What was changed
Máquinas Isensee, a textile-machinery maker founded in Gaspar, Santa Catarina in 1984, was in crisis by 2020. Founder Nelson Isensee, 70, decided to close and sell the factory and lay off everyone rather than carry the loss; the accumulated debt was about R$1.5 million against annual revenue of roughly R$1 million.
His granddaughter Larissa Isensee, then 22, stepped in as CEO to keep it open. She renegotiated the debts, built a team of technical specialists, switched suppliers, and went months without taking a salary. The early struggle, she says, was earning the trust of the older men on the floor who had watched her grow up.
Her edge was a cheaper product: circular looms rebuilt from scrapped industrial sewing machines sold for up to 70% less than new ones. Revenue climbed from about R$1.2 million in 2022 to R$3.5 million in 2024, and the debt that was meant to kill the business was paid.
What it achieved
Cleared ~R$1.5m of debt and grew revenue from about R$1.2m in 2022 to R$3.5m in 2024, using looms rebuilt from scrapped machines.
Why it worked
The founder saw only a failing business; the granddaughter saw a customer base (small makers and brands like Hering) still willing to buy.
Rebuilding looms from scrap cut the input cost dramatically, creating a price moat rather than a race to the bottom.
She invested in spare parts after the dollar rally made importing parts expensive, giving local customers a reason to stay.
What can be applied
When the founder wants to close, a successor with a cheaper way to make the product can restart the engine. Cutting the input cost - rebuilt looms - beat cutting the price of the product.
Aftermath
By 2024-2025 Máquinas Isensee had two warehouses, was planning a third and more commercial agents, and had moved from repair work into making its own machines and parts. The story became a local symbol of a young heir refusing to let a family business disappear, and the rebuild-on-scrap method its signature.
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