unifi/L Payen & Cie., Saint Lievin and
Loro Piana.

Another group of fabrics has surface detailing and strong color contrasts. Dry-hand and rough
textured fabrics, with knops and boucles are knitted in blends of Lycra with linen or cotton. Yarn
resources include Wykes, The Lurex Co. and Rignasco.

A third range, inspired by pop art, features graphic prints, stripes and checks in bright
shades of red, pink and green with touches of neutrals, black and white. Cauilliez Freres, Luigi
Botto and Elate are some of the yarn resources.

One collection was created to demonstrate how a variety of different fabrics can all be made
using the same equipment. Extra-fine merino/Lycra from Luigi Botto in a feather weight single
jersey; a hairy, bulky fabric containing wool/mohair/Lycra yarns from Raumer; a thick crochet look
in silk/Lycra from Filiatura Botto Poala; and a tuck construction in cotton/Lycra from Cauillez
Freres were all knitted on the same Stoll machine.


The Technology Of Comfort

Presenting color trends for Solutia, consultant Phil Shroff said: “Fiber innovation continues,
with technology coming up with modifications that take care of the concerns of modern society.” His
examples are “antimicrobial, antifungal and antiodor properties for underwear and socks,
antiallergens to provide freshness in home textiles, UV protection, antistatic and antimagnetic
properties, moisture absorption and moisture transport for comfort, temperature control and muscle
stimulation for performance enhancement and aromatics for relaxation.”

Shroff showed six groups of colors. A range of neutral tints is sandy in feeling. There is
very little grey. Intense whitened pales and sherbet midtones are used tonally, with white as
accent. There are eight vibrant shades in the brightest range. A second group of brights is warm,
deep and spicy. Darks are “to be applied on satin finishes to look like liquid metal.”

Fabrics Shroff recommends include crepes and crepons with a crisp, dry hand, silky organzas,
sensual satins and soft spongy surfaces. Tie-dyes, ikats and burn-outs are mentioned, along with
double-faced fabrics and rubber touches.

eyes_937fabric_936

 


Return To Elegance

Angelo Uslenghi, who heads a committee that sets trends for the Italian textile trade show Moda
In Tessuto, held in Milan twice a year, previewed Spring/Summer 2001 to New York designers and
press.

“Sloppy is out,” he said. “There will be a return to elegance and fluidity. There is a
symbiosis of nature and technology. A new generation of man-made fibers has the look of natural
fibers, and natural fibers are copying the easy-care and performance characteristics of man-made
fibers.

“New finishing treatments give fabrics a light coating. They can be lubricated, moisturized,
hydrated, lightly chintzed or slightly soaked with polyurethane. The hand is sometimes a bit soapy
or peach skin to the touch,” he added.

Specific fabrics mentioned by Uslenghi include crepe, voile, fine jersey, georgette, mesh,
rip-stop, chambray, etamine, cloque, canvas, muslin, drill and denim. Fabric surfaces are often
bubbled and puckered, or they can be open with eyelet or laser cut patterns. Stretch is a
given.


IFFE Under New Management

Advanstar Communications has taken over management of IFFE (International Fashion Fabrics
Exhibition). The next IFFE, April 11-13, will have a new layout, new exhibitors and expanded
display areas.

A group of trend forecasters met in January to select color and fabric directions to be shown
at IFFE. Their conclusions confirm a return to color, ranging from soft cosmetic shades, earthy
clay and terra cotta tones, creamy and sandy neutrals, full pastels with a high-tech quality,
sunbaked darks and two ranges of bright colors.

Fabric choices include crisp sheers, open lacy looks, wrinkles, pleats, nylon rip stop, light
taffeta, shantung, linen, poplin, twills and denim.

Metallics will continue, sometimes with a matte luster. Light chintz surfaces were also
mentioned. Washed and faded surfaces and stretch are other trends to look for.

The committee noted patterns and prints are making a strong comeback. The range goes from
blurred water color florals and soft botanical prints on sheers, to Hawaiian surfer motifs, madras
plaids, tropical designs, stripes, dots and spots and summer paisleys.


Prints In The Spotlight

Spring/Summer 2001 will be a big print season,” said Massimo Iacoboni, organizer of Printsource,
a show selling surface designs from more than 20 studios. “We were surprised by the turn out of
buyers, considering the weather. The January event was our best attended ever.”

