#Knitting & Hosiery

2021-01-14

The STOLL brand demonstrates strength in China

STOLL Customer at KARL MAYER In-house Show in China © 2021 KARL MAYER STOLL

The first presentation of the STOLL brand during an in-house KARL MAYER product show ended in great success on December 19 after a three-day run. In China, the current infection development allows face-to-face events again. Around 380 visitors from 170 companies took advantage of the opportunity to meet on site. Most of them travelled to KARL MAYER (CHINA) in Changzhou from the Great Shanghai area, and a few others came from the north of China, despite the exceptionally cold winter weather.

STOLL exhibitor premiere at KARL MAYER In-house Show in China a complete success

Many of the guests came with the question of how the STOLL flat knitting machine business will continue after the acquisition by KARL MAYER, and left with increased confidence. „The first impression was great. Our high-tech production in Changzhou with the group-wide high quality standards, the excellent operational management, the just established STOLL development, our expertise, all this left a very good impression on our customers," says Liu Xuran, Chief of Sales & Product of the STOLL Business Unit.

The STOLL brand will continue to operate independently as part of KARL MAYER with the same contacts but with the support of the strong group of companies. It will guarantee customers successful business more than ever before. An exclusive selection of the innovations which will continue to ensure full order books in the flat knitting sector was on show in Changzhou. All the machines exhibited impressed with their excellent price/performance ratio and various automation solutions. They were the subject of numerous concrete investment inquiries and project discussions. Area Sales Manager Thomas Streicher and Simon Ma from regional partner Chemtax expressed their satisfaction with the feedback and the sales successes. „Some customers came twice to check the performance of the machines“, says Thomas Streicher.

Sophisticated automation solutions?

A highlight of the machine show in Changzhou was the topic of knit & wear®. In the seamless knitting of sweaters, eliminating almost all downstream finishing processes, STOLL is setting standards in terms of patterning possibilities and price/performance, as demonstrated by the ADF 830-24 ki W knit & wear® and CMS 830 ki knit & wear®. The ADF model is designed for the high-level market segment and implements innovative fashion patterns with inverse plating and Intarsia among other things, which cannot be easily copied. With its production versatility and flexibility, the machine particularly impressed the brand manufacturers from the high-end segment in Changzhou. The CMS-version manufactures for the basic-level volume market and scores with an extremely good price/performance ratio. New to the in-house show was gauge E 10.2. The CMS 830 ki knit & wear® with the new gauge will allow customers to participate in the lucrative but highly competitive market of fine knit & and wear articles in the future.

As a further contribution to automation, an ADF machine with a knitrobotic®-kit was presented for the first time in Asia. The robotic functions make it possible to integrate materials and parts into the knitted product without manual intervention. As one example, an everyday mask was produced during the in-house show, with the nose bracket inserted fully automatically. The performance show inspired numerous new application ideas.

Solutions for creatives

An innovation for the creative process was presented with the new Connective Pattern Software (STOLL-CPS®). The solution combines a full-featured, advanced programming system with an easy-to-learn user interface and significantly expands knitting possibilities. Features include an authentic fabric view, many smart tools and open interfaces that allow CPS to be perfectly embedded in upcoming digital workflows. Among the most important advantages of STOLL-CPS® is the reduction of time-to-market. With an integrated grading system, additional sizes or size approaches can be created quickly and changes can be made across all sizes and/or patterns in a project in the shortest possible time. As an inspiration for designers and product developers, the current STOLL collection "FASTER from Concept to Store" showed which creations can be realized with knitelligence® software solutions and how complex designer pieces can be transformed into commercially producible goods for the mass market through small changes. The extravagant fashion items were a real crowd puller.

Footwear innovation enabled by warp knitting technology– insights from New Balance

The future of the athletic shoe is increasingly being shaped on warp knitting machines. For KARL MAYER, the footwear industry is one of the most important growth markets – and one of the sectors where innovative textiles can realize their full potential. In his keynote address at the opening of KARL MAYER’s TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER in Obertshausen in April, Vishnu Prakash Muthusamy, Senior Textile and Materials Engineer at New Balance, explained the opportunities that warp knitting technology opens up for performance, sustainability, and faster development processes, and why textile manufacturers are transitioning from suppliers to development partners.

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.

ITM 2026: Mayer & Cie. Global presents itself successfully at international industry trade fair

Mayer & Cie. Global has used ITM 2026 in Istanbul for its first major international appearance since the restart. Together with the Turkish representative Mayer Mümessillik, the company presented its premium circular knitting machines "Made in Germany", explained its future positioning within the group of companies and held talks with customers and representatives from numerous markets. The response to the restart was positive. The clear orientation of the company, the reliable worldwide network of representatives and the resumption of service and spare parts supply were welcomed by customers.

TM WEFT, 270" – More width, more design freedom for the fashion world

KARL MAYER is expanding its successful TM WEFT series with an innovative model that opens up new possibilities, particularly in the fashion & apparel sectors. With a working width of 270", this new machine with weft-insertion not only offers significantly higher output than its narrower counterparts but is also specifically tailored to the demands of dynamic clothing market – particularly in China and Türkiye. A well-thought-out upgrade also ensures even greater design versatility.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

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