#Knitting & Hosiery

2020-08-05

Opening of the second construction section

Fig. from left to right: Daniel Hebisch and Cemal Isin from isin+co GmbH & Co. KG, Jörg Wilhelm from KARL MAYER, Uli Kälber from Rommel SF-Bau GmbH & Co. KG and also from KARL MAYER Andreas Schellhammer, Erhard Vöhringer and Frank Wittel (c) 2020 STOLL

STOLL, a new Business Unit of the KARL MAYER Group, will be moving with its premises from the site at Stollweg in Reutlingen to the Reutlingen-Betzingen industrial estate, where it will continue its activities under the new owner, as planned.

Already in 2004, STOLL relocated its production to the location in the Mark West industrial area. During two project stages, a development center is first being built, and later a customer center will follow, in order to accommodate the other Business Units.

Official start of the construction for the development center was on 26th July 2019. The building with bright and modern offices and meeting rooms for roughly 70 employees is expected to be completed by autumn 2020.

The 29th July 2020 saw the opening of the second project stage, with the aim to erect the customer center up to autumn 2021. The symbolic groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Daniel Hebisch, Shareholder and Member of the Executive Board of isin+co GmbH & Co. KG, and Cemal Isin, Managing Partner of isin+co GmbH & Co. KG, Uli Kälber, Managing Director of Rommel SF-Bau GmbH & Co. KG as well as the following gentlemen from KARL MAYER Textilmaschinenfabrik GmbH: Andreas Schellhammer, President of the STOLL Business Unit, Erhard Vöhringer, Senior Sales/Service Manager, Jörg Wilhelm, Senior Operations Manager, and Frank Wittel, Vice Chairman of the Works Council.

The project is carried out by Rommel SF-Bau GmbH & Co. KG as general contractor. The architects come from ISIN + Co. GmbH & Co. KG. They designed a functional building complex which will be housing the reception, offices for a workforce of about 100 persons and conference rooms. Moreover, an associated industrial building will provide enough space for showrooms, machine floor areas, project rooms and for the company’s own training center. The usable floor space covers approx. 5,350 m².

With its construction project and relocation, STOLL makes important decisions for the future. By combining development, production and administration at a single location, it is possible to ensure shorter distances, leaner processes and faster innovations. In this way, the STOLL technology that has been successful for more than 145 years, will be leading into a new age.

STOLL: Agreement signed for the divestiture of selected assets

In early 2025, KARL MAYER announced its strategic decision to focus on its core business areas of WARP KNITTING, WARP PREPARATION, and TECHNICAL TEXTILES. As part of this move, the flat knitting machine business under the STOLL brand was discontinued and the production site in Reutlingen was closed in October 2025.

KARL MAYER presents a textile TEXTRONIC® innovation at ITM 2026

With highly efficient machines and continuous textile innovations, KARL MAYER underscores its role as a reliable partner for discerning top-tier customers. Just in time for ITM 2026 in Istanbul, the industry leader is introducing a true innovation: an eyelash lace with its characteristic fringed look – combined with a previously unattainable 4-way stretch. While the established fabric could until now only be produced as rigid version or with one-dimensional stretch, the new elasticity in both dimensions expands the possibilities for cross-band panel fabrics.

New spinning package with two-step filtration for recycled yarns and more

At the ITM in Istanbul, BB Engineering unveiled its new, patented ValuePack spinning package for the first time, which features a two-stage filtration system. This is particularly beneficial for re-cycling processes. Until now, spinning packs have used either metal powder (“sand”) or filter candles as filter media. Both options are suitable for differ-ent applications, and each has its own specific advantages and dis-advantages.

ITMA 2027 gains strong momentum

In line with the theme "Co-creating the future of textiles", ITMA continues to strengthen its support for start-ups, recognising their role in driving innovation and shaping the future of textile and garment manufacturing. Through the Start-Up Valley, emerging companies gain access to a global marketplace where they can connect with industry leaders, potential partners, investors and customers.

Mongolia: Workshop on Italian textile technologies kicks off in Ulaanbaatar

The workshop dedicated to Italian textile technologies will kick off in Ulaanbaatar from 21 to 23 June 2026. Focused on the most advanced innovative solutions for the textile industry, the initiative will bring together 13 Italian textile machinery manufacturers, confirming the growing interest in strengthening industrial cooperation between the two countries and highlighting Mongolia’s strategic importance for Italian textile machinery producers.

The textile industry in transition

Recycling, traceability, eco-design and digitalisation are among the key future challenges facing the European textile industry. The Erasmus+ project Skills4Circularity, involving 21 partners from twelve countries, is investigating the skills required to address these challenges. As the German industry partner, the Industry Association for Finishing – Yarns – Fabrics – Technical Textiles (IVGT) is bringing the industry’s perspective to the project.