The five-day-long ITMA ASIA + CITME 2018 trade fair ended on 19 October, and for many exhibitors, it was a good opportunity to present their companies and their innovations to a broad specialist audience, and this was also valid for KARL MAYER.
“ITMA ASIA + CITME 2018 was a successful show, with many visitors from China and also from other countries in and around Asia. Our stand was the meeting point for the sector, with its modern design, innovative machines, and solutions designed to cater to current trends. We have shown that we are also pioneers in the future issues of sustainability and digitization, and we are opening up new opportunities for our clients,” says Arno Gärtner, CEO, KARL MAYER.
This innovative global market leader welcomed just under 760 visitors. Roughly 300 participants also visited the in-house show at KARL MAYER (CHINA), which was held at the same time.
The reasons for the stagnation were mainly attributed to the situation in Turkey, the embargo on Iran, the trade dispute between China and the USA, and fluctuations in yarn prices because of speculation. However, Oliver Mathews, Sales Manager, KARL MAYER’s Warp Knitting Business Unit, sees the mood of the market as being more one of “wait and see” rather than one of resignation.
Digitization strategy
The highlight of KARL MAYER’s presentation was the company’s demonstration of its digitization strategy: the launch of the company’s own digital brand, KM.ON, and the presentation of the associated digital solutions and the KARL MAYER Digital Factory, the start-up behind KM.ON.
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“With the much-viewed brand launch and our first digital solutions, we were clearly showing that we are an expert partner for the digitalization. Both our customers, as well as other textile machinery manufacturers, welcomed this initiative, which successfully positioned us as a real innovator,” says Arno Gärtner. Antonia Gottschalk and Maximilian Kürig, the Managing Directors of the KARL MAYER Digital Factory.
Production: integrated sustainability
Another focal point of KARL MAYER’s presentation were systems concentrating on greater sustainability during production, under the heading of CLEANER.PRODUCTIONS and these were also a great success.
We have shown that we are a global market leader in the field of sustainability as well. We have further developed our warp knitting technology in terms of environmental protection and presented it as a beneficial ecological alternative to other technologies.
“We have shown that we are a global market leader in the field of sustainability as well. We have further developed our warp knitting technology in terms of environmental protection and presented it as a beneficial ecological alternative to other technologies,” says Arno Gärtner.
Both weaving and warp knitting companies were also interested in the TERRY.ECO for the environmentally friendly production of terry goods. Warp knitting offers two advantages over weaving for producing these fluffy textiles: the sizing and desizing processes, which consume vast amounts of resources and generate high levels of effluent, can be dispensed with, and terry warp knitting machines like the TM 4 TS-EL require less energy.
The highlights for the warp knitting sector were tricot machines with three guide bars. An HKS 3-M, 280″ and a TM 3 were being shown.
KARL MAYER also showed two lace machines at the in-house show. The OJ 83/1 B was producing a fine lace band during the show and the audience was impressed by the productivity, flexibility and operating reliability.
