A successful product was the inspiration for a new company. Andreas W. Engelhardt, former senior manager at Oerlikon Textile International Business – is now managing director of his own company – The Fiber Year LLC.

After holding a master's degree (Dipl.-Kfm.) in economics at the university of Cologne, Andreas started his career 1992 with Barmag AG, Germany. After the acquisition by Saurer AG in 2000, he moved to Saurer headquarters in Switzerland and started international traveling. Main purpose was to establish and enlarge the international network to promote textile machinery sales. Beyond organizing symposia and sales support, Andreas has regularly attended international conferences and delivered numerous presentations for the cotton, wool and manmade fibers industries. Further on, he has introduced country-specific strategies for sustainable growth and local value added to domestic organizations, ministries and manufacturers.

The main driving force to becoming self-employed is You….
I had the privilege of getting to know different mentalities, meeting inspiring people, of which quite several became friends by now, and becoming acquainted with diverse cultures. I do not want to miss this precious experience and further provide my views and knowledge to the international textile industry.