TenCate Investigates Possible Restart Of Osiris Inkjet Systems

ALMELO, The Netherlands — May 12, 2011 — TenCate is investigating the possible restart of Osiris
Inkjet Systems B.V. (Hengelo, the Netherlands) following the petition for liquidation filed by this
company on Wednesday, 11 May 2011. Over the past ten years Osiris developed the first inkjet
printing solution (ISIS) for textiles for the fashion industry at industrial speed (up to 30 metres
a minute).

In recent years TenCate, together with Xennia Technology (79% TenCate) and other industrial
partners, has been involved in innovation projects, both European and those subsidized by the
Province of Overijssel (the Netherlands) in the field of inkjet technology. One of the results is
the outcome of the European Digitex project, which was presented in December 2010. TenCate and
Xennia presented a demonstrator for continuous inkjet textile finishing.

Sustainable smart textiles

Textile finishing based on inkjet technology will on the one hand bring about significant
innovation in the field of sustainability and on the other hand will result in the development of
revolutionary products (smart textiles). This technology can be regarded as nano-surface coating of
technical textiles.

TenCate Protective Fabrics intends to introduce inkjet technology as a form of finishing on a
pilot basis this year. This will over time allow the production of new protective materials for
medical applications, defence, emergency services, etc.

Osiris and Xennia / TenCate

Osiris and TenCate developed separately in the past, in view of the fact that
applications for textiles for the fashion industry (Osiris) and for technical textiles (TenCate)
have different requirements. The knowledge and expertise acquired by Osiris is, however,
complementary to that of Xennia and TenCate, and may possibly make a positive contribution to the
implementation of the inkjet strategy of TenCate.

TenCate is studying the possibility of creating a knowledge centre relating to inkjet
technology for textile substrates on the basis of this technological cooperation in the Eastern
Netherlands region. This knowledge centre may be able to make knowledge and test facilities
available to both TenCate and third parties (possibly through the Open Innovation Centre Advanced
Materials, which has recently been set up in Nijverdal, the Netherlands). A restart on a broader
base may constitute a major technological impetus for the Eastern Netherlands.

The ISIS machine from Osiris will be added to the Xennia systems portfolio after the possible
restart. The first ISIS machine was earlier sold to an Indian fashion producer as launching
customer, and it is in production there.



Posted on May 16, 2011

Source: Royal Ten Cate

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