This sentiment was echoed by Eileen Mislove of Inprints, where 15 design studios exhibited
prints and patterns. “Business was up 10 percent.”

London Portfolio, a group of eight British designers that exhibited at Inprints, noted that
for the past two years embroideries have sustained their business.

The Colorfield, another Inprints exhibitor, also reported that embroideries are beginning to
taper off, prints have returned. Small to large multi-floral designs, brightly colored tropicals,
spots and dots and stripes are among their best sellers.

At Printsource, Tom Cody, who sells his designs to international textile companies and
designers, agreed. “Embroideries are still selling, but 2001 is all about color, and that bodes
well for prints. At the moment we are selling dots, tie-dyes, tropicals, op-art and pop art. There
is a lot of interest in a refined, up-scale hippie look which is slightly reminiscent of the ’60s
and ’70s,” he said.

The Design Library, also at Printsource, has the world’s largest archives of documentary
designs, some dating back to early 1700. In addition to selling antique swatches, designs are
available on CD-ROM. There are three sections — florals, geometrics and ethnics — which include
conversational and period styles. There are 484 color images in the floral section.


Italian Collections

A contingent of Italian textile companies, selling under the banner Texitalia Club, brought a
first look at fabrics for Spring 2001 to New York. Although lines were incomplete and buyers were
filling in with orders for Fall, what did turn up gave a reality check to forecasters.

Cotton knits, cotton/nylon wovens with a crisp or soft hand, and ultra-light faux snake are
some of the new items at Nello Gori (Francesca De Vito). Technical fibers are also in this line,
including Amicor antibacterial acrylic from Acordia and DuPont’s Kevlar.

Milior (Gordon Textiles) continues with technical innovation. They are showing antistatic and
antimagnetic treatments.

At Picchi there is crinkle stretch, sheer coated fabrics, printed linen and many bright
colors. Manteco Mantellassi (Andrew Koenig) has linen/viscose shantung, chambray, and bold stripes.
There is stretch, double-faced and washed linen at Linea Emme (International Textile Workshop).

Linea Tessile Italiana (Horne & Weiss) has developed linen gauze with a very soft hand.
They sell it printed with large scale boarder designs and enormous flowers. Linen denim is a fabric
they introduced a year ago. They are showing it in two weights, dyed in shades of green or brown as
well as indigo.



March 2000

Woolrich Sponsors Cotter Names Spotts Vice President

Woolrich Inc., Woolrich, Pa., has
announced that it will sponsor musher Bill Cotter in Iditarod 2000. The Iditarod is a 1,100 mile
marathon sled-dog race held annually in Alaska.

The Iditarod will provide Woolrich with valuable feedback and field testing of its products
under extreme conditions. Updates of the race will be available on the company’s website.

Woolrich also announced that John W. Spotts has been named vice president, licensing and
international sales.

Spotts joined the company in 1991, and has been a member of the board of directors since
1996. Prior to joining the company, Spotts praticed corporate law.



March 2000

NSC-Schumberger To Demonstrate Nonwoven Line

NSC/Schlumberger Group, Fort Mill,
S.C., will demonstrate a new needle-punched nonwoven line and tow to top unit on April 13 at its
Fort Mill, S.C. facility. The company will run realistic trails under industrial conditions.

This new nonwoven line uses a Thibeau CA10 card which feeds a Asselin Profile 500
cross-lapper which has a feeding speed of up to 500 meters per minute. It also uses the Prodyn®
System, introduced at ITMA ’99.

The company is also offering a comprehensive training program based on the new
equipment.



March 2000

Shell Expands Sales Of Corterra PTT Polymers

Shell Chemicals, Houston, has
introduced its Corterra PTT polymers to engineering thermoplastic producers globally.

“Corterra polymer is a viable replacement as well as a valuable choice, for new developments
in ETP applications where PBT and PET would be candidates, including molded and extruded goods in
the automotive and electrical/electronics market,” said Barry Cristea, Corterra Polymers business
manager.

Shell has worked with several companies on market validation. These companies include Lati
Industria Termoplastici SpA, Italy; LNP Engineering Plastics Inc., Exton, Pa.; and RTP Co.,
Winona., Minn.

According to Kevin Marshall, market manager, RTP Co., Corterra has a promising future in
this market. “After conducting a battery of evaluations, through which we routinely put PRT and
other polymers, we found compounds based on Corterra polymers displayed better tensile and
structural strength than PBT and displayed lower moisture absorption than PBT and nylon.”



