The globally networked textile industry is considered hypersensitive. It usually reacts to economic fluctuations earlier and more violently than other areas of the economy. So now too. “The global crisis in the textile industry began before Corona. But from April 2019 onwards, orders worldwide collapsed radically ”, says Lutz Wolf, CEO of the Neuenhauser group of companies. This led to a "blatant drop in orders" for the Neuenhauser Group, which generates around 20 percent of its sales in the textile automation sector. For example, in India - one of the most important export markets for Neuenhauser's textile transport systems until 2018 - the market collapsed completely.

In 2020 Neuenhauser started again with the recovery of the textile industry. "At the moment our incoming orders are going through the roof," says Lutz Wolf. In the first half of 2020, orders with a total volume of around 15 million euros were acquired in the textile automation sector - more than in the entire pre-Corona year 2018.

Richard Borgers, Head of Spinning Mill Automation, attributes that Neuenhauser is benefiting from the global recovery of the industry very early on to the intensive customer support even during the crisis - and to the company's good Corona strategy. “You have to take care of the customers, especially in times of crisis,” says Borgers. Personal contact is crucial. With a comprehensive Corona concept, Neuenhauser enabled his sales professionals to return to customer visits all over the world at an early stage. That is crucial, because "you don't do business worth millions in video conferences or team meetings".

The most important export markets for the Neuenhauser Group's automation systems are currently countries such as Pakistan and Uzbekistan, but also the USA - and Turkey. In Turkey alone, reports Martin Schoolkate, Sales Manager at Neuenhauser-Rosink, 15 sales projects are currently underway. This essentially involves systems for automating the flow of goods in spinning mills. "We are specialists for the complete transport organization in the spinning and weaving mills and supply all systems for the supply and removal of the materials," explains Schoolkate. On-site presence is required to initiate such large-scale projects. "In sales and price negotiations, you can't do without a personal conversation."

Neuenhauser is represented in the USA with a particularly innovative large project: Neuenhauser developed an autonomous, driverless transport system (AGV) for the automated transport of so-called material cans in a large spinning mill. With the help of artificial intelligence and laser-assisted navigation, the electrically powered vehicles independently find their way through the machine world of the spinning mill to the individual spinning machines and back.