In 1955, brothers Helmut and Erich Loepfe founded the Loepfe Brothers LTD. in Zurich. Technical innovations for the textile industry were the driving force behind the development of the company over the next six decades. Loepfe introduced weft feelers and weft stop motion – the first electronic sensors for looms at a time, when electronics itself was still in its infancy.
The big success in weaving technology was transferred to the world of spinning. The first electronic yarn clearers and a data management system contributed to the success. In 1991 Loepfe developed the first yarn clearer YarnMaster, which was able to detect not only classic yarn defects but also foreign fibers as well as the first online classification of NSLT.
The next breakthrough development was the online detection of yarn imperfections leading to an integrated laboratory. With the launch of the YarnMaster Zenit generation, the yarn clearers are now also able to clear synthetic foreign material like polypropylene. The YarnMaster Zenit+, which was introduced in 2014, is the successor of the successful yarn clearer. It offers a user-friendly 15.6 inch wide touch-screen, completely new graphical user interface with a dashboard view of top ten cuts, trends over the last few days, and all this information is available at a glance. Today, Loepfe offers the new MillMaster TOP online data management system, which monitors and analyses the quality data from all Loepfe yarn clearers in a winding room in real-time. During the past six decades Loepfe gained a market leading position in electronic quality control in weaving and winding.
Loepfe employs approximately 150 staff in its headquarter in Wetzikon. The company is present in all major textile markets worldwide with agents and service partners. With its high percentage of research and development Loepfe plans to contribute substantially to future developments in the textile industry.
