All circular knitting operations of Mayer & Cie., one of the key symbols of German engineering with a 120-year history, were acquired by Chinese entrepreneur Xu Hongjie under an agreement signed on February 9. The acquisition also includes the company’s subsidiaries in Vsetín, Czech Republic, and Jintan, China.
Xu Hongjie, a representative of the family-owned Huixing Group — a company with nearly 1,000 employees and close to 30 years of industry experience — aims to enter the premium segment under the Mayer & Cie. brand. The company’s R&D and manufacturing base in Albstadt, Germany, will retain its strategic importance going forward.
Restructuring to begin under “Blitzstart”
Xu Hongjie announced that he has temporarily chosen the name “Blitzstart” for the company through which the restructuring process will be carried out, noting that the name was selected deliberately despite his not yet speaking German.
With the signing of the acquisition agreement and the dissolution of the former Mayer & Cie. GmbH & Co. KG, all employees will need to be rehired. In the first phase, a small team will be established to revive sales activities and prepare for the relaunch.
In recent days, only assembly operations have continued at the Albstadt facilities, with machines already on order scheduled for delivery, while production itself has been halted. The new owner aims to gradually restart production in the spring.
It is emphasized that Mayer & Cie. will continue to address global textile innovators with its single jersey, double jersey, interlock and jacquard machines. The new management has identified a customer-centric approach, rapid feedback processes, digitalization and organizational simplification among its top priorities.
With seven production sites and a broad international presence, the Huixing Group brings together a 120-year-old German premium brand and a rapidly growing Chinese industrial manufacturer under one roof through this acquisition. The company describes the move as a strategic step expected to create synergies in the global circular knitting machine market.
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