Quality Fabric Of The Month: Microbes Begone!


QFOM_1242The Fosshield Technology Division of Foss Manufacturing Co., Hampton, N.H., has developed an antimicrobial technology by which it embeds AgION™, a silver-based inorganic zeolite, in its
solution-dyed polyester Fossfibre® bicomponent fiber. Fossfibre with AgION is suitable for all textile applications in which antimicrobial protection is desired.

Foss sells the product to companies thatmanufacture textiles for such markets as hospitality, medicine and health care, travel and others. It has also recently entered the consumer market by introducing its own product – Fosshield® antimicrobial cleaning wipes.

The heavy-duty nonwoven wipes can be used throughout the home to clean everything from countertops, sinks and bathrooms to dishes – any non-fabric surface that needs to be cleaned. Foss claims they can be used wet or dry; with or without soap, detergent or other cleaning agents. The wipes will hold up for weeks and can be washed many times, even with bleach, without destroying the antimicrobial properties, thus reducing waste while maintaining their freshness.
Silver Lining

Silver has long been recognized as an effective inhibitor of bacterial growth. As an early example, says Foss, the ancient Egyptians used it 6,000 years ago as a lining in vessels intended for long-term water storage.

More than 650 strains of bacteria, yeast, fungi and mold are known to be vulnerable to silver’s antimicrobial properties. In addition, it is all-natural, inert and nontoxic. In laboratory testing, AgION has destroyed 99.99-percent of many infection- and odor-causing bacteria.
As well, because AgION is inorganic and not a drug-based antibiotic, bacteria are not able to develop resistance to its properties.

The bicomponent fibers in Fossfibre are specially designed so that AgION is found only on the sheath, providing optimum exposure to the destructive bacteria. Foss claims the silver zeolite molecule is extremely stable, even under the most severe production conditions, withstanding temperatures of up to 800°C and having a pH stability of 3-10.

Fossfibre with AgION is also available with additional additives to provide fire retardation, ultraviolet stabilization, conductivity, stain resistance and moisture transmission. As well, it can be blended with cotton, wool, silk or flax.

For more information about Fosshield Antimicrobial Technologies, contact Al Bobst (603)
929-6092; (800) 746-4018.

December 2001

Outlast Partners With Asian Manufacturers

Outlast Technologies, Boulder, Colo., has partnered with five Asian manufacturers to meet the
growing demand for its phase change technology products with greater selection and competitive
pricing. Outlast specializes in the research, development, design and application of phase change
materials (PCMs) for apparel, footwear, home furnishings and other markets
(See Quality Fabric of the Month, ATI, April 2000).Outlast will manufacture all of its
fabrics in Asia, including fabrics featuring the new Matrix Coating Technology (MCT). Without
losing the effectiveness of the PCMs, the MCT coating provides more stretch, moisture management
and air permeability to the fabric, the company claims.New partnerships with Itochu, Inoac, Daiyu,
Tiong Liong and P.T. Tomenbo will provide Outlasts global markets with superior-quality products at
competitive Asian prices, said George Cattermole, president and CEO, Outlast. Additionally, our
presence in Asia improves our capability to deliver products faster to customers with downstream
manufacturing operations in Asia.

December 2001

DuPont Launches Lycra Campaign TACTEL Prisma

DuPont, Wilmington, Del., has launched a new advertising campaign to support the growing trend of
jeans made with Lycra®. In the first such campaign for Lycra What do you look for in a great pair
of jeans DuPont will spend $10 million in advertising.The television commercial is lively and hip;
it captures the more fashionable and trendy personality of Lycra and emphasizes the way people live
in their jeans with Lycra; they look and feel good; they are comfortable and free, said Linda
Kearns, global brand manager, Lycra.In other news, DuPont ApparelandTextile Sciences has introduced
TACTEL® prisma, a new yarn that combines two polymers during spinning to achieve two-color heather
effects that incorporate different degrees of shine, sparkle and color. TACTEL prisma is available
in a 156f71 flat yarn for use in circular knits, knitwear and in woven fabrics.

December 2001

Cone To Use Quickwash In Denim Production

The Cone Mills denim plant in Cliffside, N.C., has purchased its first Raitech Quickwash Plus
machine. The testing machine will be incorporated directly into the manufacturing process on the
production floor. Cone hopes the machine will help reduce the number of denim reruns.Some Quickwash
Plus customers keep the machine in the lab, said Lan Brady, quality analysis manager, Cone Mills.
But for us, its best suited for use in our process.Brady said plant reruns were extremely
time-consuming. A trip to the warehouse was required to cut a two-yard denim sample, followed by
three wash cycles over a 12-hour period. With the new machine, 7 inches of fabric is required for
the test, and the test time is reduced to 30 minutes.
(See Measuring Up, TI, this issue).

