Mr Zhang Jie, Chairman of the China Hi-Tech Group, visited A. Monforts Textilmaschinen in Mönchengladbach last month, to see for himself the latest addition to his group of companies with its worldwide activities.

Together with Monforts Managing Director, Roland Hampel, Mr Jie performed a groundbreaking ceremony for the company’s new Advanced Technology Centre which will also serve as a training centre to attract young people to textile machinery engineering.

The China Hi-Tech Group, the only state-owned textile machinery manufacturer in China and the world's second-largest textile machinery supplier, is the owner of the Chinese Fong's Group, which in turn has recently acquired Monforts from the Lübeck-based Possehl Group.

Zhang Jie and Fong's CEO, Alex Wan, both emphasised during their visit that Germany is an ideal centre for research and development.

The new Monforts technology centre on the Blumenberger Straße is to go into operation at the beginning of 2013 and with around 1500 square metres, it is almost twice as large as the old technical laboratory at the former site on the Schwalmstraße.

"The new centre will feature the Montex 8000, a new coating range that can be flexibly employed for technical textiles," explained Monforts’ Klaus Heinrichs.

“Monforts aims to further expand this business area, since the market for technical textiles is booming and promises further growth.”

“We will be able to show our customers what Monforts machines are capable of under real production conditions."

In addition, a stenter for knitted fabrics and a dyeing range will also be on show in the technology centre.

Seminars and training courses will also be held. "We want to attract young people to textile machine engineering and show them that textile finishing is high-tech," added Heinrichs. 

“In Peter Tolksdorf the company already has a long-serving employee in its ranks who is responsible for the promotion of young talent at the Association of German Textile Finishers and can therefore approach young researchers directly.”

The Fong's Industries Group headquartered in Hong Kong was founded in 1963 and specialises in the design, production and sale of textile dyeing and finishing machines. In 1998 Fong‘s and the Monforts Group established the joint venture Monforts Fong‘s Textile Machinery Co. Ltd. (Monfongs), which heralded the start of an intensive cooperation that has now been further consolidated with the change of owners.

A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG produces continuous dyeing ranges and ranges for the finishing and coating of knitted and woven fabrics. Monforts is a global market leader in the sector.  The company has 148 employees in Mönchengladbach and almost 1000 employees worldwide.