Over 40 years of experience
How a small workshop became a globally successful SME.
Textile engineer Kurt Bertuleit conducted research into silver and plastic alongside chemist Hermann Lewis. They pursued the idea of producing silvered yarns to discharge static electricity in carpets. Statex GmbH was born. The company soon produced silvered antistatic yarns for technical textiles. Naturally in Bertuleit’s hometown of Bremen.
Statex GmbH was now able to silver-coat woven and knitted fabrics and nonwoven fabrics over their entire surface. In 1992, the company also succeeded in applying copper, nickel and tin coatings to textiles.
After over 15 years with the company, Claudia Erichsen, the daughter of Kurt Bertuleit, became managing director. Products from Statex GmbH also became available to end customers under the brand “Silverell”. Statex experienced its biggest growth phase to date and overcame its economically most difficult period under the leadership of Claudia Erichsen.
Due to the constant demand for silvered products, Statex Produktions- und Vertriebs GmbH expanded to its current location at Kleiner Ort 9–11 in Bremen in 2005, where it still boasts 1300m² of production space and a prestigious, multi-storey office complex.
The antimicrobial properties of silver became the subject of focus for medical products. Wound dressings and other silver textiles have since been supporting wound healing with the help of the precious metal’s antiseptic effect, alleviating discomfort caused by skin conditions such as neurodermatitis, and reducing sweating and odours.
Autonomous driving, efficient assistance systems, extensive electronics and heating options – Statex GmbH provides the automotive world with textile components in these areas and has also helped young manufacturers such as Tesla to implement innovative ideas. The delivery of an EMC shielded tent to the American space authority NASA, in which Mars robots and satellites are tested, represented a special milestone for the company.
A new, ground-breaking technology made it possible to partially metallise textile conductive paths. This opened up the possibility of flexible textile structures in the electronics industry. Customers from haute couture also use the textiles to create luminous clothing or integrate smart functions into work and everyday clothing.
Robert Erichsen, the grandson of founder Kurt Bertuleit, was the third generation of the family to be appointed managing director of Statex GmbH and has been leading his team through the pandemic since the very beginning. In terms of drive and a desire to innovate, he and his now 50 employees are facing the next chapter in the company’s history and are paving the way for the long-term orientation of the company.
A virus keeps the world on tenterhooks: SARS-CoV-2. But necessity is the mother of invention. And so the Shieldex® copper tape was born – a product that was mainly created to protect employees. In just a short time, the copper tape not only conquered the German market but also generated a great deal of attention internationally, enabling many new and important partnerships for Statex GmbH.
Statex GmbH has taken the courageous and unusual decision to introduce the globally known brand name of its Shieldex products as its new company name. This brand revolution was announced in 2021 with a new logo and new corporate design.
