This year, the German family-run company is celebrating its 75th birthday. Today, more than 6000 BRÜCKNER lines around the globe produce textile products of all kinds. The product range of the textile machinery manufacturer is at least as diverse as the end products manufactured on it. BRÜCKNER’s customers include manufacturers of industrial textiles, nonwovens, textile floor coverings, artificial turf, glass fabrics and, of course, classic apparel textiles.
Since 1949, Brückner’s value the security of a family-owned company banking on satisfied customers and employees as decisive factor for long-term success. TEXtalks International conducted an interview with Verena Ruckh. Head of Marketing. Brückner Trockentechnik GmbH & Co. KG to know more about the company.
TEXtalks: Brückner was featuring technological innovations at IGATEX and ITM 2024. Can you give a summary of your diverse range?
Verena Ruckh: At both exhibitions, we were able to present our huge product portfolio with a lot of new features. This includes among others our latest stenter generation POWER-FRAME SFP-4, our completely new developed relaxation dryer POWER-DRY as well as our latest developments in the field of heat-recovery systems with automatic cleaning function. A special feature was of course our new digital simulation tool ExperTex that helps our customers to make more production at a cheaper price.
TEXtalks: Can you please guide us on the 75 years of successful years of Brückner?
Verena Ruckh: This year, we have left 75 years behind us as a company. We started as a small engineering company and today we are the global market leader in the textile finishing industry. It has been a great journey with many ups and downs to overcome. We can be proud of what we have achieved together with our employees and customers. Our strength has always been our highly qualified employees, our ability to overcome challenges and the courage to break new ground. We would like to express our heartfelt thanks to all those who have accompanied us over the years, who have always believed in us, and who have walked this path together with us.
TEXtalks: Can you please elaborate on Brückner’s ExperTex simulation tool?
Verena Ruckh: ExperTex is an intelligent process simulation tool for the textile industry. For the first time in the world, it is now possible to digitally simulate textile drying, heat-setting and curing processes. In addition to the process simulation as such, a comprehensive calculation of the consumption data and the ecological parameters (e.g. the CO2 footprint) is integrated. The active process is automatically perfected using the optimization menu. The innovative algorithm simulates, analyzes and optimizes the entire range of possible parameters depending on the specified process, according to the selected target of maximum production output or reduction of energy consumption. This innovative system offers customers considerable added value, as it allows accurate pre-calculation of orders, opens up productivity gains and/or energy savings, and permits “right-first-time production” by means of pre-optimized formulas. Expert knowledge and years
of experience in textile finishing are thus available at the push of a button.
TEXtalks: How does the ECO delivery program of Brückner cater to sustainability or environmental protection goals?
Verena Ruckh: Sustainability is the buzzword of our time. We have been dealing with sustainable technologies and resource-saving machines for years, even decades. Our ECO product family includes heat recovery and exhaust air purification systems that can be retrofitted at any time, not only to Brückner machines but also to third-party systems. Energy savings of up to 20% or more can be achieved with our heat recovery systems. An automatic cleaning function also saves time and personnel. If space is limited, we also offer a compact solution, our so called ECO-HEAT back-pack. With us, every customer gets a solution tailored to their specific needs – all from a single source.
TEXtalks: How has Brückner integrated Industry 4.0 into its product line, and how do you see the potential of it in Pakistan?
Verena Ruckh: All our new lines are on request equipped with digital products and industry 4.0 modules. These various intelligent assistance systems support the machine operator in finding the optimum machine setting for each process. A special innovation is the new simulation tool ExperTex which we already discussed. This tool and much more is available to customers in the new myBrückner customer portal. All important machine information, access to digital services, and a service system will be bundled there and can be accessed at any time. The textile sector plays a significant role in Pakistan’s economy, contributing considerably to its growth and providing job opportunities. The future of Pakistan’s textile industry is intricately tied to technological advancements. Embracing automation, digitalization, and innovative manufacturing processes will enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve product quality. Therefore, we see a great potential in these systems for the Pakistan textile producers to stay ahead.
TEXtalks: What are some successful examples of your machinery being implemented in Pakistani textile mills?
Verena Ruckh: Well, Pakistan has been an important market for us for a very long time and has become even more important in recent years. We delivered a lot of machines to this country and we are proud of having so many customers there who became really good friends throughout the years. We have sold many stenter frames, sanforizing ranges but also continuous dyeing lines with infrared dryers, dyeing padders and hotflues. In the end, the customer is telling us his needs, and we find the right solution for him. Many of our Pakistani customers have recognized that our energy-efficient machines with intelligent assistance systems help them to work more productively and successfully. Added to this is the excellent support from our local agent Nazer & Co. with whom we have been working successfully for many years. Without them, it would not have been possible to place so many machines in Pakistan in the recent years. Good personal relationships and trust in people and in technologies are the basis for the long-term success of both sides: Brückner and our customers.