December 2001

Textile, Cotton Producers Will Pay


T
 his month, the Yarn Market reported the price of cotton at 32.71 cents per pound — the
base-grade average for seven designated markets. Also noted was the fact that some companies were
fixing cotton at about this price. Fixing cotton leads some of us to think that prices might be
near the bottom, and that things are about to level out or turn around. Well, this month’s
quotation for base grade in the seven designated markets averaged 26.77 cents per pound — almost 6
cents per pound lower. The price for 1.5-denier staple polyester moved slightly lower to about 53
cents per pound. So who is to guess where the bottom of the trough might be?

Although raw-material prices continue to move lower, that doesn’t seem to have any impact on
the economic outlook of textile mills. Business is not out there — plants are still closing and
unemployment is rising. There doesn’t seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Are things going
to get better? Most managers who spoke with the Yarn Market during the past week said, “Things will
probably get worse before they get better.”

Some may wonder how things could get any worse. Well, there is one major activity currently
going on that will have a huge impact on our industry – the war in Afghanistan.

It seems that most individuals and/or countries would be willing to “freely” pitch in and
fight/eliminate evil, especially when it is in their back yard. But that is not the case in many
societies. For us to carry out our objective in Afghanistan, we must pay neighboring countries —
Pakistan, India, China, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan — for the use of their land, air, participation,
etc. What is the pay? Textiles. We will reduce/eliminate restrictions barring shipments of their
textile goods into the United States. With this happening, we would expect more plants to close and
unemployment to rise.

One factor that feeds into this equation in the short term is the type of products that might
be entering the United States. If you are a ring spinner, beware. Ring spinning is the predominant
yarn-manufacturing system in these countries. Therefore, we should expect an increase of these
yarns, and products from these yarns, coming into the United States. There is much less rotor yarn
production and almost no air-jet capacity in these countries.


Challenging Times

One spinner was asked, “Do you know of any spinners of knitting or weaving yarns that are doing
okay?” His response was, “No. They are all losing money — spinners, weavers, knitters and fiber
producers. Several of the top textile companies are near or in Chapter 11. Most are barely hanging
on. If something doesn’t change soon, there won’t be a textile industry in the United States.”

With mill closings, the domestic demand for cotton is down and will continue to decrease if
current trends in the textile industry continue. So, one might ask, “What is going to happen in the
U.S. cotton industry?” Production is up, consumption is down, and prices are down. If U.S. mills
are not here to buy this cotton, one might ask, “Are we going to produce cotton only for export?”
If we do, the government will probably have to provide a larger subsidy to help producers be
competitive in the global market place. Or, as has been asked before, will cotton production follow
the textile industry and go offshore?

In fact, the Yarn Market received a call recently from a cotton producer to discuss his
dilemma. He said, “With ginning cost and government discounts, I am selling my cotton for 20 cents
per pound.” Clearly, he had not considered his government loan deficiency payment (LDP) that has
been in the range of 27 to 31 cents per pound. Still, 51 cents per pound is 12 to 15 cents per
pound below the cost of production in his area. He can’t stay in the cotton-producing business long
at this rate.

A patriotic note: Patriotism has not been higher in the United States since WWII. This is
definitely true. We are textile people and marketers. Are we doing as much as we can to capitalize
on the patriotic feeling throughout this great country of ours? Should we be developing/promoting
strategies for buy “All American” or “Only From America” or “America — Beginning to End”? What do
you think? It is terrible that we have to buy American flags and ribbons from one of the
above-listed countries.

December 2001

Fed Rates Hit 40-Year Low


PPI Records Largest Monthly Decline

The latest economic data indicate that the U.S. economy, already weak before the terrorist
attacks of September 11, slipped into recession. The disruption and insecurity caused by the
attacks and the mailing of anthrax took a toll on third-quarter economic activity.

The Federal Reserve cut short-term rates in its October meeting by a quarter point. This was
the 10th rate reduction this year and brought rates down to a 40-year low.

The civilian jobless rate jumped to 5.4 percent in October, the highest level since December
1996. Non-farm payrolls declined for the third month in a row. The decline of 415,000 jobs, the
largest since May 1980, was on top of a 213,000 drop in September. Employment in construction fell
by 30,000, while factory payrolls went down by 142,000.

