AF&Y ANNOUNCES PLANT CAPACITY EXPANSION, MORE JOBS

Press Contact:
Tracey Campbell (800-925-0668) (twcampbell@afyarns.com)
John Avant (919-676-4115) (john.avant@avant.com)

Chapel Hill, NC (January 5, 2006) – Citing substantial growth in demand for its fibers and yarns, American Fibers and Yarns Company (AF&Y) announced plans to increase its fiber extrusion capacity by 30% and its texturing capacity by 25%.  The company will also be hiring an additional 25-30 employees.  Most of the expansion will occur at the company’s Bainbridge, GA, manufacturing plant, which is also home to the AF&Y Technology Center.

 Domestic market demand for AF&Y’s Marquesa^® and Innova^® high-performance yarns has doubled in the past two years.  The yarns are replacing cotton, acrylic and polyester in apparel applications, mattress fabrics, upholstery and other home and contract textile markets.  Additionally, the company’s export business has doubled each year for the past three years. 

“Our growth and corporate health should come as good news to American manufacturers of furniture, bedding and apparel,” said Michael Apperson, AF&Y president and CEO.  “We are a stable domestic supplier at a time when that is becoming a rare commodity.  Our current success is the result of a commitment we made to using American technology and innovation to give our customers a competitive edge.  That strategy is working, and the market is recognizing that our Marquesa^® and Innova^® brands are far superior to natural fibers and to competitive synthetic materials that do not possess our inherent high-performance characteristics.  With our plant expansions and the addition of new employees, American Fibers and Yarns Company will be well positioned in 2006 to meet the increasing demand for our products.”

About American Fibers and Yarns Company
American Fibers and Yarns Company (AF&Y) is the world’s leading supplier of solution dyed filament yarns.  With thousands of yarns in its product portfolio and the ability to engineer yarns to customer specifications, AF&Y is a dominant supplier to the residential and contract furnishings marketplace, and has a growing presence in the hospitality, apparel, automotive and industrial markets.  Headquartered in Chapel Hill, NC, AF&Y maintains a Technology Center that specializes in engineering filament yarn with innovative combinations not available from other suppliers.  The company also operates two U.S. production facilities totaling six hundred thousand square feet of manufacturing space.  For more information on AF&Y and its products, please visit www.afyarns.com or call 800-925-0668.