From the Sector

On Monday, February 09, Xu Hongjie signed the purchase agreement for Mayer & Cie. The Chinese entrepreneur is thereby acquiring the company’s entire circular knitting business, including its subsidiaries in Vsetín (Czech Republic) and Jintan (China).

Xu Hongjie comes from a southern Chinese entrepreneurial family that has been running the company Huixing for almost 30 years. Huixing employs around 1,000 people and develops, manufactures and sells circular knitting machines worldwide. With machines under the Mayer & Cie. brand, Huixing aims to enter the premium segment in the future. As development and manufacturing are at the core of the Mayer & Cie. brand, the Albstadt site will continue to be of strategic importance going forward.
 
“We are very pleased that a future perspective has emerged for the company and for everything we associate with it,” says Wolfgang Müller. He has worked at Mayer & Cie. for many years as Head of Sales and, over the past weeks, has worked intensively with his colleagues and Xu Hongjie on a plan for the restart of Mayer & Cie.

The new owner returns his thanks and sincere gratitude to all the employees who supported him throughout the two-month negotiation process. He highlights Wolfgang Müller and Rainer Müller in particular: “They bestowed upon me courage and wisdom, serving as the ever-shining Big Dipper in the long night.”

Restart in several phases
For the company through which he intends to implement the restart of Mayer & Cie., Xu Hongjie has initially chosen the name “Blitzstart” (Lightning Start). The young Chinese entrepreneur does not (yet) speak German, but the 32-year-old did not choose the name by chance: In the coming weeks, the new owner plans to set up a small team to boost sales again and prepare the relaunch.

All employees will need to be rehired, as today’s signing of the purchase agreement marks the dissolution of the former Mayer & Cie. GmbH & Co. KG. For Xu Hongjie, a father of two, this means there will be no Chinese New Year celebrations this year. The holiday is celebrated on 17 February and is comparable in significance to Christmas. “There is a lot to do and very little time,” he says. “We need to make sure the company survives.”

The new owner’s goal is to gradually restart production in spring. In recent days, only assembly work has continued in the facilities on the outskirts of Albstadt-Tailfingen—machines already on order are scheduled to be delivered in the coming days—while production itself has come to a halt. Employees will also need to be brought back on board for this area.

Clear objectives
With Mayer & Cie. and its premium machines for single jersey, double jersey, interlock and jacquard, the Chinese textile entrepreneur intends to continue addressing textile innovators around the world. They should find “intelligent, reliable knitting technologies at Mayer & Cie.—developed in Albstadt, powered by our employees and designed for long-term use,” explains Xu Hongjie.
A customer-centric approach is particularly important to him: “We listen, we implement and we improve—and we do it fast,” says Xu. To underline what he means, he refers to his experience at the family-owned company Huixing: “If our customers have complaints about the machine we delivered, we make it better—once, twice, three times. And we do it as quickly as possible.”

This approach is part of Huixing’s recipe for success: Over the past three decades, the Chinese circular knitting machine manufacturer has established itself worldwide, particularly in the field of mattress ticking fabrics.

Production to remain in Albstadt
Xu Hongjie’s clearly stated goal is for Mayer & Cie. to remain what it is today: a German premium brand, developed and manufactured in Germany. “People love and trust brands with tradition,” says Xu Hongjie. “We are proud of the 120-year history and the technology within this company.”

At the same time, he emphasizes how important agility is to him—especially in development and in turning customer needs into solutions. “Our customers should see us as a partner.” Internal friction, for example caused by complex structures and lengthy processes, is not an option for him. “Simplify, digitize and renew” is the guiding principle.

From competitor to sister company
Huixing, headquartered in Shishi in China’s Fujian province, has evolved from a single machinery manufacturer into a diversified industrial group with a strong global footprint. With advanced manufacturing at its core, the group operates seven large-scale production sites, covers more than 300,000 square meters of modern facilities and has expanded its activities beyond textile machinery into areas such as software development, AI applications and industrial internet services.

With the acquisition of Mayer & Cie., Xu Hongjie is bringing together two strong names in circular knitting — a 120-year-old German premium brand and a fast-growing Chinese industrial group. Xu Hongjie describes the move as a landmark step guided by his “1+1=11” philosophy: not a simple addition, but a “chemical reaction, that unlocks synergy far beyond the expected”.

