#Knitting & Hosiery

2024-11-20

Successful CREATE PLUS training for Accord Knits / Flexknit employees at KARL MAYER (CHINA)

The KARL MAYER Academy is delighted about the successful training of the important STOLL customer Accord Knits in its branch at KARL MAYER (CHINA).

Advantage through knowledge © 2024 KARL MAYER

Based in Madagascar, the company is one of the leading manufacturers and the largest in the southern hemisphere of fully-fashion knitwear for men, women and children. Founded in 2001, it now employs 6,000 people and collaborates with many well-known fashion brands and department stores worldwide. Its recipe for success includes a multifunctional machine park. In the modern factory buildings in the cities of Antsirabe and Antananarivo, the latest generation of digitalized flat knitting machines including STOLL's CMS and ADF series produce knitwear with the maximum possible flexibility.

“We have been working together for more than fourteen years now and made a lot of progress together. We are very proud to be partner of Accord Knits”, says Lutz Vogel, STOLL Area Sales Manager of the KARL MAYER GROUP.

Support through know-how also promotes intensive cooperation, as the training from 21 October to 15 November 2024 at KARL MAYER (CHINA) showed. The course for M1plus® switchers was booked as part of an investments in new machines. Four Accord Knits programmers have been taught how to use CREATE PLUS professionally. The participants learnt about various knitting techniques - structure, jacquard, intarsia, STOLL-multi gauge® and 1x1 technique - based on the many possible applications of the new patterning software. They also have learnt more about the new options for creating fully fashioned patterns and how to work with the various knitting element types on which CREATE PLUS is founded. The pattern programs created during the course could be tested directly on the Academy's STOLL machines.

The balanced mix of theory and practice quickly led to learning effects. The advantages of CREATE PLUS rapidly became clear. “We save a lot of time when developing knitting programs with CREATE PLUS”, summarized one of the participants.

KARL MAYER's STOLL business unit and Accord Knits are prepared to master the future.

If you want to learn more about Accord Knits / Flexknit and its other fields of businesses, especially also about their social responsibility for the people of Madagascar, please check their website www.flexknit.com.

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

2026 general meeting of the Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen at ITA

The Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen e. V. (proRWTH) looked back on a successful year of support at their 2026 general meeting. The meeting took place at Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen and was combined with a joint session of the Executive Board and the Administrative Board. Before the general meeting began, participants were given a guided tour of ITA, providing them with fascinating insights into current research and development topics in textile engineering.

Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brings supply chain leaders together around cotton innovation

Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brought together more than 300 industry leaders from 140 companies across 10 countries, including more than 45 top global brands and sourcing organizations, underscoring strong global interest in cotton-rich product development, sourcing and supply chain collaboration.

HKRITA signs MoU with Jeanologia and Looptworks to establish the Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem

The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) yesterday officially signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two key global partners, Jeanologia and Looptworks, to establish the Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem – a first-of-its-kind collaboration to accelerate the large-scale recycling of blended textiles.