The tents and awnings from Steffen Golle can be found in the West African country of Burkina Faso and other remote countries. The managing director aims to help people with his Paulus Textil GmbH company based in Auerbach and solve problems at the same time.

The idea is simple and brilliant at the same time. If a picture made by Paulus Textil GmbH is hanging on the wall, it absorbs the sound in the room. “We’ve developed them for larger rooms like schools or dining rooms,” says the 50-year-old managing director. Any viewer only recognises the art print on the material at the front – a landscape or a painting. But there is another sound-absorbing layer behind it. “We now supply items all over Europe,” says Golle, explaining the development. His company with its seven employees seeks to find suitable answers to tricky questions – because technical textiles can often provide assistance.

“The Chinese market is currently looking for huge covers for sports grounds. I’m delighted that they’ve sent us a request for a quotation here in the Vogtland region so that we can offer them solutions.”

Steffen Golle can look back on a long family tradition. His grandfather founded a saddlery in Neundorf in 1926. “He also provided upholstery for furniture. My father continued to manage the company in the 1960s.” Steffen Golle then did his vocational training in the family business during the 1980s. He even still worked on the so-called “sewing horse” – a seat for saddlers, which now sounds very old-fashioned. “We had to make some tough decisions when the Berlin Wall fell about whether we wanted to continue the business. It was a leap into the dark, but we quickly tapped into new markets.” The Golle Zelte & Planen GmbH company is still based in Plauen. Steffen Golle once again dared to step out into the unknown when he set up his new company on the Auerbach business park last year.

“The name was important to me. I named the company after Paul – a tent-maker in the New Testament. As a Christian, I know that I have a responsibility for my fellow human beings and their needs – in different parts of the world too. I try to combine this with advertising the Vogtland region.”

He is most concerned about the young generation. “Many of them are leaving the region – I view this as a personal challenge.” Some of them now gain an opportunity at Paulus Textil GmbH – through retraining too or starting their career. Technical textiles were still an innovation for his father in the 1960s. There is now a demand for them from all over the world. Golle cites one example. “The initial care for refugees recently wouldn’t have been possible as quickly without suitable tents – that was thanks to our sector.” And his products provide specific help too. “The large awnings or tents provide shelter from the sun in Africa. I’m supporting an aid organisation there, which is accompanying young people leaving school through vocational training.”

Vita Steffen Golle

• Born in Plauen in 1966, separated; has four children
• Trained to become a technical expert in heavy-duty fabric goods at the family business in Neundorf/Plauen
• One of the managing directors at Golle Zelte & Planen GmbH after 1990
• Managing director of the newly founded Paulus Textile GmbH in Auerbach from September 2015 onwards 
• Plays the piano, sings in a Christian band