The producer price index (PPI) for finished goods declined 1.6 percent in October, the
largest monthly drop on record, led by sharp declines in energy prices, a 0.4-percent drop in food
prices and motor vehicles sales incentives. The core rate of producer prices, which excludes food
and energy prices, declined 0.5 percent in October, following a 0.3-percent rise in September.

The consumer price index declined 0.3 percent in October after rising 0.4 percent in
September. Energy prices plunged 6.3 percent. The core inflation was up 0.2 percent for the fourth
consecutive month.


Third-Quarter Blues

The U.S. output of goods and services declined 0.4 percent at an annual rate, the largest drop
since the first quarter of 1991. Positive contributions from consumer expenditures and federal
government spending did not match investment declines, continued draw-down of inventories and a
drop in exports. Third-quarter growth in consumer spending decelerated to 1.7 percent, while
capital spending on equipment and software declined 11.8 percent. Nonresidential investment in
structures fell 12.1 percent, and exports plunged 18.2 percent. Inventory draw-down accounted for
all of the third-quarter decline.

Inflation was unchanged at 2.1 percent at an annual rate.

Industrial output shrank 1.1 percent in October. Factory output was off 1.2 percent, while
utility output rose 0.6 percent. The operating rate dropped to 74.8 percent from 75.7 percent in
September.

Despite low interest rates, October housing starts fell to 1.552 million units at an annual
rate from 1.572 million in September. Single-family units fell 1.2 percent to 1.242 million, while
multifamily units were down 1.6 percent to 0.310 million.

Business sales dropped 2.8 percent in September, and business inventories fell 0.5 percent
due to disrupted production and shipping. The September inventory-to-sales ratio climbed to 1.45
from 1.42.


Auto, Apparel And Accessories Sales Register Sharp Increases

With interest rates down, auto companies offered zero interest financing, and auto sales shot up
32.9 percent to 10.2 million at an annual rate in October. As a result, retail and food services
sales jumped 7.1 percent in October. Building materials sales surged 2.8 percent, rebounding from a
2.6-percent decline in September. Sales rose 0.7 percent at general merchandise stores but fell 0.5
percent at furniture and home furnishings stores. Apparel and accessory sales rang up a 6.9-percent
gain.

Textile output declined 1.0 percent in October after rising 0.3 percent in September. The
operating rate for textiles went down to 71.4 percent in October from 71.9 percent in September.

Shipments by textile manufacturers fell 0.9 percent in September. Total shipments of $61.18
billion through September were running behind last year’s pace by 7.4 percent. With inventories
down 0.7 percent in September, the inventory-to-sales ratio was unchanged at 1.65.

Textile and apparel job losses have accelerated. As the industry’s payrolls shrank 1.4
percent in October, the jobless rate for textile mill workers soared to 9.4 percent.

Producer prices of textiles and apparel declined 0.2 percent in October. Prices edged up 0.1
percent for home furnishings and were unchanged for carpets and for finished fabrics. Prices
dropped 0.9 percent for greige fabrics, 0.8 percent for processed yarns and threads, and 0.1
percent for synthetic fibers.


December 2001

Leuze-Lumiflex Develops Multi-Functional Sensor

Leuze-Lumiflex Inc., Rockaway, N.J., has introduced its 8 series photo-electric sensors.The
matchbox-sized sensors contain new suppression technology that helps to avoid crosstalk between
sensors in close proximity, as well as decreasing ambient light interference. Sensors are available
as through-beam, retro-reflective, fiber-optic amplifier, safety sensor, glossy surface detection,
contrast scanning plus other options.The sensors come with metal housing, have an IP rating of 67
and a M 12 standard plug that can be swiveled down or backwards by 90 degrees.

December 2001

Borgne39 S Split-Tube Folder Reduces Fabric Loss

Jean-Claude Borgne of France-based ETS Borgne has patented the Multiple, a split-tube folder for
industrial sewing machines. The folder is suitable for machines that perform lockstitch and
chainstitch for split-tube folders and for flat-bed sewing machines.Due to speed and accuracy of
adjustment, the folder allows for the use of fabric strips otherwise too wide or narrow, according
to the company.The stainless-steel device replaces more than 70 specific conventional split-tube
folders and can produce six different folding patterns having widths from .5 inch to 1 inch. The
machine consists of two adjustable stops at the entrance, a movable retractable jaw at the exit and
an adjustable counter-guide.

