As a world leader in warp knitting machines, the sector was waiting to see what KARL MAYER had to offer at the ITMA ASIA+CITME 2010 with great anticipation, and what they saw exceeded all expectations. With its latest innovations and new developments, this traditional company from Germany stood out from its many Chinese competitors, and its stand quickly became a real magnet for the visitors. The fact that so many visitors had come from all over the world was quite surprising. ‘We welcomed a large number of visitors to our stand – not only from China but also from all over Asia, South America and Europe,’ said Oliver Mathews, the sales director, when summing up the outcome of the fair. The worldwide economic recovery in the textile and clothing industry could be detected quite clearly during the course of the exhibition. He went on to say that this was obvious from the positive investment climate.
Demand is currently very good for all of KARL MAYER’s product groups – from its lace machines to its high-speed tricot machines. The first machines were sold just after the fair opened, and this trend continued throughout the entire exhibition. In addition to making specific deals, KARL MAYER was once again able to enhance its image as a driving force for innovation within the sector. The highly qualified visitors had many discussions on the concept of the new DJ machine, which KARL MAYER has used to open up many new possibilities in the seamless goods sector, and were interested in the trend towards higher-gauge lace raschel machines. This innovative manufacturer has changed over its warp knitting machines to incorporate components made from CFRP materials, which is already regarded as the technical standard amongst warp knitting companies. This is a successful example of how KARL MAYER, with its pioneering activities, is constantly improving the design of its warp knitting machines for the benefit of its customers.
But this company is also setting the standard in warp preparation. Visitors to the fair acknowledged its commitment to innovative technology in weaving and warp knitting preparation with great interest, and placed numerous orders. ‘We were delighted to make many deals in every sector of the textile industry,’ said Friedriech Maletschek, the head of this business unit. A big contract to supply ball warpers, long chain beamers and sizing machines to the denim sector was especially encouraging. Particularly noticeable was a clear upturn in the business in machines for processing glass fibres for the production of printed circuit boards. There has been a marked decline in this sector over the last three years. A contract for the sale of the relevant sizing, direct beaming and assembling machines was signed during the ITMA ASIA + CITME fair. Further projects in this area have already been announced.
KARL MAYER was also showing the latest innovations in producing technical and semi-technical textiles by presenting its RD 6/1-12 at an in-house show at its Chinese subsidiary in Wujin, which was held at the same time as the main exhibition. The high-speed RD 6/1-12 has been selling exceptionally well since it was launched onto the market in January of this year. Many more customers were impressed during the course of its first official launch. As a showcase for innovative double-bar raschel technology, an HD 6/20-35 machine was also being shown alongside the RD 6/1-12 in Wujin. This was a basic HighDistance^® machine which triggered many new ideas and thoughts on new end-uses.
The machines on show in Wujin were complemented by the new Weftronic^® RS. This warp-knitting machine with parallel weft insertion attracted a large number of visitors, especially from China and Korea, and they were impressed by its reliable operation. The first machine was sold on KARL MAYER’s stand at ITMA ASIA+CITME following the viewing.

Both the market and its leader are in full swing!