Heliot International

What Heliot International does

Heliot International Tekstil San. Ve Tic. A.S. is a privately held Turkish industrial machinery manufacturer founded in 1891, headquartered in Beyoglu, Istanbul, with a production facility in Tuzla, Istanbul. The company specializes in finishing and treatment equipment for knitted fabrics and footwear — including boarding machines (SOCKSPEED, SOCKMAGIC, SOCKSTEAM MIDI, SOCKSTEAM HS, Sock-MINI), heat-setting machines (ROLLSET), tubular calenders and compactors, tensionless relax dryers, conditioning/steaming units, pantyhose boarding machines, and chemical processing tumblers (DRUMFINISHER). A BOARDING EYE control system provides real-time efficiency tracking and reporting across boarding lines.

The company operates an enterprise field-sales motion through a worldwide network of 80 agents in 66 countries, targeting textile and hosiery manufacturers that need high-volume, repeatable finishing processes. Revenue is generated through three streams: (i) one-time capital sales of new machines, (ii) a renewed/refurbished machines program covering SOCKMODULE, SOCKMAGIC, SOCKSTEAM, steam generators, knitting machines, washing machines, and auxiliary equipment, with a parallel rental offering for used units, and (iii) recurring spare parts sales through an online ordering channel. The product line spans low-end sampling machines (Sock-MINI at 600 pairs/hour) up to high-throughput production units (SOCKSTEAM HS at 1,440 pairs/hour).

Heliot positions itself on 132 years of category heritage, application-specific engineering, and breadth of line — from sampling to mass production. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled through direct sales engagement. The firm has no external investors, no subsidiaries, and no public listing; recent activity is concentrated on new product introductions (SOCKSTEAM HS, DRUMFINISHER, BOARDING EYE) and continued participation in major textile machinery exhibitions (ITMA Milan 2023, ITM Istanbul 2022, IGATEX Lahore 2024, IGATEX Karachi 2025).

Name

Heliot International

Legal name

HELIOT INTERNATIONAL TEKSTIL SAN. VE TIC. A.S.

Website

https://heliotinternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1891

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Heliot International is a privately held Turkish industrial machinery manufacturer, founded in 1891, that builds textile finishing equipment — boarding, heat-setting, compacting, drying, and chemical processing machines — for knitted fabric and footwear producers worldwide, selling through 80 agents in 66 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Beyoglu

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. New Textile Machinery Sales: Sale of new textile finishing machines including boarding machines, heat setting machines, calenders, compactors, dryers, and chemical processing equipment for the hosiery and textile industry
2. Renewed/Refurbished Machines: Sale of renewed (refurbished) machines including SOCKMODULE, SOCKMAGIC, SOCKSTEAM series, and steam generators
3. Spare Parts: Online spare parts ordering system for existing machine customers
4. Machine Rental: Rental services for machines offered through renewed machine division

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Heliot International manufactures and sells industrial textile finishing machinery for the treatment of footwear and knitted fabric, including boarding machines for socks and pantyhose, tubular heat setting machines, compactors, calenders, dryers, chemical processing tumblers, and computerized production monitoring systems. The company also offers a parallel renewed (refurbished) machinery program covering boarding machines, steam generators, knitting machines, and washing machines, along with spare parts and machine rental services. All manufacturing is performed in Istanbul, Turkey, with sales delivered through a worldwide network of 80 agents in 66 countries.

Product overview

Heliot International is a textile machinery manufacturer with a heritage dating back to 1891. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of textile finishing machines for knitted fabrics and footwear treatment. The product line includes boarding machines (SOCKSPEED, SOCKMAGIC, SOCKSTEAM MIDI, SOCKSTEAM HS, Sock-MINI) for sock and pantyhose processing, heat setting machines (ROLLSET), compactors (KNITCOMPACT, KNITCOMPACT XL), calenders, dryers (KNITDRY), chemical processing equipment (DRUMFINISHER), and measurement/controlling systems (MEASUREMENT TABLE, BOARDING EYE). The company also offers renewed (refurbished) machines including SOCKMODULE, SOCKSTEAM, SOCKMAGIC, steam generators, knitting machines, and washing machines. All products are manufactured in Istanbul, Turkey, with a worldwide sales network of 80 agents in 66 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ROLLSET

Quantifiable outcome

• SOCKSTEAM HS achieves 1,440 pairs/hour capacity
• +3 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Benninger: Swiss textile machinery specialist producing dyeing and finishing ranges, including continuous bleaching and washing lines. Overlaps with Heliot in finishing equipment for knit and woven fabrics, particularly for European technical textile customers.
• Fong's Group: Hong Kong-listed textile machinery conglomerate producing dyeing, finishing, and printing equipment at global scale. Overlaps with Heliot in stenter frames and finishing lines, but serves a far broader textile base and competes primarily as an incumbent.
• Picanol: Belgian manufacturer of weaving machines and now part of the broader Toyota Industries textile platform. While upstream of finishing, Picanol represents the kind of large, capitalized, technology-driven textile machinery incumbent Heliot competes against for industrial customer mindshare.
• Lakshmi Machine Works: Indian textile machinery manufacturer (spinning, weaving, and finishing) with extensive domestic and export reach. Competes in similar emerging-market tenders as Heliot, particularly in South Asia, with a much broader product base.
• Karl Mayer: German global leader in warp knitting and textile machinery. While focused upstream of finishing, Karl Mayer's scale, R&D budget, and digital solutions set the competitive benchmark Heliot must match on technology and service.

Direct peers

• Santex Group: Italy-headquartered textile finishing machinery group offering stenter frames, drying machines, and shrinking/compacting lines. Overlaps with Heliot's compactors, dryers, and calenders across similar knitting and finishing mill customers.
• Biancalani: Italian textile finishing machinery specialist producing AIRPLET tumblers, compactors, and sueding/softening lines. Comparable finishing-focused technology portfolio and Italian manufacturing heritage to Heliot, targeting knit and woven mills globally.
• Corino Macchine: Italian manufacturer of boarding and finishing machines for socks, pantyhose, and hosiery — Heliot's closest direct competitor, offering overlapping product categories (boarding machines, autoclaves, steam-setting) to the same European and global hosiery mills.
• Then Textile Machinery: Chinese textile machinery manufacturer with a broad range including finishing and dyeing equipment. Competes with Heliot on price in Asian hosiery markets while offering a wider product portfolio, making it a strong emerging-economy peer.
• Matec: Italian maker of washing, hydroextraction, drying, and finishing equipment specifically for knitwear and hosiery. Direct overlap with Heliot's Socksteam boarding line and Knitdry dryer family, serving the same textile mill customers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/heliot-international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Heliot International