“We are honored to join Mayer, a great platform, and become part of this big family,” he says, stressing that the company’s core R&D and manufacturing base will remain in Albstadt, Germany. Xu Hongjie also underlines the cultural fit between the two organizations: “The more I have gotten to know the people at Mayer & Cie., the more I have felt like being part of a family — a family that knows its values and stands up for them.” He concludes: “In Chinese, Huixing means ‘connecting stars’. That is exactly what we aim to achieve with this step.”

The new owner
Xu Hongjie, aged 32, comes from the Chinese owner family behind Huixing, a family-run circular knitting machine manufacturer founded in 1998 with around 1,000 employees. He studied Business Management in China and the United Kingdom. This cross-cultural background enables him to understand the efficiency of Chinese manufacturing while respecting the technical rigor of German industry.

He has been actively involved in the family business for more than ten years, most recently focusing on sales and international business development. In addition to his entrepreneurial role, Xu serves as Chairman of the Shishi Young Entrepreneurs Association, where he is committed to supporting and mentoring the next generation of business leaders. He is also a member of the Quanzhou Municipal People’s Congress, representing the city of Shishi.

Rieter has successfully completed the acquisition of Barmag as of February 2, 2026. This strategically important acquisition makes Rieter the world’s leading system provider for natural and synthetic fibers. 

Barmag will be consolidated as of February 2, 2026, and integrated into the Rieter Group as the “Man-Made Fiber” Division. The management of Barmag will remain with the company. Georg Stausberg will continue to lead the division and report to Thomas Oetterli, CEO of Rieter. At the same time, he will join the Group Executive Committee.

The transaction is financed by the capital increase completed in October of last year as well as by long-term bank loans. In addition to substantial cash reserves in its operating units, Rieter also has a significantly increased revolving credit facility at its disposal.

Thomas Oetterli, CEO of Rieter: “Barmag’s know-how is a perfect fit for Rieter and will accelerate profitable growth as well as strengthen our market leadership in the important region of Asia. The acquired filament know-how will help to expand our areas of expertise as a system provider and further advance automation and digitization solutions. This is the start of a successful future together and an important milestone in the implementation of our corporate strategy.”

BTMA member Alchemie Technology, the pioneer of precision jet dyeing solutions based in Cambridge, UK, is partnering with Acatel, the Portuguese leader in sustainable textile manufacturing.

The two companies will work together to validate and optimise Alchemie’s Endeavour system for knitted cellulosic fabrics. 

Endeavour enables dye houses to eliminate energy and CO2 emissions by up to 85%, achieve chemistry savings of up to 30%, and reduce water usage by up to 95% compared to traditional methods. The proprietary liquid application solution combines a large droplet size and high droplet velocity to deliver unrivalled penetration and precision into a textile fabric. 

R&D programme
As part of the collaboration, Alchemie and Acatel will run a twelve-month R&D programme to prepare the technology for large-scale manufacturing and demonstrate how the fully electric, non-contact dyeing process can replace conventional dyeing routes.

The partnership will operate from the Acatel Innovation Hub in northern Portugal, with the industrial expertise, manufacturing infrastructure and focus on innovation necessary to accelerate the adoption of this next-generation textile technology. 

Through the platform, Alchemie will advance the commercial readiness of its low-carbon digital dyeing system tailored for knitted cellulosic fabrics based on cotton, lyocell, linen, hemp and wool blends.
“Transforming one of the world’s most resource-intensive industrial processes requires resilience, vision and innovation,” says Dr Alan Hudd, founder and CEO of Alchemie Technology. “Being part of the Acatel Innovation Hub represents exactly the kind of partnership needed to scale sustainable textile solutions globally.”

Acatel has been a leader in sustainable textile processes since 1985, combining advanced technology with a strong environmental commitment. By leveraging Acatel’s innovation ecosystem, the partnership aims to accelerate the adoption of next-generation dyeing solutions and highlight the role of the Acatel Innovation Hub in bringing scalable, sustainable innovations to industry.

