WINTERGERST assists Mayer & Cie. with the sale of assets from its circular knitting operation to Huixing

WINTERGERST brings the investor process for the assets of the circular knitting operation of Mayer & Cie. GmbH & Co. KG to a successful conclusion. The Buyer is Huixing Machinery Co., Ltd. (Shishi, China). The assets of the braiding machine operation had already been sold to the Italian manufacturer DIESSE Rubber Hoses S.p.A. in December.

Global premium provider in its fourth generation

Mayer & Cie. GmbH & Co. KG is a family-owned global player that is now into its fourth generation of family management. It counts among the premium providers of circular knitting and braiding machines. With its three international locations and a strong focus on exports, the company has a global footprint and supplies customers in the most important textile markets of the world. Mayer & Cie. stands for innovative technologies, top-of-the-range production quality and long-standing customer relationships. As a global player, the Company combines traditional engineering expertise with an orientation towards international markets and customers.

Strategic global player with strong market access and clear premium positioning

Huixing Machine Co., Ltd. based in Shishi City (Quanzhou), a leading Chinese textile and engineering center, is an international manufacturer of knitting machines and intelligent software solutions. The Chinese family-owned enterprise employs approximately 1,000 employees at six production locations spread around the world. With the acquisition of the circular knitting operation of Mayer & Cie., Huixing is pursuing the clear objective of expanding its premium segment, investing in the Albstadt location and strengthening the positioning of the Mayer & Cie. brand as a global premium provider.

Turnaround in a challenging market environment

The successful conclusion is the result of extraordinary crisis management. After negotiations with a potential strategic investor broke down shortly before signing in November 2025 and a decision was made to close the operation, WINTERGERST pulled out all the stops to maximize the result from liquidating the operation. All structures and liquidation options were examined within a very short space of time. In particular, preparations were made to liquidate the assets of the braiding machine division and, in parallel, the target group was significantly expanded to address potential international investors. By taking a persistently solutions-oriented approach it was possible to to create prospects for the business of Mayer & Cie. during a highly-critical phase.

WINTERGERST assisted this extremely challenging process applying two closely synchronized transaction processes. In a competitive international investor process, the assets of the fully-integrated braiding machine operation were carved out and sold to DIESSE Rubber Hoses S.p.A. in December 2025 after conducting negotiations with a number of interested investors in parallel. In addition, WINTERGERST conducted negotiations with Huixing concerning the sale of the assets of the circular knitting division, which were brought to a successful conclusion on 9 February 2026. This two-stage transaction solution has secured the survival of the traditional brand and opened up a chance to resume production in Albstadt.

“In spite of these immense challenges, giving up was never an option. We restructured the process, developed solutions and negotiated with a number of investors in parallel. Such complex situations not only require a great deal of personal commitment, but also professional excellence and stamina. That an opportunity emerged to keep the business of Mayer & Cie. running confirms our approach of creating sustainable perspectives even in the most difficult of circumstances,” says Volker Wintergerst, Managing Partner at WINTERGERST, who accompanied the process together with his colleagues, Christian Scharfenberger, Simon Ulmer and Niklas Reichert from the M&A team and Theo-Philo Rempel and Lukas Mauch from the Transformation & Restructuring team, working in close cooperation with the team from GRUB BRUGGER under Martin Mucha (general representative), Markus Berger, Philipp Stopp, Felix Rebel, Dr. Mario Weiss, Manon Hotz and the asset administrator, Ilkin Bananyarli von PLUTA.