FABRIC OF LIFE
As a leading machinery partner to the global textile industry, Benninger Group delivers both high-end equipment to its customers and a total service solution. Emma-Jane Batey spoke to the sales director, Josef Kleinheinz, to find out more.
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wiss-based machine supplier to the global textile industry Benninger Group has been serving this established yet ever-changing sector for more than 150 years. Over this time, the company has built up a reputation for delivering high quality machines that support its customers’ commercial aims. Divided into three core business areas, Benninger offers textile finishing machines for woven and knitted fabrics, machines for the tyre cord industry and automation solutions for both its own and third-party machines. All the required bleaching, dyeing and finishing can be conducted on Benninger machines. The sales director Josef Kleinheinz, told Industry Europe ho,w these three core business areas have developed over time to ensure that Benninger is providing its customers with the best possible technical equipment and service. All Benninger machines are tailor made for the customers’ exact demands, using a modular system of parts that can be
adapted and customised as required. He said, “Over our long history we have gradually built our offer to clearly reflect the changing needs of our customers. We have certainly had plenty of time to get to know what they want! By carefully listening to our customers we have seen our offer change in tune with the market needs, but always while drawing on our exceptionally strong history and knowhow in the worldwide textile machine sector.”
Complete solutions The Benninger core business is its activities in the textile finishing sector. Dedicated to supplying its machines and complete solutions to leaders in the field, the company’s products are both expensive and state-of-the-art. Mr Kleinheinz added, “They are expensive for a reason – they are the best available machines that enable our customers to deliver the best possible service to their customers. We supply to vertically integrated mills as well as dye
houses and finishing companies worldwide. These can be in different fabric segments such as cottons like shirting or bed linens, or more technical applications such as washing and de-oiling fabrics. Other high-tech applications include a number of automotive air bag manufacturers and companies producing fabrics for filtration and screening.” For the tyre cord industry, Benninger supplies direct to multi-national brands including Dunlop and Pirelli, as well as certain cabling and other heat setting and treatment applications. As various threads can also be used in Benninger machines in addition to fabrics, the customer base is as broad as the applications. The Benninger automation division represents its “biggest chunk of turnover”. Providing all the required controls, drives, programming and software necessary for its machines, the division employs some of the most technically experienced members of the workforce. Growing rapidly thanks to the clever introducIndustry Europe 149