March 2000

Billion Dollar Lonati Group Continues Expansion



santori_931T

he Lonati Group of Italy is one of the rising stars on the European textile machinery
scene, with l998 turnover exceeding $1 billion for the first time. Not all of this is in textile
engineering. A major stake in the Italian iron and steel industry accounts for almost 41 percent of
turnover, electronics for a further 23.3 percent, mechanical engineering for 1.9 percent and real
estate for 0.88 percent.

But textile engineering, especially hosiery and allied equipment for both fine gauge and
socks, is at the heart of the group. It was here, with a small output of 15 machines a month, that
Francesco Lonati Sr. began his long and distinguished industrial career in 1946.

Today, at 89, he remains president of the group and still strides around all departments of
the Via San Polo, Brescia factory at 7 a.m. each morning. The Italian government recently awarded
him Cavaliere del Lavoro (Order of Merit), the highest honor for industrial achievement.


Export Powerhouse

The achievement of the textile
engineering division alone in capturing a lion’s share of world hosiery machine markets is
remarkable by any standard. 1998 saw 11,000 machines produced, bringing turnover of 505 billion
lire. Exports were made to 60 countries, the most important being the United States, France,
Brazil, Hong Kong, Poland, Algeria, China, Spain, Philippines, Argentina, Turkey, England,
Colombia, Japan, Germany, Morocco, Thailand, Romania, Australia and Venezuela.

This means that the Lonati Group companies now dominate world markets in fine-gauge hosiery
machines with an 85-percent share. For sock machines, both single and double cylinder, they reckon
their share at 60 percent.

It is during the last decade particularly that the Group’s textile engineering division
began to grow, not just organically but by acquisition as well. The factory at Via San Polo in
Brescia is the core of this division’s activities. Many Italian textile machine builders,
especially in the hosiery area, rely on a supply of parts from outside contractors, who suffer from
a shortage of work when there is a decline in finished machine orders. For Lonati this is not the
case. The group has its own cylinder manufacturer in MCM and boasts one of the most modern and
extensive machine tool departments in the industry.

Substantial and ongoing investment in buildings, R&D and production facilities has
characterized the Group from its inception. This has found one expression in the plan to build a
15,000-square-meter factory adjacent to their existing plant in Brescia. The present plant will be
completely renovated and refurbished.


Electronic Essential


matec_933More
and more European textile engineering companies find it wise to have their own electronics
companies which can make them self-sufficient in hardware and software for their own equipment but
that can provide important diversification in their own right. Specialized expertise can be made
available to group companies, to other companies in the industry and to other industries as well.

A short distance from Via San Polo, Lonati has Dinema, that is now more than an electronics
company for computer controllers for knitting machines but active in yarn management devices,
pattern preparation, data collection analysis and production control systems.

The close collaboration of the two companies is assuming increasing importance, especially in
the field of yarn control where the diversity of yarns and structures involving elastanes calls for
specialist yarn, knitting and product expertise.

At present one pay-off is a major Lonati penetration of the Chinese market with fine-gauge
pantyhose machines. This is the result of active marketing and promotion and their own
man-on-the-spot in China for several years.

In sock machines, the major story at present is total garment automation with various systems
being applied to close the toe of the sock automatically on or immediately adjacent to the machine.
The path was pioneered by another Brescia company with a stitch for stitch off-machine linking
method but Lonati backed their own folding dial method with several million dollars and this is
finally paying off. As an alternative they have the Air Closing System.

The company has pinpointed the large U.S. market for automatic closed-toe sports socks and
dress socks to a lesser extent. Just how successful this is can be proven by the fact that nearly
2,000 machines were on order at year’s end, with anticipation of 3,000 by the end of 2000.


Bodywear Production

SRA_932For
the Lonati Group as a whole however, the current number-one winner is Santoni, which has its own
divisional responsibilities with Marchisio, Vignoni, Simtex, Mec-Mor and MCM. Fifteen years ago
Santoni was a modest small hosiery machine maker specializing in cylinder and dial true rib
machines and pantyhose machines, especially for medical uses.

Today Santoni is at the forefront of a garment revolution in which sophisticated large
diameter hosiery machines are being used to knit seamless bodywear garments with an increased
comfort factor. Making up labor required is minimal, production is fast and pattern/style potential
virtually unlimited. Major plants are being installed in the United States, Israel, Continental
Europe and the United Kingdom.

