On 9 October 2014, Gerold Fleissner, the pioneer of textile, man-made fibre and nonwovens industry, turned 90. In 1984, Fleissner took over the general management of the company with more than 800 employees, after his brother had died. Before that time he was responsible for the technical management.
The foundation of the Fleissner company was laid by Johann Christian Fleissner 1848 in Asch, Bohemia with a blacksmith`s workshop with 8 journeymen. In the next generation, Karl Fleissner started to produce steel constructions, lifts, centrifuges, household washing machines, dyeing apparatus and other textile machinery; soon a foundation was added.
In 1929 with Hans Fleissner, father of Gerold, drying of textiles became the favourite sector and he developed the first perforated drum dryer and applied a patent for it. This was the birth of the through-air principle. More patents were granted. Thus, Fleissner quickly made a name for themselves in the industrial countries all over the world.