December 2001

J And J Industries Honored For Pollution Prevention

J and J Industries Inc., Dalton, Ga., has been recognized as a leader in pollution
prevention by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.J and J achieved Model Level status in
the Pollution Prevention Partners (P3) industry recognition program the highest attainable level.P3
is a three-level certification program that recognizes and rewards continuous pollution-prevention
performance and environmental improvement.Environmental action not reaction is a fundamental
component in our current and long-term planning, said Jim Bethel, president and COO, J and J
Industries.J and J Industries implemented a formal pollution program in 1992. Since that time, the
company has reduced solid waste generation by more than 80 percent. As well, the company has
achieved considerable reductions in energy usage, waste water generation and air emissions.
December 2001

December 2001


BASF Corp., Mount Olive, N.J., announced the retirement of

Deanne Moskowitz
 , manager, marketing services, textile products, following 21 years of service.

DuPont, Wilmington, Del., has appointed

Lisa K. Pfrommer
 manager, upholstery and home fashions, DuPont™ Teflon® stain protection.

Nordson Corp., Duluth, Ga., has promoted

James T. Auber
 to global nonwovens marketing manager, Nonwovens Systems Group.

Auber_1261

Auber


Rod Owen
 has joined
Crosrol UK Ltd., United Kingdom, as spares and technical manager.

United Kingdom-based
SDL International Ltd. has announced the retirement of

Tom Govier
 , sales manager, after 16 years of service. Govier will consult part-time as needed.

The
Inter-Society Color Council (ISCC), Reston, Va., elected the following directors
for 2001-2004:

James G. King
 , DuPont;

Dr. Eileen Korenic
 , University of Wisconsin-River Falls; and

Margaret Miele
 , Fashion Institute of Technology.

John McCann
 will serve as secretary until 2002. In addition, the ISCC bestowed its highest honor —
the ISCC Godlove Award — to the late

Max Saltzman
 . The award recognizes a lifetime of distinguished service to the color community. The
council also presented the Nickerson Service Award to

Paula J. Alessi
 . The award recognizes outstanding, long-term contributions to the advancement of the
ISCC.

The
Synthetic Organic Chemical Manufacturers Association (SOCMA), Washington, has
promoted

Diane McMahon
 to vice president, commercial development; and

John (Jack) F. Murray
 to vice president, project management.

Apollo Chemical Corp., Burlington, N.C., has made the following promotions:

Dexter R. Barbee Jr.
 , vice chairman, Board of Directors;

Edward J. Rish
 , president and COO;

James Brown
 , CFO; and

Jimm Barbery
 , vice president, sales and marketing.

Switzerland-based
Ciba Specialty Chemicals Inc. has appointed

Brendan Cummins
 as head of international coordination and human resources. He will also serve on the
executive committee. Cummins succeeds

Franz Gerny
 , who is retiring after 40 years with the company.


Jim Hendrix, Ph.D.
 , has joined the
Industrial Textile Associates, Greer, S.C., as a senior associate.

Hendrix_1260

Hendrix


David Matsil
 has joined
nvision Technologies Inc., New York City, in the newly created post of director,
business development.


Louis J. Martin
 has joined
Eastman Machine, Buffalo, N.Y., as vice president, marketing and business
development. The company also announced the promotions of

Marla Mellon
 to vice president, sales; and

Robert Skowronski
 to vice president, export business development.

WestPoint Stevens Inc., West Point, Ga., has named

Robert B. (Bob) Dale
 and

Arthur (Art) Birkins
 to the newly created posts of president, Bed and Bath Division, and president, Basic
Bedding Division, respectively. The company has named

Gregory D. (Greg) Tarver
 and

Joan Amberg
 to the newly created posts of senior vice president, bath, and senior vice president,
bed, respectively.

C. David England
 was named vice president, manufacturing, Basic Bedding Division.

Rieter Textile Systems, Switzerland, has given the Rieter Award 2001 to the
following students:

Sandra Edalat-Pour
 , Reutlingen University of Applied Sciences, Germany;

Abed Alam Bakshi
 , University of Dhaka, Bangladesh;

Tingyong Wei
 , Textile Donghua University, China;

Amit Pal
 , Maharaja Sayajiro University, India; and

Sunay Ömeroglu
 , Istanbul Technical University (B.Sc.) and Uludag University (M.Sc.), Turkey. The award
recognizes textile students worldwide who are working on subjects within the field of Rieter global
activities.

Eduard Küsters Maschinenfabrik GmbH & Co., Germany, announced

Dipl.-Ing. Albert Stitz
 will take over responsibility for the areas of technology and development.

Stitz_1257

Stitz

Cleveland-based
Applied Industrial Technologies elected

Fred D. Bauer
 corporate secretary and

Michael L. Coticchia
 vice president, human resources.

December 2001

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