The German knitting machine manufacturer Mayer & Cie. (MCT) is exhibiting this year too in the ITMA Asia + CITME. Machines that are on show in Shanghai are the OVJA 1.6 EE and the MSC 3.2 II. Mayer & Cie.’s spinitsystems spinning and knitting technology is represented by an info stand.
“ITMA Asia + CITME is a very important platform for customers from the world’s largest textile market China and neighbouring Asian countries. One reason, why is the fact that, Shanghai is much easier to reach for, say, Indian, Pakistani or Iranian textile manufacturers than European ITMA venues. For us, in turn, China is our most important single market, so we are not missing out on taking part in the trade fair this year.” says Wolfgang Müller, Head of Sales at Mayer & Cie.
Selected machines on show
The machines that Mayer & Cie. is exhibiting at its stand are for two different competence areas that the circular knitting machine manufacturer successfully serves in the Asian market. The MSC 3.2 II Single Jersey machine with its technology based on that of the S4 3.2 II, was specially developed for the Chinese market. It is assembled at Mayer & Cie. China in the Chinese Mayer works near Shanghai. The machine’s knitting head and key components come from Germany. The MSC 3.2 II is designed for high productivity and reaches a speed of 35 rpm for a 30 inch diameter. It knits single jersey and single jersey structures with up to four needle tracks and single jersey structures plated, producing fine-gauge E36 fabrics. The MSC 3.2 II thereby keeps up with the trend to fine gauges in the single jersey segment.
With the MSC 3.2 II Mayer & Cie. has succeeded in addressing the mid-market segment in China and its immediate neighbours. At ITMA Asia + CITME Mayer & Cie. is exhibiting the machine for the first time on an industrial open-width frame. Rudolf Crass, Mayer & Cie.’s regional sales manager for China and the Far East, says: “We are noticing an increasing overall demand for industrial frames, especially among customers who set great store by productivity. Combined with an open-width frame both the quantity and range of possible further knitwear processing are increased significantly.”
The other machine that Mayer & Cie. is showcasing in Shanghai is the OVJA 1.6 EE, a Jacquard machine with double electronics that is much in demand for the manufacture of, for example, highquality mattress cover fabrics, in the creative fashion industry and for knitted footwear. Single needle selection for both the cylinder and the dial cam makes for even more flexible patterns. That in turn makes the production of small lots uncomplicated and thereby profitable. “The production of top quality mattress cover fabrics is a very important niche market for MCT. In this market Mayer & Cie. can score points in all global markets with its OVJA product family Jacquard machines, and China is no exception” Crass says.
The spinitsystems spinning and knitting technology is represented by an info stand at ITMA Asia + CITME. The Mayer & Cie. team headed by Michael A. Tuschak, in charge of spinitsystems marketing and sales, is accompanying the gradual rollout of the Spinit 3.0 E. In China the Spinit 3.0 E’s official market launch is at ITMA Asia + CITME. The Spinit 3.0 E is the first machine type to be equipped with the spinitsystems spinning and knitting technology.
“The official market launch of the Spinit 3.0 E in China and neighbouring states is an important milestone for us. Following the general sales start of our new technology at the 2015 ITMA in Milan this is the year of its gradual roll-out. China, as our most important single market, is in any case especially important, but we also see significant potential for the Spinit 3.0 E in neighbouring countries such as South Korea and Taiwan” says Mayer & Cie.’s Michael A. Tuschak, in charge of spinitsystems marketing and sales.
New spinitsystems approach
The Spinit 3.0 E is the first machine type to be equipped with Mayer & Cie.’s spinitsystems technology. It combines the three process steps spinning, cleaning and knitting, thereby making rewinding superfluous. This three-in-one concept, presented at the 2015 ITMA in Milan in the shape of the market-ready Spinit 3.0 E, is a completely new approach by Mayer & Cie. Using the so-called false twist spinning process, roving is converted directly into high-quality knitwear. The benefits of the Spinit Jersey can be seen and felt. It is very soft, fluffy and even, with a slight sheen, and the stitches do not twist after washing. And then there are the pattern options that the Fancy module offers. It enables the Spinit to vary the fineness of yarn during the production process and create entirely new patterns that cannot be knitted in any other way.
Along with these self-evident benefits the technology scores points with a significant reduction in process time due to the combination of the three process steps spinning, cleaning and knitting. That also led to a marked saving in cost and space. Where several machines used to be required, one machine – similar in its dimensions to a conventional knitting machine – is now sufficient. The Spinit 3.0 E also represents a step forward in sustainability in that manufacturing knitwear with it requires much less energy than the conventional production process does.
Potential for the Spinit 3.0 E
It was clear at the 2015 ITMA that the industry and the specialist world are keenly interested in this new approach. Michael A. Tuschak noted around 600 business contacts, or about 90 interested visitors per day to the machine. Explaining why he sees great opportunities for the Spinit 3.0 E in China and a number of neighbouring countries, he says: “Our Spinit 3.0 E’s potential is mainly in highly developed textile markets. Where wage and manufacturing costs are high, our customers are constantly on the lookout for innovations. We have to offer something special, something that others don’t yet have. With the Spinit 3.0 E and the characteristic fabric that it produces the customer is definitely a step ahead of the rest.”
Overall, Mayer & Cie. considers itself to be well positioned to take knitting – and, soon, spin-knitting forward in China and neighbouring countries. The circular knitting machine manufacturer has maintained a subsidiary near Shanghai since 2003. The Mayer works near Shanghai has been the Group’s third production site for more than five years. At present, Single Jersey machines for the Chinese market are mainly assembled there. In the future, the site will also serve as a service facility for the Spinit 3.0 E. “Local contacts are always a great advantage. That is something we see at ITMA Asia + CITME. The fairs are simply closer, both literally and metaphorically, to many textile manufacturers in the region, and that is surely the best reason why our spinitsystems team are here with detailed information and a wide range of experience to share with visitors” Tuschak says.