Eighty-five percent of current production is underwear, with five- percent swimwear and five-
percent homewear/ outerwear but an additional advantages of the technology is its capacity for
expanding into several other product areas.

Until the end of September 1999, Santoni had produced more than 1,400 bodywear machines and
had orders for 2,000 more. Meeting orders in a reasonable time scale became a problem but the
Brescia factory now has four production lines capable of constructing 200-220 machines a month.

Competition is looming but Santoni is confident it has a very significant lead. Another
Lonati company, SRA, in Florence has developed an automatic steam-finishing machine for bodywear
products. Automatic packaging machines will follow.

Through its Santoni division, which includes the MCM cylinder making concern, Lonati has
further diversified away from its hosiery machinery base into circular fabric machines, circular
garment machines and flat knitting machines.

In the new 8,500-square-meter factory op-posite their main plant on the outskirts of Brescia,
Santoni has organized a new complex to house research, development and production of Marchisio and
Vignoni circular fabric and Simtex flat machines. An active program of fabric and garment
development is taking place with keen trade interest expressed especially in the Vignoni system for
cutting the tubular fabric on take-down so that dyeing and finishing can take place in open width
rather than tubular format.


Sophisticated Rib Machine

lonati_934Since
the specialized skills at Mec-Mor, the world leader in rib jacquard open width garment machines are
concentrated in the city of Varese, this operation remains there. Further R&D investment has
allowed the company to develop a range of sophisticated machines that will cater not just for the
most advanced needs of rib garment length production but for simpler volume requirements as well. A
noteworthy feature of these Variatex garment machines is that each feeder arrangement comprises an
individual programmable microprocessor, making pattern/style data input a simpler.

In a logical move, Santoni is also to locate production — although not R&D and sampling — of
their latest bodywear machine at Varese. This SM9 is an all-electronic cylinder and dial
double-jersey garment-length machine. It is built in various body sizes and has all the attributes
of its SM8 single jersey counterparts. Electronic needle selection extends to both cylinder and
dial.

More recently Tecnopea, a smaller designer and producer of electrical and steam sock boarding
machines has established a commercial partnership with the Lonati Group.

Another important arm of the textile machinery division of the Lonati Group is located in
Florence. Apart from the city’s well-known background as a center of art and culture, making it a
tourist magnet for close on two centuries, Florence has a reputation for creativity and innovation
in hosiery machinery and allied production equipment.

Today’s Lonati Group activity in Florence is centered on Matec. The single story Matec
factory at Scandicci today houses the design, production and sales of Matec fine gauge pantyhose
machines, single and double cylinder sock machines but also the associated Matec-Solis and
Matec-Conti Florentia activities.

The latter includes the final development stages of the GL (Golden Lady) one-piece pantyhose
machines that has gone through a variety of forms in the last 15 years. It is now being progressed
jointly and competitively by Matec and Nagata in Japan. The two versions, Italian and Japanese, are
both likely to be demonstrated at next month’s (April) IHE in Charlotte N.C.

Golden Lady, the number one European pantyhose manufacturer, has purchased Kayser Roth in the
United States, and is retaining all rights to the GL one-piece machine.

Matec employs extensive precision engineering machinery to build the major proportion of its
hosiery machines in-house. These include the latest round-the-clock tooling systems. It’s total
program covers the complete range of plain and full patterning pantyhose machines on a standard
frame, single cylinder sock machines covering almost every product manufacturing need and double
cylinder machines. In 1998 Matec produced 3,680 of the total of 10,810 Lonati Group hosiery
machines.


Automating Knit Garments

An important aspect of automation in the pantyhose industry is the development of pick-and-place
systems with robotic links between processes that eliminate all manual making up processes. These
have evolved more quickly as the many efforts to produce a one-piece garment on the knitting
machine have been slow to mature.

In their Solis division, also housed in the Scandicci factory Matec has a company wholly
devoted to this automation objective. Very con-siderable investment has been devoted to devising
systems that are applied to knee-highs: pick-and-place + toe closing and to pantyhose:
pick-and-place + toe closing + line closing or to pick-and-place + toe closing + line closing and
gussetting. All modules in these systems are Solis design and manufactured equipment, stresses
general manager Mario Mamberti.

