Germany's Kern-Liebers Group has rebranded its needle, sinker and textile machine parts businesses Kern Liebers, Saxonia, Leistner and Naplafa under the Kern-Liebers Textile umbrella brand with a brand new image. Through recent rapid expansion, the company says it has steadily evolved into an expert in the field of knitted fabric technology and is now ‘the alternative' as a full-line supplier to the market.

Origins and expansion

The Kern-Liebers group of companies can look back over a long history. Founded in 1888 by Hugo Kern in Schramberg, Germany, the company initially manufactured springs for the watch and clock industry.

 Since then, the product range has expanded continuously and now includes springs made from wire and steel strip; fine blanked and stamped parts, as well as needles and sinkers for the textile industry.

 Customers of the Kern-Liebers group benefit from the unique expertise of a large, globally active company. More than 6000 employees in over 50 subsidiaries worldwide are working to develop customer-oriented individual solutions that meet the most rigorous technical requirements.

Established as a dedicated business unit in 1999, Kern- Liebers Textiles has since then grown continuously. The acquisition of Saxonia Textile Parts GmbH, the Bavarian needle plate manufacturer Paul Leistner GmbH and Sächsische Nadel- und Platinenfabriken GmbH laid the foundation for the companies' subsequent steep growth, a development complemented by the acquisition of the German needle manufacturer Haase and Kühn.

Company development in recent years has also been rapid, particularly in the needle sector.

Full line supplier to the market

Under the umbrella brand Kern-Liebers Textiles, the company says it has created a corporate network that is capable of meeting the widest range of requirements within the textile industry. Through its rapid expansion, the company says it has steadily evolved into an expert in the field of knitted fabric technology and is now the alternative as a full-line supplier to the market.

In addition to needles, Kern-Liebers Textiles also offers a complete range of components for weft and warp knitting machines. The company also offers a range of products for stenter frames and combing machines. The complete Kern-Liebers range of products includes more than 55,000 different needles and sinkers making it one of the world's leading providers in terms of both quality and the range of products.

The Kern-Liebers Textiles group now employs more than 1150 people around the world and the group plans to expand sales beyond the Euros 100 million barrier in the coming years. In the last decade, over five billion end products were manufactured and the company's high sales figures are said to only be possible because almost all of the world's machine engineers use Kern-Liebers Textiles products. The increasing number of end consumers in the knitwear and warp sector underpins its strong market position, the company says.

Partnerships with customers

But the extent of the growth of Kern-Liebers Textiles is evident not only from turnover and staff numbers, but also in terms of partnership with its customers.

 "The provision of fast service worldwide is a central concern. The company also benefits from its experienced specialists, who complement each other perfectly through the high potential for synergies within the group. An example of a synergy effect is the combination of expertise in spring technology with years of experience in the production of stamped parts for textile machines," a spokesperson for the company said, adding:

"These synergies are particularly effective in the context of close collaboration with the field of textile machine engineering. As a technology partner, the group is constantly pushing itself to develop new solutions with its customers."

Partner to the mechanical engineering sector

Kern-Liebers Textiles says it has long been a recognized partner of the mechanical engineering sector and the cooperation is characterised by intensive transfer of knowledge, and by creativity and loyalty.

"Quality is achieved only through the perfect interaction of all involved. Together with its customers, the Kern-Liebers Textiles group is continuously expanding its store of experience for future development, thereby always remaining one step ahead when innovative solutions are required," Kern-Liebers Textile says.

As the ideal partner of the textile machine engineering sector, end customers across the widest range of textile applications are also said to benefit from the high level of competence of the Kern-Liebers Textiles group.

"With the merger of these four companies, the group is in a position to offer a unique service around the world. Whether it's from our own subsidiaries, or from efficient agencies stocking local products, guaranteed service is always nearby. Further evidence of the Kern-Liebers Textile group's claim as a global player of outstanding size," the company says.