A legacy of 75 years driven by the spirit of research and development to constantly introduce new products and technologies in the textile sector is what has driven Brückner Trockentechnik to great heights. In this exclusive interview, Regina Brückner, CEO, Brückner Trockentechnik replies to queries about the company’s products, new launches proposed for the forthcoming ITMA 2023, strategies for growth and its march towards the goal of complete sustainability
Founded in 1949, Brückner Trockentechnik (Brückner) is inching close to its 75th anniversary. How do you look back on this successful journey?
My father started the venture as an engineering office with a lot of experience from his time with a textile manufacturer in the 1930s and a lot of courage. He was always focused on special customer requests and therefore built specialised, tailor-made machines from early on. The company has grown since then. In the 1960s he moved the production to the very south of Germany in Bavaria due to lack of manpower in the area of Stuttgart. At that time, Brückner was already known for its innovations and experience in the field of technical textiles. When my husband and I joined the company, we embarked on a bigger expansion plan. Today we are active in many different areas in textile finishing. It has always been important to us not only to build the best machines but also to provide technological support in textile finishing and textile chemistry, financing and other services.
In these 75 years, what have been the key milestones or turning points which have laid the foundation for future growth of the organisation?
There were certainly many milestones – many had to do with our production such as the move to Bavaria in the 1960s and again the setup of a complete new manufacturing site in 2018. One other big step was the installation of our technology centre in Leonberg where we have several finishing lines, enabling us to develop new products together with our customers. We can support our customers in all aspects of functionalising, coating and laminating textiles and nonwovens. Another important step was the development of our own, fully integrated product portfolio for heat recovery and air purification. The milestones of the past years include digital solutions around our plants, as for example simulation software for optimising machine recipes as well as solutions for the CO2-neutral provision of process heat for our dryers.
Currently how is business at Brückner, particularly coming out of the pandemic and still under the impact of war?
During most part of the corona virus crisis, we had hardly any delivery restrictions and were in the fortunate position of being able to start up all the lines on time thanks to our local service technicians in the major textile markets. We were even able to start up complicated lines from Germany thanks to teleservice. The problem was and still is the indirect consequences of this crisis: disrupted supply chains and skyrocketing prices for raw materials and components and delays in delivery due to missing materials. The good news is that this situation is improving step by step.
Currently what is the manufacturing infrastructure of Brückner, key manufacturing locations, capacity and the number of people who work for the group?
Presently we have a workforce of about 450 people at Brückner with around 20 different nationalities. We have a training quota of 10% in the form of students and apprentices who complete dual studies with us. We recruit the majority of our junior staff through our own in-house training. This has been an important focus of ours for years and certainly contributes to the success of the company. We have our head office in Leonberg near Stuttgart, our production facility in the very south of Germany in the state of Bavaria and our own sales and service office in Shanghai. In addition, we operate service stations with spare parts and technicians together with our partners in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia and Turkey along with different countries in South America and in North America.
Currently, what are the products and solutions offered by Brückner for the global market? Can you elaborate on the solutions offered both for the textile industry and technical textile industry?
For the garment industry we can supply the entire machinery for knitted and woven fabrics from a single source. These are stenter frames, dryers, sanforising systems and compactors as well as continuous dyeing systems. For technical textiles, whether wovens or nonwovens, we supply special machines for heat treatment, as for example thermobonding, functionalisation, coating or lamination. We also have a complete delivery programme for heat recovery and exhaust air purification. Our product portfolio is rounded off by digital solutions for our lines: simulation software for optimising machine recipes, assistance systems, and much more. Our products are renowned worldwide for their high productivity, high energy efficiency and high precision such as temperature accuracy, durability as well as the capability for repairs and modernisation.
Which are the key global markets in which Brückner has a strong presence and the emerging markets which are promising for the future?
We have strong ties with India and our local partner Universal MEP Projects and Engineering Services Limited (100% subsidiary of Voltas Limited) and we see India as one of the growing markets in textile finishing and the production of technical textiles. Of course we are also very strong in Bangladesh as it has been since many years the production hub for classical textiles. In Europe the textile industry is focusing very much on technical textiles with high performance and very individual needs. In North and South America we see further investments in order to re-shore fabric back from Asia and also because our customers want to improve efficiency and reduce their production costs.
What does ITMA mean for Brückner? Since how long has Brückner been participating in this show?
We have been at ITMA since the very beginning. ITMA is the ‘Olympics’ of the textile machinery industry. We meet our worldwide friends, exchange ideas and discuss the latest innovations. Therefore ITMA is always a challenge and a joy at the same time.
We are weeks away from the much-awaited ITMA 2023. What can visitors expect from Brückner this year at ITMA? Are you planning any new launches in terms of products and technologies that would define the future of the industry?
We are eager to launch our new stenter model SFP4 with many innovative details like a new coating head. Our major innovations are CO2-neutral heating systems with electricity heating, high-temperature heat pumps or hydrogen heating. Hybrid heating systems such as a combination of gas and electricity heating will also be presented. Another highlight is our new generation of heat recovery and air purification systems with a unique smart control system. In addition, we will be presenting a whole range of new digital software tools for our lines. For example, this involves providing our customers with knowledge-based AI simulation system ‘ExperTex’ to optimise their recipes with regard to maximum productivity and minimum energy consumption. This system also makes it possible to calculate the production costs exactly in advance and even to calculate the CO2 and water footprint in advance. Visitors can expect to discover a lot of innovative solutions with us and we are looking forward to present them to the public in Milan.
ITMA 2019 was all about Industry 4.0, automation and digitisation. How has Brückner progressed on these aspects in the last four years and what next? Is it Industry 5.0?
We have already been using these solutions for many years and they have become an integral part of our lines. At this ITMA we will go one step further and present a new internet or web-based customer platform ‘myBRÜCKNER’, from which our customers will be able to retrieve all information about their Brückner line in the future: operating manual, switch book, spare parts catalogues, and much more. In addition, services can be initiated from there such as remote service calls, spare parts orders, calling up the new simulation software ExperTex for optimisation of machine recipes, and so on. Sustainability is no more a fancy word since sustainable manufacturing is the urgent need of the hour.
What is Brückner’s philosophy and how are you supporting your customers’ sustainability mission and goals? Is there any specific innovation that you would like to speak about on this topic?
We define the term sustainability as follows:
a) First of all, a machine should be as energy-efficient and productive as possible. Examples of this are electric motors of the highest energy efficiency class, heat recovery systems, etc.
b) Then, the processes on the line should run optimally with optimal machine parameters, minimum downtime, etc.
c) Wherever possible, the line should be operated with CO2-neutral energy sources such as electricity, green hydrogen, etc.
d) The plants should be durable, easily repairable and later upgradable or expandable.
Given that Brückner is in a highly competitive marketplace with many local and global manufacturers offering similar products and solutions, why should a customer consider Brückner for his requirement? What are your key strengths and advantages?
Some of the key reasons are as follows:
• Brückner machines are more sustainable.
• Our machines are always tailored to our customers’ needs.
• We offer more than hardware: technological consultancy, financial services, technical service, spare parts and technical support over the entire lifecycle.
• Last but not the least, Brückner with a 75-year-old tradition as a family-managed enterprise is simply a very reliable partner.
Finally, nearing 75 years and marching toward the centenary, what is the vision you have set for Brückner? What is your medium-term and long-term vision?
We can only be successful together with our customers by providing them with added value in every respect. We remain committed to driving innovation and sustainability around textile finishing. We will not let up in our efforts to be a technological market leader with the best price-performance ratio. We want to continue the family tradition: we take care of our employees and our customers. And we would like to hand over the company to our children in the future.