A piece of history with a great vision

OUR HISTORY

Günter Stienemann and his wife Helga founded the company Rohstoffe Günter Stienemann OHG in 1956 with the aim of recycling textile waste in a sustainable way. In 1968, the company was renamed ALTEX Günter Stienemann GmbH & Co. KG and the foundation stone of ALTEX’s history was laid with two ripping machines.

Timeline

1975...
the company ALTEX Gronauer Filz was founded by Bernhard Stienemann in the heart of Gronau. In the mid-1980s, the focus was placed on the development and production of technical needled nonwovens. At that time, production was primarily for the carpet sector.
1988...
the first needled nonwoven line for geotextiles was launched. The production facility was expanded to include warehouses and dispatch halls and the production facilities were also gradually extended.
1989...
A separate company was founded for the textile recycling sector on the former site of "van Delden", formerly "Laurenz": ALTEX Textil-Recycling GmbH & Co KG At the same time, we also launched a new drying system for the carpet comfort carpet pad area at a second location.
From 2002...
Dania and Nico Stienemann, the children of Managing Director Bernhard Stienemann, become part of the company. In 2015, you become a co-partner.
2016...
we expanded our production capabilities with a 5th production line for lightweight nonwovens from 40g/m².
2019...
Bernhard Stienemann goes into well-earned retirement and hands over the management of the company to his daughter Dania Stienemann and his son Nico Stienemann. This year, investments were made in new fibre blending systems that optimize the quality of the nonwovens and make manual work on the production lines easier
2020...
Acquisition of new technical systems for equipment - Construction of a new warehouse at the Gronau site
2021...
Commissioning of a new finishing plant and relocation of the equipment from Epe to Gronau
2023...
a new production facility is put into operation.

ALTEX today

Today, over 90 dedicated employees work hand in hand at the Gronau site to produce an impressive 10,000 tons of needled nonwovens every year. This is equivalent to the area of over 4,000 soccer pitches – a real feat for the automotive industry, the geotextile sector and other industrial sectors.

Our history is characterized by continuous growth, research and innovation. More than four decades of experience have made us what we are today – a leading company in nonwoven production that is proud of its roots and at the same time looks to a promising future. In a world where textile recycling and sustainability are becoming increasingly important, we are setting standards and actively shaping change.