The Car­TexSax ini­tia­tive was launched to address one of the most press­ing chal­lenges of our time: the trans­for­ma­tion of Europe’s auto­mo­tive indus­try and its rip­ple effects on the tex­tile sup­ply chain in South­west Sax­ony. With its rich indus­tri­al her­itage and proven exper­tise in high-per­for­mance tex­tiles, the region stands at a cross­roads between decline and rein­ven­tion.

The Challenge

For decades, Saxony’s tex­tile com­pa­nies were trust­ed part­ners of Europe’s car­mak­ers. But glob­al com­pe­ti­tion, shift­ing sup­ply chains, elec­tri­fi­ca­tion, and sus­tain­abil­i­ty demands have dis­rupt­ed this sta­bil­i­ty. The once-reli­able auto­mo­tive mar­ket has become volatile, expos­ing sup­pli­ers to cost pres­sure, cer­ti­fi­ca­tion hur­dles, and shrink­ing vol­umes. Some long-stand­ing com­pa­nies have already dis­ap­peared; oth­ers are fight­ing for sur­vival.

The Findings

The Car­TexSax study, led by Gherzi Ger­many, con­duct­ed in-depth analy­ses, com­pa­ny work­shops, and trans­fer dia­logues with indus­try lead­ers. The results are sober­ing but also full of oppor­tu­ni­ty:

• Auto­mo­tive is no longer enough: rely­ing sole­ly on car inte­ri­ors and com­po­nents is too risky.
• The “Tier Gap” must be closed: Sax­on firms are strong at Tier 3–4 but lack access to Tier 1 and OEM con­tracts.
• Diver­si­fi­ca­tion is essen­tial: growth poten­tial lies in aero­space, rail, con­struc­tion, med­ical tex­tiles, fil­tra­tion, and ener­gy.
• Sus­tain­abil­i­ty is a dif­fer­en­tia­tor: recy­clable, cir­cu­lar, and CO₂-reduced tex­tiles are not just trends – they are becom­ing entry tick­ets to glob­al mar­kets.
• Net­works mat­ter: com­pa­nies that join alliances, invest in automa­tion, and coop­er­ate across indus­tries will sur­vive and thrive.

The Vision 2030

Car­TexSax does not paint a pic­ture of decline. Instead, it pro­pos­es three real­is­tic and moti­vat­ing future mod­els for com­pa­nies in the region:

These mod­els are not the­o­ret­i­cal. They emerged from direct dia­logues with com­pa­ny lead­ers – voic­es from Mattes & Ammann, Zwis­s­TEX, Tenowo, Norafin, and many oth­ers. Their mes­sage is clear: the future belongs to those who act deci­sive­ly, invest strate­gi­cal­ly, and break free from out­dat­ed depen­den­cies.

The Call to Action

Car­TexSax has deliv­ered more than a report – it has pro­vid­ed a wake-up call and a roadmap. The project shows that South­west Sax­ony can remain a hub of tex­tile inno­va­tion, but only if com­pa­nies embrace trans­for­ma­tion with courage and speed.

This is not the end of the jour­ney. Car­TexSax is the start­ing point for new Euro­pean projects, strate­gic part­ner­ships, and indus­tri­al renew­al. The con­ver­sa­tion has only just begun – and the region is ready to lead it.