Saurer is a leading globally operating technology company focusing on innovations for the processing of fiber and yarn, including machinery, components and software. With more than 165 years of experience, Saurer offers its customers smart fit-for-purpose solutions in line with their goals and plans all its activities from design to customer services to adding value for them.
Pioneering innovation in the textile industry, Saurer Head of Marketing for Spinning Solutions Pia Terasa, ‘’Today, Saurer comprises the two segments, Saurer Spinning Solutions and Saurer Technologies. Saurer Spinning Solutions focuses on staple fiber processing from bale to yarn to package, offering advanced and customer-specific solutions for the whole value chain. Saurer Technologies specializes in twisting and embroidery as well as engineered and polymer solutions in the form of components.’’ We talked to Pia Terasa about Saurer.
Q. As Saurer Spinning Solutions what are the core principles and values you pursue in the sector? What kind of approach you undertake in environmentally friendly production and recycling?
A. Our design principle follows the Saurer E³ label, which forms the basis of our design philosophy. E3 focuses on optimizing energy use, economics and ergonomics. Increasingly, we are also incorporating intelligent technology into our products. Our passion for textile machinery drives us to manufacture innovative products that truly make a difference to our clients’ businesses.
As an environmentally conscious company, we aim to make our products as energy efficient as possible. Aside from decreasing our clients’ energy costs and ensuring highest raw material utilization, this approach also enables our customers to produce more sustainable – a necessity today given the climate challenges the world faces.
Although our focus is on our customer's needs, we are also constantly upgrading our production facilities worldwide to ensure that we meet the latest standards in environmentally friendly production. This includes minimizing electricity and water consumption, recycling packing material and ensuring that the machinery is packed optimally for shipments, thereby reducing number of shipping containers required.
Q. What impact Covid-19 has on your company when we talk about short range to mid range targets in general?
A. For Saurer, like most companies, Covid-19 changed the way we communicate, adding a digital dimension to internal meetings and customer calls, bringing with it webinars and virtual exhibitions.
Still, digital media are not a substitute for the weight and importance of a personal visit to a customer or a face-to-face meeting at an exhibition, although this format certainly offers additional opportunities. I am sure the experience we gained in 2020 will further initiate a lot of digital development and extend the virtual support in service as well.
Q. What benefits Saurer spinning mills does provide for users and businesses? What are the prominent features of Saurer technologies in the evaluation of sustainability and innovation?
A. Saurer’s machinery portfolio offers flexible solutions for all five spinning applications. Ring, compact, worsted ring, rotor and air spinning are all results of Saurer’s customer-focused product innovation. The consequent extension of the value chain from bale to package, including twisting, has brought Saurer the complete control of the yarn quality along the value chain. At the same time Saurer’s own mill management system Senses enables customers to monitor production (KPI) constantly.
Saurer pre-spinning is the foundation of our spinning systems. Our flexible portfolio offers the right solutions for the preparation of all kinds of fibers for the subsequent processes. It also ensures excellent fiber utilization and sliver quality for high efficiency and yarn quality in spinning.
Our open-end spinning machines are pioneers in terms of flexibility. The new air-spinning machine Autoairo and market-leading automatic rotor-spinning machine Autocoro are both characterized by incredibly high production speeds and single-motor drives that allow unmatched flexibility in production. The rotor-spinning portfolio from Saurer also excels in processing regenerated fibers, a growing market trend today.
In ring spinning, the focus is on flexibility and high speed. The new modular structure allows customers to choose the right combination of modules for the Zinser 72XL. The direct link from ring-spinning machine to the Autoconer with intelligent RFID-based material flow increases productivity and yarn quality as the two systems work in harmony.
We are also meeting the growing demand for cost-effective automation of spinning and further processing in staple fibre spinning and twisting mills. The new Saurer Automation Solutions serve as your expert engineering partner for forward looking and integrated automation solutions across the entire textile value chain.
Saurer products enable customers to react quickly to current and upcoming trends in yarn industry. Automated, intelligent and flexible machines enabling high productivity ensure the customer’s profitability – today and tomorrow.
Q. How would you evaluate 2020 for your company? What are your goals and expectations in 2021?
A. Last year was difficult for a large part of the textile industry, while at the same time, companies in the medical textile sector experienced growth. As for Saurer, our aftersales teams were supporting customers during the lockdowns and re-start of the plants, while ensuring availability of spare parts in all locations in due time.
We have done our utmost to supply parts and machinery to the factories investing and producing and have shown flexibility where requests for shipment delays arised from customer's side, resulted due to Covid measures. Saurer is very proud that, despite all these challenges, our German factories were running throughout the year.
We look forward to 2021 and are seeing that the investments planned for 2020 are now being realized. We are optimistic that the textile industry will show signs of recovery in the coming months. Being a part of the textile value chain, change is part of what has shaped us – being adaptable is in our DNA, which allows us to meet the demands of the market as fashion, fibers and functionality are constantly evolving.
