KARL MAYER intensifies talks with plastics sector

KARL MAYER is focusing on presenting its innovative SIM.PLY thermoplastic line.

Along the way to becoming a systems supplier for the production of dry and impregnated non-crimp fabrics, KARL MAYER Technische Textilien was exhibiting for the first time this year at the K 2019 trade fair. This international event is a leading trade fair for specialists involved in the plastics and rubber sectors, and in the production and processing of plastics. It was held recently from 16 to 23 October 2019 in Düsseldorf. The aim of KARL MAYER Technische Textilien’s participation in K 2019 on the umbrella stand of Composites Germany was to make new contacts among plastics processors, and the company was far from disappointed. Visitor numbers were especially high over the first three days of the fair.

Traditionally, roughly 70 per cent of the visitors travel to the K fair from abroad. And two-thirds of those visiting KARL MAYER Technische Textilien came from outside Germany, mainly from North America and Asia, primarily from China and India.

To arouse the interest of the visitors to the fair, this company was focusing on presenting its innovative SIM.PLY thermoplastic line. This new machine produces premium tapes with precisely aligned, continuous fibres, which are opening up new applications in highly stressed, fibre-reinforced, lightweight structures. Dr Jürgen Tröltzsch, Senior Manager of New Technologies at KARL MAYER Technische Textilien and his team had many conversations explaining exactly what these applications are. “Our first participation in the fair went extremely well. Interest in our existing machines and the new SIM.PLY line is high,” said Dr. Jürgen Tröltzsch on the third day of the fair. The visitors included many new contacts in the plastics sector, i.e. producers and processors of raw materials and semi-finished products, as well as manufacturers of finished plastic components, and the team discussed the next steps towards cooperating with them. Some of them will see the original SIM.PLY over the next few months. Processing trials are also being planned.

Several existing customers of KARL MAYER’s Warp Knitting Business Unit were also exploring new market opportunities in the composites sector. During these conversations, the textile machinery manufacturer was able to strengthen its reputation as an expert solutions supplier.

In addition to networking, the exhibition team effectively placed KARL MAYER Technische Textilien on the plastics market as an efficient player in the composites sector. “It is certainly worth us participating in the K trade fair. We have been able to position ourselves well, and have made contact with many people outside our familiar textile sector,” said Jochen Schmidt, the Managing Director of KARL MAYER Technische Textilien during the fair.

The company’s presence was even more important, since many representatives of competing technologies were also among the exhibitors. Turgay Turan, the new Manager of the Automotive Section at KARL MAYER Technische Textilien, emphasised this: “Many companies involved in plastics processing still do not appreciate the advantages of non-crimp fabrics for use in reinforcing composites. There is a huge potential here.”

The next stages will involve looking strategically at how this potential can be exploited effectively.

Paying tribute to good partnerships

The exchange of ideas and information during a relaxed gathering is a genuine appreciation, particularly in times of short text messages. For this reason, and in order to honour the loyalty of their clients, KARL MAYER and ILLIES invited globally leading textile industrialists and international investors of the Vietnamese textile industry to take part in a joint exclusive event which took place in Ho Chi Minh City on October 11, 2019. The invitation to this get-together met with a great response. Around 90 participants from 13 countries attended the festive meeting. Most of the guests came from Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan and China. And some of them even undertook the long journey from Europe. The internationality of the guests can be explained by the specific nature of the Vietnamese market. Especially in the last ten years, a lot of global players, mainly from Asia, invested in Vietnam, in order to benefit from the favourable manpower situation.

With exports of $36.2 billion, 2018 was the most successful year for the Vietnamese textile and clothing industries. Considering the trade war between China and the USA, the year 2019 brought both chances and challenges for Vietnam. In the first six months, the export of the sector to the USA increased by 29 per cent. The sales revenues in the US American market amounted to approximately $7 billion. This represents 46 per cent of the total revenues. The country has high exports but low imports. To reduce the surplus, US President Donald Trump threatened to impose punitive tariffs on Vietnamese products at the G 20 Summit in June 2019. Additional levies would have a great impact on the Vietnamese economy, because the USA is the most important market for this Asian country.

The local textile and clothing market is dominated by imports from China. International textile groups still set up subsidiaries and affiliated companies. Today, the value of foreign direct investments in the country’s textile industry exceeds $18 billion. This situation is also reflected by the warp-knitting sector.

