Farewell to Charles Steverlynck

(picture: Charles Steverlynck with son Emmanuel) In 1984 founder Charles Steverlynck died. In 1936 he became the general manager of Picanol and he would grow and lead the company to become a global player. In many ways he was the ‘pater familias’ of Picanol and the strategist behind the company’s foundation and growth. Up to this very day, his name lives on in the name of the street where Picanol Group has its head office: at the Steverlyncklaan no. 15 in Ieper. Many sports activities at the Picanol Group have been inspired by Charles’s soccer (left winger at S.C. Courtrai in the first division) and athletics activities during his youth. In 1984, even cycle championships were held on the factory site. It was an individual time trial over a distance of 2.205 kilometers in various age groups. Jeannot Derycke won the championship with a time of 3min 04 sec.

The first microprocessor-controlled rapier weaving machine

At ITMA Milan in 1983, Picañol introduced another innovation: the first microprocessor-controlled rapier weaving machine. The GTM (Grip Tronic Machine), the successor to the PGW, meant a breakthrough for the electronic control of weaving machines. The first GTM machines, with a width of 190 cm, reached a speed of 360 weft insertions per minute. Later, speeds of up to 500 weft insertions per minute were reached. In 1983, a new assembly line was built in Ieper to meet the rising demand. In 1986, in Brazil, a contract was signed with Itamasa (Itapecerica Maquinas SA). This was for the licensed production of the GTM and, at a later stage, the PAT-machines, for the local market, which ran until the early 1990s.