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Nov. 10, 2003 -- Donn Tice keeps about a half-dozen clocks showing different time zones in his conference room at the Nano-Tex offices in Emeryville, Calif. It's almost a necessity for the chief executive.

Nano-Tex LLC, a startup whose nanoscale products give fabrics added properties such as stain resistance while retaining their natural feel, licenses its technology to more than 20 mills worldwide. It also has weathered the Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection proceedings of its majority owner, North Carolina-based Burlington Industries Inc. Burlington suitor Wilbur Ross Jr. identified Nano-Tex as one reason for his $600 million-plus bid for the textile company. The deal is expected to be finalized as early as this week.

The accomplishments of Nano-Tex and the people who steered it from nifty science to name-brand success won them one top honor and two finalists awards in the 2003 Small Times Magazine Best of Small Tech Awards. Nano-Tex received the 2003 Company of the Year title. Nano-Tex founder and former chief scientific officer David Soane won a finalist award in the innovator category and George Henderson III, Burlington's CEO, was named a business leader finalist for recognizing the potential of Soane's technology and for helping bring in Tice about a year ago.

The awards were announced today and will appear in the November/December issue of Small Times magazine.

The probable change of ownership to W.L. Ross and Co. will affect Nano-Tex as well, said Soane, who continues to serve as a director and chairman of its scientific advisory board. Ross already has announced he will replace Henderson as Burlington's CEO when the bankruptcy is approved. But Soane said that any discussion of changes would be speculation at this point.

What is unlikely to change is Nano-Tex's emphasis on its ability to distinguish textile suppliers and clothing lines from their competitors through products such as Nano-Care, Nano-Pel, Nano-Dry and Nano-Touch. Each product starts with designed molecules that attach to or wind around fibers during the milling process. The enhanced fibers can be woven into materials that are either wrinkle free, stain resistant, water repellent or can wick up moisture from the skin.

"Our real sweet spot is to take the cutting edge science and apply that to established markets where there are real needs," Soane said.

Within its first few years, Nano-Tex not only integrated its products into the mass market, but it also managed to make a name for itself with consumers. Fabric manufacturer Galey and Lord Inc., and garment companies Martelli Lavorazioni Tessili and Dominican Knits were among the first to sign deals. Eddie Bauer and Lee Jeans agreed to use its enhanced materials in pants and to carry Nano-Tex hangtags on the clothing to let customers know about its advantages.

"In a licensing-driven business, the intellectual property is the star," Tice said in an interview shortly after he joined Nano-Tex in early 2003. For the past month, Tice has been crisscrossing the many time zones displayed in his conference room, and consequently was unavailable for an interview. He is due to return this week.

Tice said he intended to apply his knowledge as a veteran entrepreneur in the apparel industry to expand Nano-Tex's reach overseas and into the consumer market. In his previous position as president, CEO and director of Winterland, Tice negotiated licensing deals with pop stars Ricky Martin, the Back Street Boys and NSync.

He's showing success with Nano-Tex. In April, Nano-Tex licensed technology to Alamac American Knits LLC, and in July it partnered with denim producer Arvind Mills Ltd. and the cotton textile manufacturer and exporter Ashima Dyecot Private Ltd. in India. The agreements allow the companies to use Nano-Care and Nano-Pel in fabrics for garments that could be sold in Asian and Middle Eastern markets.

"One of our goals has been to build up the technology transfer around the world," Soane said.

Tice also proved he still has a touch for pairing his company with popular icons. Nike Inc. now uses Nano-Dry in a line of Tiger Woods golf pants.

The domestic textile industry has declined with increasing competition globally, industry analysts said, which is one reason for Burlington's malaise. Nano-Tex's promise of better performance and the cache it's trying to build through hangtags and industry associations could elevate it.

But it is not alone, either as a textile company that offers the benefits of a nanotech approach nor of a chemical specialist targeting the fabric industry. DuPont, a leader in the chemical industry, is making inroads in the garment business by offering a version of its Teflon technology for clothes. In September, the Asian companies U-Right Nano Textile Ltd. and Kiu Hung Industries teamed up to produce plush toys that they claim use nanotechnology to become water repellent, stain resistant and less prone to breed bacteria.

U-Right Nano signed a three-year contract a month earlier with the shoe manufacturer and distributor Onlen Fairy's Land Co. to use its nanotech products on casual footwear.

Company file: Nano-Tex LLC
(last updated Nov. 10, 2003)

Company

Nano-Tex LLC

Location

Nano-Tex has two offices, one in Emeryville, Calif., for research and development, and a second in Greensboro, N.C., for sales and marketing

5770 Shellmound St.

Emeryville, CA 94608

History

Entrepreneur David Soane founded the company originally as AvantGarb in 1998. Burlington Industries Inc. became a majority owner in 1999. Burlington filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2001 and is expected to emerge soon under a new owner, W.L. Ross and Co.

Industry

Textiles, specialty chemicals

Top products

Additives that enhance fibers woven into fabrics and the processes mills need to make the enhanced fabrics. The products are marketed under the names Nano-Care, Nano-Pel, Nano-Dry and Nano-Touch. Nano-Tex has associations with retailers such as Gap, Old Navy Stores, Eddie Bauer and Brooks Brothers, and the brands Levi's, Lee, Dockers, Savane, Haggar, Tommy Hilfiger, DKNY and Benetton.

Small tech used

The additives are polymers that wrap around or attach onto the fibers. The hybrid fibers then exhibit beneficial properties. For instance, enhanced cotton may retain its cotton feel but become stain- or wrinkle-resistant.

Management

Investors

Burlington Industries initially claimed a 35 percent ownership in Nano-Tex in 1998, and raised its stake another 16 percent in 1999 to become a majority owner.

Relevant patents

Microcellular foams, their method of production, and uses and products thereof

Nanoparticle-based permanent treatments for textiles

Water-repellent and soil-resistant finish for textiles

Contact