KARL MAYER and ILLIES have closely accompanied the development of the country to the world’s third largest exporter of textiles and apparel. KARL MAYER assists its clients with innovative textile machines, with technology know-how, competence in textile development and support in tapping market potential. This global player has already carried out more than 1,100 machine installations at more than 100 customers in the Vietnamese economic area.

“Together with our partner ILLIES Engineering Vietnam, we have a strong team that offers customers optimal support in the areas of machine sales, after-sales and service”, explains Rainer Müller Sales Director Asia at KARL MAYER.

“Our goal is to make our customers successful. We are working hard to develop new, innovative products with a high level of customer benefit. Only recently at ITMA in Barcelona we presented innovative machines, textile developments and digital solutions, which should help our customers to create new products and open up new markets”, stressed Arno Gärnter, KARL MAYER’s CEO, in his speech at the customer event.

Together with their customers, KARL MAYER and ILLIES raised their glasses to the successes obtained, and enjoyed an entertaining evening with long-time business partners and friends.

KARL MAYER’s products for the sports sector at ISPO

Following its first successful time exhibiting at ISPO Munich 2019, KARL MAYER intends to also attend the next fair, which will take place from 26 to 29 January 2020. The company has prepared a performance show of functional, warp-knitted textiles and smart, on-trend lingerie and clothing items for its visitors. This world leader in the manufacture of textile machinery can be found on stand 408 in hall C2.

The highlights of KARL MAYER’s stand include an ECG shirt for measuring vital signs. This garment, which features integrated sensor technology, was developed under the concept of TEXTILE-CIRCUIT in the company’s TEXTILE MAKERSPACE, and was premiered at ITMA 2019 to a highly interested audience. The sensors have been upgraded for the ISPO show. One of the reasons for doing this was to improve the wear comfort. The electrically conductive material required is incorporated directly into the textile on the warp knitting machine in the desired arrangement.

Another focal point will be a presentation of warp-knitted textiles that have been especially developed to meet the requirements of the sports sector. These include lightweight, stable mesh linings, hardwearing shoe fabrics, stylish four-way-stretch fabrics with breathability and compression characteristics, a variety of tricot fabrics with decorative, striped patterns, and warp-knitted spacer textiles for a range of end-uses.

The new development, 4D-KNIT.SOLUTIONS, was illustrating what can be achieved with double-bar raschel technology for 3D warp-knitted textiles. With their unique, three-dimensional, cushioning construction, these voluminous fabrics offer a new level of design potential. Ready-made panels, e.g. entire back components for use in midlayer jackets, can be produced, as well as imaginative designs with pronounced sculptured effects, and combinations of 4D effects and breathable openings. Different fabric weights can also be produced. Thanks to the internal cushioning, the cuddlesome fabrics provide good insulation, without any micro-particles being produced – performance characteristics that are tailor-made for functional garments and shoes.

Under the concept of BODYMAPPING REVOLUTION, KARL MAYER will be showing the potential of the RASCHELTRONIC for producing new, virtually seamless, comfortable clothing for wearing during active sports or for every day. Design edges and hems, as well as functional zones, can be worked during actual production on this versatile machine. Breathable mesh designs, stable areas, and zones with different elastic moduli for providing support and a perfect fit can be placed wherever they are needed.

KARL MAYER has developed a warp knitted alternative to conventional knitted fabrics for sportswear manufacturers who rely on jersey fabrics. The soft textiles offer a high degree of elasticity with good recovery, smooth, stable edges with no tendency to curl for free-cut style and a wonderful, flowing fall – just like their knitted counterparts. Unlike these, however, they can be produced incomparably more efficiently: A knitting machine can replace 2.5 circular knitting machines, depending on the lapping and yarn selection.

The design potential of KARL MAYER’s machines can be exploited optimally by linking them to KM.ON’s digital systems. The digital products and software of this KARL MAYER start-up will also be at the centre of the ISPO presentation. In particular, the features of the k.innovation product category are revolutionising warp knitting with an intuitive design tool, which reduces the time-to-market considerably. A special feature of k.innovation is the possibility of web-based collaboration between different partners involved in the project. All the designers, customers and suppliers involved in producing the sample patterns have access to the same data – enabling them to engage easily with the development process.