Siegfried Saf establishes his company, which specializes in the production of stuffed animals and other toys. The name Saf was already known locally thanks to a regional gypsum mining company that he had founded in 1948. The plush material for the stuffed animals was produced on the current company premises, while the toys themselves were produced in a small workshop in the center of the village of Bad Mitterndorf. The company also produced upholstery fabrics, carpets and artificial sheepskin for slippers and winter shoes. In December 1964, the company already employed approx. 115 employees.

1969 – The former German parent company Wilhelm Kneitz AG, which already owned factories in Germany and France, takes over the toy factory and establishes Herbert Kneitz Ges.m.b.H. in Bad Mitterndorf. The new company focuses on the production of dobby velor for the furniture industry and no longer manufactures toys. In the 1970s, other production techniques were added to the company’s repertoire; it can now also produce fabrics such as jacquard velour, flat-woven jacquard fabrics and machine-knit Raschel double-knit fabrics. A new finishing department is also being opened. This brings the company into contact with the automotive industry for the first time.

1989 – The company now focuses exclusively on interior fabrics for the European and Asian automotive industry. As a result, the premises are being remodeled in a grand style and expanded with extensions. A test laboratory is set up and product development is digitalised. The company’s quality management system was first certified in 1994; in the years that followed, it won several awards from Volkswagen AG. Kneitz Strick GmbH is established as a sister company to further expand the company’s areas of competence; now it can also offer velor interior fabrics knitted on circular knitting machines. The company is diversifying within the transport market by offering fabrics for buses and trains in addition to the existing range of textiles for cars.

2002 – now no longer belongs to the parent company and Kneitz Strick GmbH has been reintegrated. The company no longer manufactures knitted fabrics from stockinette and Raschel machine fabric, but instead invests in additional flat and velor machines. The company is now independent and continues to grow. In the 21st century, the company establishes itself as a leading supplier of interior fabrics to the market.

2016 – Getzner Textil AG The merger with Getzner Textil AG leads to synergies and frees up investment capital, which is used to increase the company’s presence in existing markets and to develop new markets for long-term growth. Two years later, the size of the company’s premises doubles with the opening of a new building complex, a finishing hall, a finished goods warehouse and a new office building, which is also home to a center of excellence for design and development.