EAT
Network in South America

In addition, EAT has appointed Adrian Bressi in Argentina, an experienced Textile CAD/CAM expert, for customer support and service all over South America. Customers will soon profit from Mr. Bressi's knowledge from design all the way to production.

MAYER & CIE
Peter Mayer retires from Board

After a total of 40 years as a Managing Partner of Mayer & Cie. - the world's leading manufacturer of circular knitting machines - Peter Mayer has stepped down from operative management of the company to enjoy a well-deserved retirement. This step is part of a long-term management plan, and Peter Mayer has made use of the past two years to thoroughly familiarize his son Marcus with the tasks involved in technical management. Marcus Mayer is an engineering graduate, and will be assuming responsibility with signatory rights in the fields of development, design and production. Peter Mayer will continue to support the company in an advisory capacity. Rainer Mayer is currently sole Managing Partner.

MEMMINGER - IRO
Uniwave merges with Memminger-IRO

With the merger of Memminger-IRO and Uniwave two world-wide leading and pioneering companies in the field of auxiliary equipment for the knitting industry will strengthen their market activities and furthermore their market presence.

Uniwave's lubricators "Quantum" and "Projectile" and Memminger-IRO's lubricator "Pulsonic" are the strongest brands in this market. Both kinds of lubricators are using different technologies and complement each other perfectly to cover each market demand.

It is the full intention of the merged companies to continue with today's product lines. The organisation will be unchanged and customers can continue to use their known contacts. Additionally Memminger-IRO will extend their product range not only with the Uniwave lubricators but also by the lint blowers, needle oil and the other Uniwave products.

This merger of the European based company Memminger-IRO and the US-based company Uniwave will serve as a strengthening measure for western technology. By combining the product lines and product knowledge the merged companies will increase their competitiveness all over the world.

Memminger-IRO and Uniwave assure their customers they will provide at least the same level of good service as given in the past, but to do all that is possible to improve this, especially concerning fair prices, on-time deliveries and good after-sales service. Memminger-IRO and Uniwave will jointly continue to be their customers' partners today and in the future!

BARMAG
PRODUCTION OF MICROFILAMENTS USING JOINT SOLUTIONS

Korteks A.S., Turkey, manufacturer and processor of POY fibers, successfully produces microfilaments with a titer of 0.3 dpf using a POY spinning machine supplied by Barmag and processes these on Barmag texturing machines. This has been made possible due to a novel technology that Barmag - as a provider of global full-service solutions - has purchased in the form of a license and has further-developed through to the production stage. The uniform cooling - even for extremely fine filaments with very high homogeneity and even for high filament counts - generates a high degree of spinning process security, hence enabling more efficient production of micro-yarns.
"The produced micro-yarn represents a further step in the expansion of our business development and will help us - as an innovation leader - to step into new markets", claims Zeki Zorlu, the owner of Korteks. The yarns are used for home textiles, sports clothing and automotive applications, among other things. Further areas of application will be reached in the near future.

Using the new radial quenching technology, the microfilaments are generated with high filament counts from a single respective spinneret. The considerably smaller spin pack diameter also reduces the spinning position distribution. Hence, this technology enables Barmag to now offer a novel, efficient compact solution for microfiber yarns, whose potentials have not been fully exploited to date.
"In addition to the special technical components in the spinning plant, it was above all the Barmag engineers' spinning process and texturing know-how, in conjunction with the necessary production and further-processing expertise at Korteks, which ultimately proved successful," states Martin Stillger, Barmag CEO, emphasizing the excellent cooperation between Korteks and Barmag.

Only by carefully scrutinizing the entire process chain all the way through to the end product it was possible to optimize the individual spinning and texturing process steps in such a way as to enable the process-secure and efficient production of, for example, 150f288 denier and 100f333 denier yarns. The systematic focusing on the requirements of the end product formed the backbone of the solution range now developed for Korteks' market.

Being the first POY/FDY direct spinning plant in Turkey, Korteks - an affiliate of Zorlu Holding Textile Group - currently produces 50% of Turkey's total annual production of polyester polymer, 40% of POY, nearly 100% of FDY and 35% of textured yarn, with exports to more than 60 countries.

