Swiss Company Crealet Celebrates 20th Anniversary

Crealet a supplier of electronic warp feeding systems for both wide and narrow fabric weaving is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

Crealet was formed through a management-buy-out from Willy Grob AG and a growing need for warp let-off controls with specific customised solutions was identified by Walter Wirz and Leo Kuster, at that time employed as CEO and Design Manager at Willy Grob.

The pair seized the opportunity, supported by Johann Georg Schmid and Altmann Holding AG, and Crealet was established.

Crealet aimed to offer a universal control system suitable for different applications with the objective to achieve high warp tensions what’s often impossible on weaving machines featuring integrated warp let-off.

To overcome the challenge, the Ukast was introduced in 2008 and which was also a replacement for the Kast 197, for use in wide weaving for ground and warp beams in high positions, as well as for warp beams in free-standing warp beam frames.

This was one year after ITMA 2007 in Munich, where Crealet was a newcomer, presenting its warp yarn feeder program for weaving machines.

“We also took the occasion to look for agents in order to get in contact with customers worldwide. We needed to convince them of our idea for a service which was not widely realised at that point in time,” Walter Wirz, then CEO of Crealet said.

Crealet built a reputation for developing systems to replace older control units, or to meet the requirements of new applications such as ribbon weaving.

The firm’s experts devised a wide variety of solutions – such as selvedge yarn feeders to prevent waviness at fabric edges, and feeders for weaving carbon or tyre cord fabrics.