As one of the leading manufacturers of warp knitting and warp preparation machines, KARL MAYER will be presenting at this year’s ITMA 2011 in Barcelona. For the first time, all the company’s business units will be represented on the same stand in hall 3, stand B 153-157, on an area of 1400 square-meter.

“We are mainly targeting customers who dominate their special business fields by a competitive edge in technology. For these highly innovative enterprises we have high-tech premium machines on offer which belong to our company’s two-product line strategy”, explained CEO Fritz P. Mayer.

In its ‘Lace’ sector, KARL MAYER will be showing the new, highly productive Textronic® Lace TL 59/1/24 and the Jacquardtronic® Lace JL 40/1 F, which is currently in high demand for producing soft-shape lace.

On the topic of ‘Elastic’, the company will showcase the new RSJ 4/1 as a machine with an enhanced performance for producing attractive warp knits with a lace look.

Furthermore, KARL MAYER will present the visitors how the DJ 6/2 EL and the Positive Patternbeam Drive (PPD) can be used to produce the 3D panties developed by the company, which feature a range of functional characteristics. The third machine in the group of exhibition machines for producing stretch fabrics is the HKS 2-3 E, which has a unique gauge of E 50. This is a real breakthrough in the efficient production of ultrafine, stretch warp knits for the lingerie and clothing sector.

The completely newly developed HKS 3-1 is a ‘must see’ for all manufacturers operating in the ‘Rigid and Semitechnical’ sector. This high-speed machine is the latest in the HKS machine series to be changed over to the successful CFP concept, and sets new standards in terms of speed among the three-bar tricot machines.

KARL MAYER’s Warp Preparation business unit will show the new Multi-MATIC®. One of its new features is a completely new yarn management system, which can be used to efficiently and flexibly produce sample warps as well as production warps of average running length. The new PRO SIZE box is also designed to offer maximum productivity and flexibility, especially when setting the yarn density. The particular key to success here is the use of the latest application technology and intelligently designed application zones. KARL MAYER’s warp preparation machines on show at the fair will be complemented by various holding devices and yarn tensioners, such as the Rot-O-Tense.

In Barcelona, the Technical Textiles business unit will be showing a laying module on the Malitronic® MULTIAXIAL C&L for processing spread-out carbon tapes from a flanged spool. The flanged spool is produced by an external fiber spreading unit – an off-line processing technique that increases productivity considerably compared to conventional processes when producing high-quality multiaxial textiles from heavy tow materials.

Interview with Fritz P. Mayer, CEO of Karl Mayer

Q: Karl Mayer is one of the largest exhibitors at ITMA 2011. What do you expect to achieve by exhibiting at ITMA?

A: We are hoping to meet highly qualified visitors from all over the world at ITMA 2011. We are particularly geared up to welcoming visitors who lead the way in their own particular fields. As part of our twin product line strategy, we can supply innovation-driven companies with high-end machines of exceptional technical quality. The ITMA fair in Europe continues to be an effective platform for us, where we can showcase our high-tech machines, most of which are developed and manufactured in Western Europe.

Q: What role can a textile machinery fair play in Europe against the background of a textile industry that is being increasingly dominated by Asia?

A: The ITMA fair in Europe is a good opportunity for European textile machinery manufacturers to highlight their pioneering position and to demonstrate their exceptional innovative strengths. It is true that new technical innovations are increasingly being developed in Asia but, in the textile machine building sector, the leading manufacturers are still important sources of inspiration and new ideas.

Q: What development prospects do you see for non-Asian textile producers over the next few years?

A: Since the economic crisis in 2009, the textile markets outside Asia have recovered exceptionally well and also offer good business prospects for manufacturers who are based outside this emerging continent. In order to be successful, it is important to develop new products all the time, offer ranges that can cater for lucrative yet small end-use fields, and increasingly be able to deliver high-quality goods on time.

Q: How can European textile machinery builders stand out against their Asian competitors in the future, especially in view of China’s increasing expertise in machine building?

A: The strength of European textile machinery manufacturers lies both in their traditional pioneering spirit as well as in their expertise in engineering and development, which is based on strong interdisciplinary cooperation. With their high-tech systems, European textile machinery builders have traditionally determined the performance limits of the textile and clothing sector. On the other hand, their international, market-oriented location enables European manufacturers to manufacture goods having a competitive price: performance ratio. Above all, the use of modern production technology and efficient process control and management techniques offer a huge potential when it comes to strengthening and consolidating production locations in Western Europe.

Q: What level of interest do you expect from the Asian visitors at ITMA in Barcelona?

A: We are expecting a large number of visitors from all over the world - especially from emerging nations like India. In addition to visitors from Europe, the Near and Far East, and North and South America, we expect that many interested people from Asia will also take the opportunity to examine our latest innovations for themselves.

Q: How important are the markets outside Asia for KARL MAYER?

A: The markets outside Asia have always been extremely important to us. This is where there is a demand for high-tech products manufactured in Germany. We have built up long-standing and close relationships with a large number of companies, which have resulted in the development of many new innovations.

Q: What can visitors to ITMA expect to see on KARL MAYER’s stand?

A: We will be exhibiting the latest developments from all our business units at ITMA under the motto of ‘We care about your future’. Whereas the focus of our machines for producing technical textiles is on offering individual, client-based solutions, we also aim to showcase our warp knitting machines with their optimized price-performance ratios, as well as new, innovative textiles. Our warp preparation machines also offer an impressive, well-balanced price-performance ratio and a high, reproducible product quality. The performance profiles of our latest new developments are based on the requirements of their relevant markets - not only the current ones but also the emerging ones of the future.

We will also be exhibiting at ITMA as a focal hub for the industry. This is the first time that all our business units will be exhibiting on the same stand. It is here that companies will find new impetus and ideas, as well as practical tips and information to help them do business - and they will also be able to exchange ideas and information with each other.