Not only the fully automated doffing and yarn-packing system, but also the ISO 9001: 2000 certification and Öko-Tex Standard 100 are the main features of the company's high quality standard. Korteks secures its market leadership through continuous investment as well as a wide range of products. Within the process from chips up to twisted and textured yarns Korteks offers a wide range of commodity yarns, but also different types of speciality yarns such as air-textured -, fancy - and rope-dyed yarns.

Lenzing
AcquiSITION OF Tencel Group

Effective from May 4th, Lenzing AG is taking over the entire Tencel group of companies. The seller is Corsadi BV, part of the international financial group CVC. The acquisition will further strengthen Lenzing's position as one of the leading manufacturers of high quality, cellulose-based fibers in the world.

Karl Schmutzer, chairman of the Supervisory Board of Lenzing AG and managing director of B&C Holding, the majority owner, regarded the step as an "absolutely sensible commercial decision with far-reaching strategic significance for the Lenzing Group." As a long-term investor, B&C Holding, the core stakeholder of Lenzing AG, is providing the Managing Board with the security for planning that it needs for such an investment, so that the Lenzing Group will be able to continue its successful growth course.

Tencel operates one large-scale Lyocell plant in the United States (Mobile, Alabama) and another in the United Kingdom (Grimsby), with a total nominal capacity of about 80,000 tons per year. Including its UK support activities and marketing teams throughout the world, it has a staff of about 350. Sales for 2003 were EUR 100 mill. The capacity of the Lyocell production site of Lenzing AG at Heiligenkreuz, Austria, is about 40,000 tons. The Lenzing Group has a staff of more than 4,000 worldwide, including 180 at Heiligenkreuz. During the last decade Tencel and Lenzing each independently developed the Lyocell fiber technology and brought it to large-scale industrial production. The planned integration of Tencel is greatly facilitated by a new corporate organization with market-oriented business units which was implemented at the beginning of the year.

Toray
Textile research institute

Toray Fiber Institute (China) Co., Ltd. recently inaugurated in Nantong, Jiangsu Province in China. It is the largest foreign-invested textile research institute in China.

Toray is one the leading fiber producers in the world. As the company shifts its gravity point to China, it decided to invest US$ 15.06 million in setting up the fiber research institute, the only institute that Toray sets up abroad.

By absorbing Chinese qualified talents, the institute will focus on high-molecule science, including the R & D of polymer, fiber, film and composite materials and water disposal. Toray has set up two subsidiaries in Nantong, and with the new institute, Toray's total investment in China has topped RMB 2.4 billion yuan.

DATATEX
sales meeting to launch new products

Datatex Business Partners and Area Managers coming from 14 different countries met in Milan on April 22-23, 2004.

The main objective of this event was to discuss the 2004 datatex product roll out plan.
The product plan includes the following:

A.B.Solution, the Application Development tool for Java, J2EE compliant, web based solutions .Year-to-date 18 SW development groups (SW houses or IT departments) have tested A.B.Solution, supporting the general availability of the product.

NOW-Logistics, the most complete solution for customers/ suppliers/ inventory management. Currently going live in two well-known textile companies can be launched to the general market with two significant references.

TIM planning (VIP TRP MQM), to cover the full planning cycle from demand to machine scheduling through planning and tracking.

Datatex is the world's leader in manufacturing solutions for the textile and apparel industry, with over 350 satisfied customers in 38 countries around the world.

SAURER CZECH
Market Leader In Eastern Europe

With over 20,000 BD-spinning positions delivered to textile mills, the year 2003 counts among the exceptionally successful years of the Saurer company Saurer Czech. This proves that with the further development of the BD product line, Saurer Czech has made the right decision.

Worldwide, Saurer Czech has an installed base of more than 3.7 million spinning positions. Particularly large are the numbers of these Czech-made machines in the countries of the former Eastern bloc where over 2.6 million spinning positions are in production, most of which, however, older than 15 years.

The situation is similar in Uzbekistan where most spinning positions date from the 80s of last century. As suppliers of rotor spinning machines Saurer Czech enjoys the particular confidence of the spinners and textile people in Uzbekistan.

By the end of this year, over 20,000 new semi-automatic rotor spinning positions of the BD-line will be installed in textile mills of that country, in machines both of the mill-proven BD 320 series and of the latest generation BD 330.

