The sale of OC Oerlikon’s Natural Fibre and Components businesses to the Chinese Jinsheng Group that was concluded on 3 July, forms the  new  Saurer Group that now consolidates leading textile brands for both machinery (Schlafhorst, Zinser, Allma, Volkmann, Jinsheng and Saurer Embroidery) and components (Accotex, Daytex, Fibrevision, Heberlein, Temco und Texparts).

Expansion

“We are proud to continue the long and successful story of Saurer. The brands within the Saurer Group stand for innovation and highest product quality in the Chinese market,” said Xueping Pan, the long-term co-operation partner of the Saurer Group and owner of several textile businesses. “We will increase our investments in R&D in Germany and Switzerland. This know-how is the base for our technology leadership today and we intend to stay ahead“.

Heinrich Fischer, former CEO of the Saurer Group, is heading the new Saurer as the chairman of the board. Among those who will join the board are Hans-Georg Härter, former CEO of ZF, Rudolf Huber, former CFO of Geberit and Guido Spix, CTO of Multivac. Next to Xueping Pan, main investor, and Jesse Guan, CEO of the machinery business unit of Jinsheng Group, the board will be extended by two to three Chinese representatives. Daniel Lippuner, former CEO of Oerlikon Textile Components, has been appointed CEO of the Saurer Group.

Management

The new Saurer Group is one of the largest textile machinery and component manufacturers, with sales around 1 billion Swiss francs and 3,800 employees. The group has nine locations in Germany, two in Switzerland and six in Asia, close to the main textile markets of the world.

Saurer will be managed from two locations – operationally from the headquarters in Wattwil, Switzerland, and financially from the second headquarters in Shanghai, China. The group will have a strong de-central organisation, allowing decisions to be made close to customer with minimal implementation time.

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