Rieter is to acquire Barmag from OC Oerlikon for an upfront equity purchase price of CHF 713 million.

The acquisition is highly complementary to Rieter’s short-staple fibre business and will create a globally leading player in natural and manmade fibres headquartered in Winterthur, Switzerland.

Barmag is a provider of filament spinning systems used for manufacturing manmade fibres, texturing machines, BCF systems, staple fibre spinning and nonwovens. As an engineering services provider it generated sales of CHF 734 million with around 2,600 employees globally in 2024. It comprises the established product brands Oerlikon Barmag, Oerlikon Neumag and Oerlikon Nonwoven with its main markets in China, India, Turkey and the USA. Products are developed at centres in Remscheid and Neumünster in Germany and Suzhou and Wuxi in China.

As fibre consumption is projected to rise, most of the fibre industry growth is expected to come from manmade fibres, with cotton and linen limited by natural cultivation limits. Manmade fibres will help to meet the expanding demand for clothing, technical and home textiles and the strategic acquisition of Barmag will transform Rieter into a leading supplier of technology for turning natural and manmade fibres into filaments, yarns and nonwovens.

The transaction is fully in-line with Rieter’s strategy and follows previous acquisitions through which it complemented its portfolio in short-staple fibre machinery and expanded its footprint in components and machinery for manmade fibre production. The acquisition will further enhance Rieter’s position in the important Asia-Pacific region and provide access to Barmag’s filament expertise.

“We are very proud to welcome Oerlikon Barmag, Oerlikon Neumag and Oerlikon Nonwoven to Rieter,” said Rieter CEO Thomas Oetterli. “We are convinced that this combination will form a market leader in the textile industry which will create value for our shareholders, customers and employees.”

www.rieter.com