“Acatel’s commitment to innovation and environmental stewardship aligns perfectly with Alchemie’s mission,” says Tércio Pinto, member of the board at Acatel “With this collaboration we are empowering textile producers to redefine responsible manufacturing.”
 
Première Vision
To mark the partnership, Alchemie and Acatel will be exhibiting side-by-side at Première Vision in Paris from February 3-5, where visitors will be able to directly assess the touch and feel of fabrics processed with the technology. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn first-hand how Endeavour technology can deliver substantial sustainability and efficiency gains.

“This development is great news to kick off 2026,” said BTMA CEO Jason Kent. “Textile dyeing is a significant polluter and Alchemie’s digital technologies, developed here in the UK and now to be further commercialised within Europe, promise to archive a dramatic reduction in energy consumption while eliminating contaminated wastewater emissions, which will be a major boost for the industry.”

Kornit Digital Ltd., a global market leader in sustainable, on-demand digital fashion and textile production technologies, today announced the appointment of Andrew G. Backman as Chief Capital Markets Officer, effective January 13, 2026. In this role, Mr. Backman will support Kornit’s capital markets activities, investor relations, and corporate and business development initiatives. 

Mr. Backman, who will be based at the Company's U.S. Headquarters in Englewood, New Jersey, has extensive capital markets and investor relations experience, participating in more than $30 billion in capital markets transactions, and maintaining long-standing relationships with institutional investors, sell-side analysts, and global investment banking partners. He previously served as Kornit’s Global Head of Investor Relations from 2021 to 2023. 

Mr. Backman recently served as Global Head of Investor Relations at EMCOR Group, Inc. (NYSE: EME), with prior experiences including senior capital markets and investor relations roles across more than 14 industries. He holds a B.A. in Economics from Boston College and is a graduate of AT&T / Lucent Technologies’ Financial Leadership Program. 

Terrot Textilmaschinen GmbH has unveiled the new T-Frame, a universal machine frame platform for large-diameter circular knitting machines. Designed to meet growing demands for flexibility, stability, and operational safety, the T-Frame provides a next-generation foundation for both current and future industrial knitting machines, combining German engineering expertise with a modular, future-ready design approach.

Industry Relevance & Market Context
Circular knitting producers worldwide are facing growing pressure to increase output flexibility while maintaining consistent fabric quality under tighter cost and labor constraints. At the same time, demand for ergonomic operation, machine safety and sustainable production concepts are rising. The T-Frame directly addresses these challenges by combining mechanical robustness with smart structural design, enabling manufacturers to respond faster to market changes without compromising process reliability.

Technological Core
With the T-Frame, Terrot introduces a newly engineered tubular machine frame made from premium steel, developed to handle higher mechanical loads while improving precision and machine accessibility. After nearly three decades of proven large-diameter machine concepts, the company has completely redesigned the frame architecture.

At the core of the innovation is an intelligently welded frame construction that combines structural rigidity with modular adaptability. A single, standardized frame platform supports multiple extraction and take-down variants, reducing mechanical complexity while enabling fast configuration changes. Integrated cable routing, centralized display positioning and optimized component layouts replace traditional add-on solutions and improve both ergonomics and safety.

Industrial Benefits & Business Impact

The T-Frame platform delivers measurable advantages in daily production environments:

• Operational flexibility:
  One universal frame supports multiple machine configurati¬ons, enabling rapid adaptation to changing fabric requirements.
• High productivity:
  Increased structural stability guarantees knitting precision at industrial speeds, particularly in large diameters ranging from 26 to 54 inches.
• Improved efficiency:
  Standardized components and optimized accessibility redu¬ces setup times and simplifies maintenance routines.
• Enhanced safety & reliability:
  Intelligent cable management and reduced external attachments minimize failure points and support long-term process stability.
• Future readiness:
  The platform is designed to accommodate upcoming machine generations, protecting customer investment.

Terrot T-Frame platform is available for large-diameter tubular circular knitting machines in multiple frame sizes and configurations. The development stands for transformation in textile manufacturing, combining the company’s long-standing engineering expertise with a clear commitment to future-oriented, user-friendly production processes.