#Textiles & Apparel / Garment

2016-04-26

Kufner Group acquires Ploucquet from Sympatex

Acquisition of Ploucquet GmbH by Kufner Group strengthens production site in Zittau and enables Sympatex to focus on expansion in the field of sustainable functional materials (c) 2016 Sympatex

The Munich-based Kufner Group took over Ploucquet GmbH from Smart Solutions Holding GmbH (formerly Sympatex Holding GmbH) with effect from 20th April 2016. The sale of the company and the production site in Zittau is also the beginning of a long-term production partnership between the two well-established textile companies and Sympatex.

The lamination as well as the finishing of technical textiles will also be carried out for Sympatex by the Kufner Group at the acquired site in Upper Lusatia. The integration of the Ploucquet brand into the Kufner Group will strengthen the competitiveness of the company inZittau with 124 employees in the long run. The Kufner Group, one of the world's leading companies for interlining and technical textiles, will take over an important treatment provider with a modern production in Saxony by acquiring the Ploucquet GmbH. The company was founded in 1806 and looks back on a long tradition as part of the international textile industry. Today, Ploucquet is a market leader regarding the production and the distribution of lining material and a specialist for the treatment of technical textiles.

“It has been our target to find a perfect partner for Ploucquet in order to secure the efficient production site Zittau in Central Europe, which is important to us, and to offer the employees in Upper Lusatia a solid perspective for the further development there. Kufner meets all of our demands in an almost ideal way,” explains Michael Kamm, managing director of Sympatex, who is pleased about the contract conclusion.

“We have complementary products that can be perfectly combined with each other in the segment of fashion textiles as well as technical textiles,” adds Mr Kamm.

Ulrich Sogl, managing director of the Kufner Group, adds: “We share the same values, we have the same goals and serve identical markets. Moreover, Kufner is very well positioned on the international market. With our international distribution structure, we will strengthen the Ploucquet brand and use the capacity of the production site in Zittau even more.”

For the Smart Solutions Holding GmbH as the parent company of Sympatex Technologies GmbH, the sale is a decisive strategic requirement for the future focus on the Sympatex brand and its important growing market of sustainable functional textiles. “With the additional resources that we gain from selling the Ploucquet GmbH, we will keep developing the internationalisation within our three main business areas Footwear, Apparel as well as Contract & Workwear,” says Michael Kamm. “Thus, we can increase the chances of reaching our turnover and profit targets,” he adds.

Mario Jorge Machado re-elected President of EURATEX

The EURATEX General Assembly has re-elected Mario Jorge Machado as President of EURATEX, renewing its confidence in his leadership at a crucial moment for the European textile and clothing industry. The sector is facing rising costs, global competitive pressure and an increasingly challenging transition towards sustainability and digitalisation.

Next week’s focus: Intertextile Shenzhen & Yarn Expo Shenzhen fuse textile tradition with sustainable, digital trends

Fashion will not be left behind in one of the world’s undisputed tech and manufacturing capitals. Which is why next week, at Intertextile Shenzhen Apparel Fabrics and Yarn Expo Shenzhen 2026, the organisers have made special efforts to integrate textile topics such as materials innovation, holistic sustainability, digitalisation and AI. Yet, from 9 – 11 June at the Shenzhen Convention and Exhibition Center, the platform also includes timeless tradition and heritage-inspired evolution in equal measure. Across both shows, over 600 exhibitors from 11 countries and regions are set to showcase everything from Peruvian alpaca wool fabrics to tea-derived fibres, while their fringe programmes will explore diverse solutions along the entire value chain.

ITM 2026 makes happy participants with its international and qualified visitor profile

ITM 2026 International Textile Machinery Exhibition, one of the most prestigious meeting points of the textile machinery sector, attracted attention in its first three days, particularly with its diverse international visitor numbers. Industry professionals from all over the world had the opportunity to closely examine the latest technology machines and solutions displayed in operation. Thousands of visitors from approximately 100 countries, primarily Egypt, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Syria, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, met at the Tüyap Fair and Congress Center for new investment and cooperation opportunities.

KARL MAYER presents a textile TEXTRONIC® innovation at ITM 2026

With highly efficient machines and continuous textile innovations, KARL MAYER underscores its role as a reliable partner for discerning top-tier customers. Just in time for ITM 2026 in Istanbul, the industry leader is introducing a true innovation: an eyelash lace with its characteristic fringed look – combined with a previously unattainable 4-way stretch. While the established fabric could until now only be produced as rigid version or with one-dimensional stretch, the new elasticity in both dimensions expands the possibilities for cross-band panel fabrics.

DYNEEMA® and NP Aerospace advance personal protection for military servicewomen

Dyneema®, owned by Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, is supplying its high-performance unidirectional (UD) materials to world-leading armor manufacturer NP Aerospace, enabling the production of armor systems designed specifically to fit the female body. With 2,000 new armor systems, including 4,000 plates, made in the United Kingdom (UK) and delivered in June 2026, this collaboration addresses a long-standing lack of high-quality personal protection specially built for female defense and security personnel.