SCHLAFHORST
German Consortium SET UP Factory IN Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan is currently making intensive efforts to modernise its production plants and facilities in a comprehensive investment programme in order to adjust the performance standards of its industries to world-market levels. Even today, the textile industry of that country with its roughly 1.5 million ring spindles and 350000 rotor spindles occupies a leading position in the markets of Central Asia.
Schlafhorst-leader of the Consortium

The Swiss company EWI for its Joint Venture "Sayhunmedtex" in Uzbekistan has placed an order for a complete textile factory with a Consortium of German Companies. Sayhunmedtex plans to produce and sell predominantly in the global markets high-grade knitgoods made of yarns spun in its own spinning operation.

Schlafhorst has assumed the function of Leader with overall responsibility of the Consortium of German companies executing the order.

The German companies participating in this project are LTG in the sector of ventilating technology, Truetzschler with blowroom and spinning preparation machines, Zinser with ring spinning machnines, Volkmann with two-for-one tisting machines, Schlafhorst with automatic cone winding machines and Mayer & Cie with circular knitting machines.

The equipment to be delivered also includes spinning cans, bobbin and package tubes, packing machines, a textile testing laboratory with Uster testing instruments, machanical work and repair shops and the necessary materials handling and transport equipment.

Production in the new facory with 12000 ring spindles is scheduled to start at the end of 2004.

Uster Technologies posts new website: www.usterized.com!

Uster Technologies has just posted a new, additional website – www.usterized.com.
The focus of the new website is to inform future and existing USTER® customers about the exclusive USTERIZED® member program. USTERIZED® members belong to an exclusive class of spinners – they are permitted to brand their products with the highly valued brand USTERIZED® and so to get the chance to emphasize their competitive difference:

· Producing superior and consistent yarn quality.
· Producing yarn of international accepted quality standards.
· Using most advanced technology.
· Managing the process for best and consistent quality.

For producers of quality textile products, USTER® makes a difference. Textiles tested, cleared or inspected with USTER® are more valuable and can achieve a higher market price. Whether testing cotton fibers, yarn or fabric, USTER® products yield accurate and reliable quality data.

The customers can make the difference. By using the quality brand “USTERIZED®” they prove themselves to be committed to the highest quality standards. For the sake of their customers’ reputation. Uster Technologies support selected customers to join the “USTERIZED® Member Program”. Since its introduction in 1967 this brand has been a guarantee of the best quality in textile products.

Datacolor appoints marketing experts in China to support Asia-Pacific Area

Datacolor has announced the addition of two new members to its global marketing team. Ms. Kay Lam is the Marketing Manager - Asia for both Datacolor and its subsidiary enterprise ColorVision. Mr. Charles Lee is the new General Manager of ColorVision Asia. Both of these newly created positions are located in Datacolor's Hong Kong facility.

Born in Hong Kong, Lam brings a deep understanding of the region as well as more than five years of business experience in the Asian marketplace to her position as Marketing Manager. Most recently, she served as a Marketing Executive with Proficient Asset Management in Hong Kong. Her professional acumen is complemented by an MBA from the University of Ballarat as well as a Bachelor of Information Technology from Australia Central Queensland University.

Charles Lee, General Manager of ColorVision Asia, brings to his new appointment an entrepreneurial drive combined with an excellent track record of marketing, selling, and distributing high tech products throughout Asia. Also born in Hong Kong, Lee graduated from Hong Kong Polytechnic University with a degree in Engineering Physics. He launched his first company offering networking and office automation solutions to small businesses while still in college. Lee's most recent position was with Adaptec, Inc. as Country Manager for Greater China where he grew sales significantly within five years.

Both appointments reflect commitments on behalf of Datacolor and ColorVision to deliver world-class color solutions - for those supplying goods to the growing Chinese economy as well as those who are relocating operations to this key area of the world.

Datacolor manufactures color control systems, instruments, software, equipment and services for a variety of industries worldwide.

ColorVision, Inc, a Datacolor company, delivers solutions that control and create affordable tools for color management that assure consistent, accurate, reliable color in today's digital darkroom across multiple monitors and printers.