Fein-Elast

We solve our customers’ challenges with know-how, innovation and passion.

Management

The Executive Management of Fein-Elast Holding AG

The Fein-Elast Group is structured as a holding company, bringing together several independent entities under a shared strategic umbrella. Operational management is carried out within the respective business units, while the holding company ensures group-wide alignment and coordination.

Bernd Grabher

Only those who know the goal

will find a way.

Christian Rösch

Urmas Mägi

History

How it all started

Im Jahre 1966 beteiligte sich der Vorarlberger Unternehmer Wilhelm Grabher an der Miederfabrik Werner Blatter OHG in Lustenau. Im gleichen Jahr wurde das gemeinsame Unternehmen Blatter & Grabher OHG gegründet, bestehend aus fünf Umwindemaschinen und einigen Rundstrickmaschinen. Das Unternehmen beschäftigte damals 25 Mitarbeiter und belieferte die umliegende Region. Der Siegeszug der elastischen Strumpfhose mit der Faser LYCRA® in feineren Garnstärken belebte die Modeszene. Die Nachfrage nach umwundenen Garnen stieg rapide an, so dass im Jahr 1973 der Umzug in ein neues Gebäude notwendig wurde. Nach der Übernahme des gesamten Unternehmens durch Wilhelm Grabher wurde der Firmenname auf Fein-Elast Umwindewerk GmbH mit Sitz in Lustenau/Österreich geändert.

Growth and modernisation

The strong business sense of the managing directors Wilhelm Kurt Grabher and Reinhart Schneider allowed the company to grow and expand. As early as 1976, the company Fein-Elast Grabher AG was founded with headquarters in Diepoldsau, Switzerland. In the following years, additional locations were established and expanded in Austria and Switzerland. New technologies such as air interlacing and specialities such as Knit-de-Knit processes for the production of fancy yarns for striking designs were added. After the death of Wilhelm Grabher in 1986, the company passed into the equal ownership of the Grabher and Schneider families and is now run by the third generation.

International expansion

For strategic reasons, Fein-Elast Umspinnwerk GmbH was established in 1991 in Zeulenroda, Thuringia, Germany, as the first production facility in the EU. At the time, this was an essential step towards ensuring the Fein-Elast Group’s competitiveness in the European market. In this new company, the product range was decisively expanded with Hamel Elasto Twist machines, and an additional market segment was served with weaving. As part of a new strategic alignment, the German site was later closed and its processes integrated into our Swiss operations. Against the background of being able to serve the Eastern European market more intensively and closer to the customer, investments were made in the Estonian location in 1994. Fein-Elast Estonia OÜ is now our largest production site for fine hosiery yarns. Another milestone in the history of the company was the construction of the spinning mill in Triebes, Germany, in 1999. With the formerly registered trademarks cotton star® and elasto star®, customers were offered the finest Corespun and Sirospun qualities for the highest textile demands.

Restructuring in the holding

In order to further strengthen the company’s presence on the market, on 30.07.2002 the individual companies were merged into Fein-Elast Holding AG, based in Lustenau, Austria. The aim of this restructuring was to better coordinate the activities of the business units, to promote team-oriented action among the employees and to make better use of synergy effects within the group. Today, the individual entities operate independently within their respective markets, embedded in the Group’s overarching strategic framework.

Locations

Unsere Standorte in mehreren europäischen Ländern ermöglichen uns eine direkte Betreuung vor Ort. Alle Niederlassungen unseres Unternehmens finden Sie in der folgenden Standorte-Übersicht.

Sustainability

Committed to the region and its people

In both pre-consumer and post-consumer standards, we pay very close attention to how we can use resources sparingly or save them on the one hand while protecting the environment on the other. For example, we process yarns made from recycled fishing nets or PET bottles, and we produce compostable and biodegradable yarns. We generate electricity for our production via our own PV systems and even operate our own hydroelectric power plant – info at kwsb.ch – with which we generate 3 million kilowatt hours of green electricity annually. And of course, the waste heat generated in production is recovered and used as heating energy. We regularly have our commitment to the environment reviewed and documented through certificates such as those issued by the Energy Agency for Industry and the Green Invest Project.

Lichtensteig city bridge power plant

The environment says thank you.

Mit dem Kraftwerk Stadtbrücke in Lichtensteig (kwsb.ch), das 2013 ans Netz ging, leisten wir einen aktiven Beitrag zu einer nachhaltigen Energieversorgung der Region und zu einem verbesserten CO₂-Fußabdruck.. Mit diesem wichtigen Schritt schufen wir nicht nur ein Bekenntnis zur regionalen Stromproduktion aus natürlichen Ressourcen – auch ein alter Industriestandort, der bereits 1816 eine Spinnfabrik beherbergte, wurde so mit neuen Leben erfüllt. Heute produzieren wir im Kraftwerk Stadtbrücke jährlich rund 3 Millionen Kilowattstunden sauberen Strom. Daneben wird auch in Photovoltaikanlagen in Lustenau und Diepoldsau ein Beitrag zur Produktion nachhaltiger Energie geleistet.

Mission statement

Our mission

We create the conditions for the comfort and function of modern textiles with our highly functional yarns and twisted yarns. Highest quality standards, partnership relations with our customers and suppliers as well as reliability in service are basic principles, thanks to which we are continuously expanding our market-leading position.

Our vision

As a leading international manufacturer of elastic and non-elastic yarns and twisted yarns, we support our customers in solving their product-specific challenges. We are an innovation driver and thought leader when it comes to the new or further development of functional, aesthetic or flexible fabrics based on our yarns and twisted yarns.

Each of our yarns is a highly functional construction. It is only in the joint interaction of all properties that solutions for different requirements are created, all of which are extraordinary and unique in their effect.

Philosophy

Attractive

Our company motto “Attractive in Every Sense” applies to our product range of elastic and non-elastic combination yarns as well as to our relationship with our customers. We want to be attractive to them through performance, competence and commitment.

High-quality

Highest quality standards, partnership relations with our customers and suppliers as well as reliability in service are basic principles, thanks to which we are continuously expanding our market-leading position.

Functional

With our elastic yarns, we create the conditions for the comfort and functionality of your clothing and thus for your freedom of movement and well-being. We are happy if we can develop a good relationship after getting to know each other.

“Over the past decades, we have continuously expanded our capabilities so that we can be an indispensable and valuable partner for our customers”.

Bernd Grabher
Member of the management board

Certificates