#Spinning

2026-11-04

Georg Stausberg, a veteran of the textile machinery industry, takes over as Rieter Group CEO

Georg Stausberg, one of the most experienced executives in the international textile machinery industry, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Rieter Group with immediate effect from 4 November 2026. With more than three decades of industry experience and a long-standing leadership career at Barmag, Stausberg brings extensive technological expertise, international market knowledge and an established network across the global textile industry to his new position.

Stausberg has played a significant role in the development of Barmag over many years, holding various management positions before becoming CEO. Under his leadership, the company strengthened its position as a leading global supplier of machinery and technologies for the man-made fiber industry.

Following Rieter's acquisition of Barmag in February 2026, Stausberg became a member of the Rieter Group's Executive Committee. His appointment as Group CEO now brings an executive with extensive experience in the man-made fiber sector to the leadership of a company traditionally associated with short-staple spinning machinery.

Leadership change following withdrawal of designated CEO

The appointment follows an unexpected development in Rieter's previously announced succession plans.

In an ad hoc announcement issued on 4 November 2026, Rieter Holding Ltd. stated that designated CEO Daniel Lippuner had presented additional demands regarding his compensation package, particularly his bonus. According to Rieter's Board of Directors, these demands led to irreconcilable differences, and Lippuner will therefore not assume the position as originally planned.

Lippuner had been designated to succeed Thomas Oetterli as CEO of the Rieter Group from 1 November 2026.

Extensive industry experience for Rieter's next phase

Stausberg takes over the leadership of Rieter at a significant stage in the Group's development. The acquisition of Barmag has expanded Rieter's technological portfolio and strengthened its position across different segments of the textile machinery industry.

His extensive background in spinning technology, combined with his experience in international markets and industrial management, provides a broad foundation for leading the enlarged Group.

With Georg Stausberg at its helm, Rieter is now led by an executive whose professional career has been closely connected to the international textile machinery industry for more than 30 years.

Rieter appoints Daniel Lippuner as new CEO as Thomas Oetterli steps down

Thomas Oetterli has decided to step down from his function as CEO, effective October 31, 2026, and hand over the Chairmanship of the Board of Directors. “After the successful implementation of the Next Level performance program, the structural measures initiated to consolidate the sites and the acquisition of Barmag, the time has come to hand over responsibility to new hands,” explains Thomas Oetterli.

Rieter and partners launch Recycling Powerhouse for industrial-scale textile recycling

Recycling Powerhouse Ltd. was established in July 2026 to industrialize, standardize and scale textile recycling. Based in Switzerland, the venture will operate a franchise-driven business model that enables the production of high-quality, certified recycled yarns. The project is supported by the following partners: Rieter Group, the world’s leading system supplier for natural and man-made fibers, Säntis Textiles, a Swiss textile engineering company, and Valvan, a Belgian sorting technology company. The first blueprint franchise operation is scheduled to launch early 2027 in partnership with Suhail Industrial Holding Group in Qatar.

Savio presents intelligent winding and air-jet spinning technologies at ITMA Asia 2026

At ITMA Asia Shanghai 2026, Savio will showcase its latest developments in winding and spinning technology, focusing on artificial intelligence, automation and digital integration. The spotlight will be on two machines: the Proxima Smartconer®, Savio’s next-generation winding platform, and the Lybra Smartspinner®, an air-jet spinning solution designed for flexible yarn production and a wide range of textile applications.

Trützschler to showcase innovations in spinning preparation and nonwovens at ITMA Asia 2026

From November 20 to 24, 2026, the Trützschler Group will present its latest fiber processing technologies at ITMA Asia in Shanghai, China. At Hall 5.1, Booth D20, the company will showcase solutions designed to increase productivity, simplify operations and improve efficiency across spinning preparation and nonwoven production. Key highlights include the automated can transport system T-CAN, the next-generation card TC 30, innovative card clothing solutions such as STEELTOP and SUPERFLOW, as well as advanced nonwoven technologies for hygiene, wipes and filtration applications.

Jeanologia and BCome connect factory data with Life Cycle Assessment and Digital Product Passports

A new white paper by EIM by Jeanologia and BCome demonstrates how primary environmental data from denim finishing processes can be integrated into a garment's Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and prepared for use in a Digital Product Passport (DPP). A comparative case study highlights significant improvements at the production stage while also showing how these translate into the environmental performance of the finished garment.

Inside the Making connects denim and sportswear supply chains at Ecomondo 2026

Six European companies are joining forces at Ecomondo 2026 in Rimini to demonstrate how different stages of denim and sportswear production are interconnected. The new initiative, Inside the Making, highlights the importance of cooperation across the textile supply chain in addressing sustainability challenges, from reducing resource consumption to improving transparency and the reliability of environmental claims.

EDANA welcomes definitive EU anti-dumping measures on Chinese PET spunbond

EDANA, the international association serving the nonwovens and related industries, has welcomed the European Commission's decision to impose definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of PET spunbond originating in China. The association considers the measures an important step towards restoring fair competition and safeguarding European industrial capacity.

EU imposes definitive anti-dumping duties on Chinese PET spunbond imports

The European Commission has introduced definitive anti-dumping duties ranging from 39.8% to 48.1% on imports of PET spunbond from China. The measures, which entered into force on 31 October 2026, will remain in place for five years and are intended to address unfairly priced imports that have caused injury to European manufacturers. The EU market for these nonwoven materials is valued at approximately €200 million.