The strength of Swiss textile machinery today is founded on the heritage of such businesses, which have successfully adapted to fluctuating product trends and market conditions â as well as economic and political upheavals. Innovative excellence remains a constant, driving novel solutions for every textile segment.
Understanding customer needs is another major success factor: âInnovations meeting current needs and trends have helped Swiss textile companies not only to stay in business but also to empower continuing progress when times were tough,â says Cornelia Buchwalder, Secretary General of the Swiss Textile Machinery Association. âA deep understanding of markets has been key in deciding whether a strategy of focus or diversity would be the correct choice.â
We invite you to follow a brief summary of these companiesâ developments over the years.
Bräcker â 190 years
Bräckerâs story began in 1835 in Pfäffikon, Switzerland, when C. Bräcker Pfenninger founded a family business specializing in weaving supplies. Over the course of 190 years, the company transformed into the worldâs leading supplier of rings and travellers for ring spinning systems. Entry into the spinning industry started in 1937, and production later expanded to France, which remains the second manufacturing site alongside Pfäffikon.
After joining the Rieter Group in 1996, Bräcker enhanced its portfolio with acquisitions, integrating cutting-edge spinning tubes and roller-maintenance systems. Today, it manufactures precision parts, upholding Swiss engineering excellence and serving the textile industry worldwide.
www.bracker.ch
Loepfe Brothers â 70 years
Loepfe Brothers Ltd. was founded in 1955 in Zurich, Switzerland. Helmut and Erich Loepfe pioneered electronics in textile manufacturing â from weft feelers and stop-motion sensors in looms, to electronic yarn clearers â establishing solutions as a pace setter for innovation in textile quality control.
Loepfe develops advanced technology for detecting yarn defects and foreign fibers, as well as systems capable of online imperfection detection and integrated data analysis. Headquartered in Wetzikon with about 150 employees, Loepfe sets global standards in textile monitoring and sustainability through R&D and digitalization efforts, marking seven decades of Swiss engineering excellence.
www.loepfe.com
Maag Brothers â 150 years
Maag Brothers Machine Works Ltd., established in 1875 in KĂźsnacht, Switzerland, is a distinguished Swiss mechanical engineering company renowned for its high-quality machinery tailored for the textile industry. Maag specializes in fabric inspection, plating/folding, selvedge printing, and packaging, offering integrated solutions that encompass IT systems, automated fault detection, and logistics.
Notably, Maag's machines are celebrated for their reliability, performance, and longevity, with over 1,500 units serving more than 400 customers globally. Today, Maag continues to uphold its legacy of Swiss engineering excellence, providing solutions that meet the evolving needs of the textile industry.
www.texmaag.ch
Heberlein â 190 years
The art of reorientation has run through Heberlein's company history since 1835. Georg Philipp Heberlein and his descendants led an exemplary family business with roots in yarn dyeing. It developed into a corporate group and ultimately became a highly specialised company that is regarded as the worldâs leading provider of air interlacing and air texturing jets for synthetic yarns.
Heberlein's adaptability enabled it to navigate major 20th-century crises and wars, while expanding into yarn mercerisation, fabric finishing, synthetic fibers, mechanical engineering, etc. Heberlein has at times ranked among the 20 largest Swiss industrial companies. Since 2023, the company has operated as Heberlein TechnologyâŻAG under new Swiss ownership.
www.heberlein.com
Luwa â 90 years
Few might expect that highest standards in air engineering in modern textile production would trace back to a Swiss company founded in 1935 â but Luwa Air Engineering has quietly shaped the industry for nearly a century. Originally focused on air conditioning and humidification for textile mills, Luwa quickly became a pioneer in creating controlled production environments.
Over the decades, it expanded globally, establishing a presence in major textile markets across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Today, with a strong focus on energy efficiency and digital innovation, Luwa remains at the forefront of sustainable air engineering solutions worldwide.
www.luwa.com
Retech â 50 years
Founded in 1975 by control technology engineer Heinz von Arx, Retech began as a supplier of temperature control instruments and has grown into the worldâs leading manufacturer of high-quality components, machines, and process monitoring systems for synthetic filament production.
Driven by von Arxâs passion for precise temperature regulation, Retech built its reputation on precision, flexibility, and customer focus. Retech demonstrated its innovative strength by offering its customers optimised processes for competitive production.
Today â led by the second generation â the company remains at the forefront of controlled temperatures for filament yarns covering virtually limitless applications.
www.retech.ch
Rieter â 230 years
Rieterâs story began in 1795 in Winterthur, Switzerland, when Johann Jacob Rieter launched J.J.âŻRieter &âŻCie. as a spice and cotton trading house. Through Napoleonic trade blockades, the company pivoted into manufacturing its own textile machinery. Over the 19th century it evolved into a full-scale machine builder, pioneering equipment for spinning, winding, knitting, and weaving.
In modern times, Rieter expanded globally â acquiring key players like Bräcker, Graf, Novibra, Suessen, SSM, Accotex, and Temco. Today, with around 4,800 employees and 18 production sites, Rieter celebrates 230 years as the worldâs leading supplier of systems for manufacturing yarn from staple fibers in spinning mills.
www.rieter.com
Uster Technologies â 150 years
Uster Technologies traces its roots back to 1875 in the city of Uster, Switzerland, when it began as a telegraph workshop. By the 1920s it had shifted into textile machinery under Zellweger AG. In 1948, it introduced the worldâs first yarn evenness tester, launching a new era of quality control in spinning mills. The firm continued pioneering textile measurement with initiatives like the Uster Statistics benchmarks from 1957 and microprocessor-based yarn clearers in the 1980s.
After separating from Zellweger Luwa in a 2003 management buyout, Uster was listed publicly until its acquisition by Toyota Industries in 2012. Now, with over 3.5 million systems in service across 75 countries and multiple global R&D and service centers, Uster remains the leading global provider of textile quality analytics and control systems.
www.uster.com