The first Solis pick-and-place system has been installed in a family-owned mill, Vignoni at
nearby Castelgoffredo. Asked why, with reasonable access to skilled labor locally he needed
automation, managing director Stefano Vignoni said: “We have to save the labor content: we have 160
employees here and 60 of these are engaged in manual making-up operations. To stay competitive, we
have to replace them with automation systems.”

The Sandicci plant additionally houses the Conti Florentia operation previously owned by
Golden Lady. This spearheads the Matec sock closed toe solution with the Air-Toe Closing System, as
opposed to the Lonati Company alternatives of their own folding dial method. Matec Conti Florentia
has its own machine range and is working in close cooperation to provide an updated version of the
Crawford ‘Concept’ machines for the U.S. market.


SRA Moves Into Bodywear

Matec has also completely renovated and expanded the SRA factory in Florence. Before a major
shareholding was acquired, SRA was a small producer of hosiery boarding machines and packaging
lines. Today, invigorated with the recruitment of more design staff and professional management, it
is a hive of innovative activity in its own and new fields.

As well as full steam pantyhose boarding machines SRA is working in close cooperation with
Santoni to produce fully automatic inner and outer bodywear boarding machines and modular packaging
lines for each product type.

Lonati Group’s policy has always been to market their textile products not just through a
network of well-established agents, but also at specialist hosiery yarn and equipment exhibitions
such as F.A.S.T. and IHE together with general textile and knitting domestic shows in China, Turkey
and Pakistan for example.

Since the Group’s diversified investment policy has proved so successful, Francesco Lonati
promises more of the same strategy, “Our thinking is to diversify investments, but always remain in
our own field. We can only do what we know.”

And, based on the extraordinary success of Santoni bodywear, he is an enthusiastic for the
whole of this seamless garment concept.

“Yes, we see — and the market confirms it — a big future for this type of seamless garment,
not only in underwear but also in other directions such as fitness wear, sportswear and suits.”<
/font>



March 2000

Fillattice Stretches Its Reach Globally



fillatice_938T

he Fillattice Group (Fillattice SpA, Italy, and Fillattice Inc., Charlotte., N.C.) is a
dynamic Italian industrial corporation that has become one of the most important producers of
elastomeric fibers, stretch fabrics, covered yarns and textile machinery.

In the aftermath of World War II, the company branched into the production of rubber yarns
derived from latex and became one of the world leaders in this field.

In the ’70s Fillattice Group launched Linel®, a polyurethane-based elastic fiber. The success
prompted the establishment of the Lineltex plant to produce stretch fabrics.

An international network of production and distribution facilities was installed as well. The
demand for Linel in the textile sector, and the development of new applications, have driven the
Fillattice Group to increase its production capacity steadily in the past years.
(See “Fillattice Boosts Spandex Image Worldwide”
ATI
, February 2000.)


The Wet-Process Yarn

Linel is a continuous polyurethane
fiber composed of filaments. It has a high elasticity and remarkable strength of recovery without
being constrictive. It is produced through a wet-processing technology that provides the yarn with
the advantage of leaving it with the highest elongation.

Linel is recognized on the world market as being one of the best elastomeric fibers due to
its technical characteristics and high quality levels.

Linel’s high stretch, remarkable softness and silky hand allow the production of fabrics
with exceptional qualities of comfort and stretch, wearability, softness and adherence.

Typical applications for Linel are outerwear, sportswear, swim-wear, underwear, hosiery,
medical and industrial articles, furnishings and many other applications.

Linel is available in a broad range of counts, from 11 dtex to 1,880 dtex on spools and on
beams. Linel is produced in a “semi-clear” version in a count ranging from 44 to 1,880 dtex. It is
also produced in a “semi-dull” version to avoid appearance problems of too high luster in certain
garments.

The production of this fiber is carried out at the Fillattice 2 and FIES production plants
through “wet-spun” technology that enables Linel to have some technical characteristics that are
unique amongst the world’s best elastams.

Linel has a high elongation of up to seven times its original length, and due to its great
recovery, it returns to its original length as soon as the tension is released.

Linel distinguishes itself from other elastams due to its exceptional regularity which
enables the creation of extremely fine, even fabrics. Because of this fact some of the most
recognized garment manufacturers in the world choose fabrics with Linel, especially in the swimwear
and sportswear field.


The Dry-Process Yarn

Linel Comfort® yarn is produced from
fiber manufactured at the new Fillattice 3 plant. The fiber itself was created by Fillattice’s
in-house research and development team and uses the innovative “dry-spun” technology.

