Erhardt+Leimer: A Century Of Pioneering Innovations

The history of the technical development of web run without controls into process-controlled web guiding is the history of Erhardt+Leimer. In its 100 years of operations, E+L has developed from a maker of industrial clocks and signal systems to a globally known, competent partner for system solutions on moving webs in the textile, paper, printing, packaging, corrugated cardboard, film, tyre, rubber and nonwoven fabrics industries. Ganesh Kalidas speaks to senior executives of the company’s management to get a sense of E+L’s global and Indian operations

- Ganesh Kalidas

It takes guts and passion to rise from the dust, but taking on the dynamic market and moving forward with futuristic vision is what leads to growth in the present industry. And this is absolutely true in the case of Erhardt+Leimer. With every innovation that the company has introduced, it has grown leaps and bounds. The enterprise started as a small clock-making workshop and gradually turned into a million-dollar conglomerate with branches all over the world. Bit by bit, the company has expanded into textiles, paper manufacturing, printing, nonwoven fabrics and also forayed with pioneering projects into the space of digital technology. Today, it celebrates a century of setting milestones for generations to follow.

Erhardt+Leimer India

Erhardt+Leimer (E+L) set foot in India in 1970, intending to change the Indian textile processing industry. They were not just another company but a wave of new thought. At the time, India was a closed market and most goods were domestically produced. The strategy was to explore the textile market as the company’s roots were set deep into the sector. However, the initial days posed many hurdles for Erhardt+Leimer. At first, the company had licensed the products to Indian companies but they soon realised that only by having a more direct presence in the market would they be able to make an impact on the market. Thus was born Erhardt+Leimer India (P) Ltd. in 1978 as a joint venture with ATE which was representing European textile machinery manufacturers like Truetzschler, Stork, Karl Maier, etc.