With more than 170 years of deep-rooted history and experience in textile machinery manufacturing, Saurer has successfully closed 2024, a year full of technological advances and events. The company is starting the new year again with circularity in mind. We spoke to Saurer Group CEO Hailin Xu and VP Marketing and Communications Pia Terasa at the company’s main German production site in Uebach-Palenberg.
Looking towards an automated and digital future
Hailin Xu, responding to our question about their success in technology by considering so many parameters such as efficiency and sustainability, stated: “I think one of the keys to our success is that we have very focused teams for each product line to innovate, support and listen to customers: Spinning preparation, Ring spinning, Rotor spinning, Air spinning, Components and Automation & Digitalisation. Our strength is the combination of experienced R&D and Saurer’s strong technology and visionary thinking. We have always been a pioneer in the industry.”
He explained that as well as innovating new features, the upgradability of old machines plays a significant role for Saurer: “For example, the rX Recycling Extreme, which is a big upcoming trend, was developed for Autocoro 11. But now, it can be upgraded to the previous Autocoro models. Our goal has always been to keep our machines competitive through the whole lifecycle, because that is also adding to sustainability. An old machine is not going to be new, but you can upgrade a lot of things to keep it still very efficient and productive.”
A key factor for the future will also be automation to increase efficiency, and he explicated: “Labour costs play a big role in the mills, but if you have a fully automated mill, labour becomes less of a factor, which can influence the decision of where to locate the mill. Many of our customers are asking for lights-out mills in the future. Automation is always linked to digitalisation in terms of data transfer to/from and between machines. To emphasise the importance of this, Saurer has set up a new business unit in 2024 that will focus on these two major trends, because this is the future.”
Saurer is an expert in spinning, offering the full range from bale to yarn, and twisting
Hailin Xu mentioned a few products and their benefits for spinners and says that they have introduced the Autocard SC 8 for the first time at ITMA Asia 2024: “The Autocard SC 8 comes to the fore with its innovative features and carding area of 4.8m2. The machine is equipped with automated settings and intelligent monitoring, including temperature monitoring of the carding gap, to ensure consistent sliver quality. The SC 8 is particularly efficient when processing recycled fibres, offering higher material utilisation rates and improved production efficiency.”
“The new Zinser 51 ring-spinning machine is the longest in the world and the first super-long machines will be installed in Türkiye. The excellent energy saving and automation features have attracted attention at all the exhibitions where the machine has been running. If you missed it in 2024, see us at Egypt at Egy Stitch & Tex next month,” adds Xu, extending an invitation to see the machine in action.
Speaking about spinners and their main issues today, he pointed out that the cost of yarn production is rising worldwide and that after raw materials, energy is the is an important cost item in the automatic rotor spinning mill and minimising costs here influences the profitability. “The Autocoro 11 automatic rotor spinning machine is a champion in this field, reducing spinning costs on several levels simultaneously. Its advanced full automation reduces the need for workforce and, thanks to comprehensive energy optimisation, the Autocoro 11 uses 10% less energy than its predecessor and up to 38% less compared to rotor spinning machines 15 years ago.”
Speaking of new innovations, Hailin Xu mentioned the Autoairo air spinning machine: “It is a champion in cotton and can even spin carded cotton under certain conditions. In 2024, Saurer has launched various campaigns for Belairo yarns for polo shirt and towel applications. Air-spun yarns have an extremely low pilling tendency and a high moisture absorption rate, which are particularly useful in knitwear, workwear, and contract textiles.”
“Service is key – sales only sells the first machine”
Hailin Xu, quoting Saurer Group CSO Cem Yalcin, explained that sales only sell the first machine and highlighted the importance of after-sales support. He noted that one of the things that makes Saurer unique is its service network: “We have an extensive after-sales and service network close to our customers in numerous countries in the world and we also have a centralised customer service for global solutions in Uebach-Palenberg. For the best customer service, it is very important to have experienced people and technical staff who can support the customer in the installation or commissioning of the machine and ensure the quality of the yarn. If customers change materials, for example, we have the experts on site to help them. We test the customer materials at our technology centres and then we can take those settings to our customers”.
Saurer has a strong focus on recycling
During our visit to the Sustainability Hub in Uebach-Palenberg, where Saurer develops and tests machines and new yarn blends for customers, Pia Terasa emphasised the importance of the circular economy. She noted that this is also the framework of the long-term roadmap for the textile industry, which defines what Saurer is focusing on. “Today we have mainly mechanical recycling which shortens fibres, but in the first round, they still have a spinnable length as raw material was virgin fibres. What happens to the fibre length when the textile waste already has a large share of recycled short fibres inside? How can we extend the cycle and what about the upcoming new fibres, how do we need to adjust to their properties? These are important questions that we are looking at already today.”
International Spinning Technology Summit brought the industry together
Pia Terasa explained that 2024 was a busy year in terms of events and that the Saurer Group participated in sixteen local and international exhibitions. “Visitors showed great interest in our products at all the exhibitions we attended”. She noted that in addition to all the exhibitions, Saurer also organised an own event in China on 16-17 December: “Our International Spinning Technology Summit was an excellent event. We had speakers from the China Textile Machinery Association, the China Cotton Association as well as customers who shared their success stories. On the second day, customers visited one of our largest Chinese customers, DIW, which has a complete Saurer installation including automation and digitalisation. This was a memorable event for both customers and the Saurer team.”
Türkiye is a key market for Saurer
Finally, Hailin Xu underlined once again that Türkiye is one of the main markets for Saurer: “There is a lot of pioneering spirit in the Turkish market and the industry is quick to adapt to the latest technology, bringing competitive advantages for the textile industry. Even many innovations by Saurer are made in cooperation with local customers. The geographical location of Türkiye so close to Europe will continue to profit the textile industry. Also, the high-quality standards makes the Turkish textile industry not only in a good position to transition towards circular economy but also to fulfil the upcoming transparency requirements inside the value chain according to the new EU laws. We strongly believe that Türkiye will remain an important player in the upcoming years, and we have a strong organisation in Türkiye to serve the market.”