Fillattice claims that Linel Comfort has, in addition to the standard properties of other
elastams, exceptionally well controlled and pleasant compression, good adherence and comfortable
wearability. It is for these reasons that Linel Comfort is used predominantly in ladies hosiery and
woven materials.

Linel Comfort is produced in a clear and dull version from 11 dtex to 235 dtex.


Applications And End-Uses

Linel in its original condition, “
bare Linel,” as Fillattice calls it, can be used on circular knitting machines or weaving machines
equipped with positive feeders that control the tension of the elastam, help the unwinding of the
yarn from the package and ensure constant conditions for the yarn.

The main uses of bare Linel are in circular knitting for casual wear and underwear; in warp
knitting fabrics for swimwear, sportswear, underwear, corsetry, narrow fabrics and stretch laces;
and finally, the application in ladies hosiery.

Covered Linel is used in applications where bare Linel cannot be used. It enhances the
processability by increasing friction resistance. Furthermore, it permits more control over the
maximum elasticity of the fiber, allowing a very controlled feeding of the yarn on the knitting
machine.

Covered Linel can achieve very prestigious looks in fabrics. Single- or double-covered yarns
are mainly used for high-quality tights, narrow fabrics, woven fabrics like denim and gabardine,
and circular and flat knit goods.

In intermingled yarns, a multi-filament continuous yarn covers Linel. Through an air-jet
process, intermingling the cover fibers in a random manner creates a non-uniform cover of Linel.
This yarn is used in the circular and flat knitting, woven fabrics, and men’s hosiery and sports
socks.

Other versions of covered yarns are core-spun yarns that are used in fabrics of particular
high quality, and twisted yarns, where Linel is twisted together with other yarns.

Linel and Linel Comfort are always used with other natural or synthetic fibers in order to
give the final product elasticity and comfort. The percentage of Linel in the final product depends
on the demanded characteristics of the product.

For example, between 2 percent and 4 percent are usually used in a woven fabric, 20 percent
are used in warp-knitted fabrics, and up to 25 to 30 percent are used in ladies hosiery.

Some technical fabrics up to 35- to 40-percent Linel and Linel Comfort may be used.


Great Outlook

As already mentioned, Fillattice has been steadily increasing its production quantity. The
strongest markets for Linel and Linel Comfort are Europe, the United States and the NAFTA
countries, South America and the Southeast Asia.

Fillattice has made a worldwide commitment to serve its customers with the best possible
yarns, tailored to their needs. The company understands that this is a consumer driven market and
develops its products to fulfill the demands of comfort, durability, and easy care.

Fillattice’s elastic fibers are offered in a broad range of yarn counts and fashionable
colors.



March 2000

Guilford Refocuses Operation To Strengthen Market Position

Guilford Mills Inc., Greensboro, N.C., has announced several organizational changes made to
strengthen short- and long-term market positioning of the company.

According to John Emrich, president and CEO, the Fishman and Greenberg Apparel Home Fashion
manufacturing sites will be consolidated as one plant under one management team. This move will
improve communications, upgrade operational efficiency and will make better use of the employees.

Guilford will also reorganize its sales and marketing organization under Michael Greenberg.

It was also announced that the company will move its circular knit dyeing and finishing
operation into a new plant under construction in Tampico, Mexico. This transiton will begin in the
first quarter of 2001.

March 2000

AlliedSignal Changes Name To Honeywell

AlliedSignal Inc., Colonial Heights,
Va., has announced that it has changed its name to Honeywell Performance Fibers with the completion
of the recent merger between AlliedSignal and Honeywell Inc., Colonial Heights, Va.

Honeywell Performance Fibers becomes the name of Honeywell�s industrial fiber and fiber
technology business headquarters.

March 2000

Brian Parke Named CEO Of Unifi

Unifi Inc., Greensboro, N.C., has announced that Brian R. Parke, president and chief operating
officer, was appointed as CEO by the Unifi board of directors. Allen Mebane will retain his
position as chairman.

Parke has been with the company since 1984, most recently serving as CEO of Unifi Textured
Yarns Europe Ltd.

“Brian Parke has been an integral part of Unifi’s growth over the past 15 years,” Mebane
said. “I have total confidence in Brian as a strong and effective leader whose global vision will
chart Unifi’s course in a rapidly changing industry.”

March 2000

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