China Sewing Machinery Association Delegation Visited Minerva Boskovice a.s.

On October 17, a delegation to Central and Eastern Europe composed of more than ten industry executives, led by He Ye, Vice President of the China National Light Industry Council and Honorary Chairman of the China Sewing Machinery Association, and Yang Xiaojing, Chairman of the China Sewing Machinery Association, visited Minerva Boskovice a.s. (hereinafter referred to as “Minerva”), a subsidiary of ShangGong Group.

The delegation was warmly received by Chen Yongwu, Vice President of ShangGong Group, and Romana Spackova, CEO of Minerva, who introduced the company’s profile and development history and accompanied the delegation on an in-depth tour of its production workshops.

Founded over 140 years ago, Minerva is one of the largest sewing equipment manufacturers in Europe. In 2005, following ShangGong Group’s acquisition of Dürkopp, Minerva officially became a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Group. The company currently has around 400 production employees, with a factory area of over 60,000 square meters. It not only operates mature assembly workshops, but also maintains a complete supporting manufacturing system including heat treatment and metal processing. In addition, Minerva has an independent technical and engineering department dedicated to ongoing product R&D and continuous upgrades to in-house production technologies. The company has also maintained close cooperation with Chinese suppliers for many years, sourcing a portion of its castings, metal and plastic components, and electronic parts from China.

With strong support from the Group, Minerva has undertaken continuous upgrades in both software and hardware, expanded the application of robotic technologies in its production processes, and introduced automated equipment such as five-axis machining centers. Combined with advanced production management systems and APP-based tools, the company has significantly improved capacity and efficiency, achieved full-process digitalization and traceability, and, most importantly, greatly enhanced product quality and stability.

Minerva manufactures more than 200 models of sewing equipment with an annual output of approximately over 20,000 units. About 70% of its equipment serves the heavy-material sector, such as footwear, with the remainder used in automotive and other industries. Sales and distribution are coordinated by the Group globally. In recent years, in response to evolving downstream needs and performance requirements, Minerva has continued to pursue R&D innovation, expanded into the furniture sector, and accelerated automation capabilities leveraging ShangGong Group’s global technological advantages.

Chairman Yang Xiaojing expressed his appreciation to ShangGon(g Group and Minerva for their thoughtful arrangements and warm reception, and introduced the delegation. He noted that the European sewing equipment market has experienced fluctuations, and traditional large-scale, standardized production models are rapidly evolving toward automation and highly customized solutions. As a century-old manufacturer, Minerva has accumulated valuable experience and models in corporate culture, organizational management, quality control, process innovation, lean manufacturing, craftsmanship, transformation, and international cooperation. These provide valuable insights and references for Chinese sewing machinery enterprises. Chairman Yang expressed the hope that Minerva will continue to enhance exchanges and cooperation with Chinese industry partners in the future.