#Industry 4.0 / Digitalization

2024-04-18

Digitalization brings movement to the sports, fitness and wellbeing sector

As a wearables specialist, KARL MAYER is a partner of the DiMo - DigitalMotion project

Trends such as fitness lifestyle and vitality, the quantified self movement, active ageing and the outdoor boom will significantly change the sports, health and wellness sector in the coming years. In addition, technical innovations will redefine the way people stay fit and healthy.

The DiMo - Digital Motion joint project aims to help shape the transformation process. It ran in its first round in 2023 and will be continued for another four years with DiMo-NEXT.

The project aims to conduct transdisciplinary research into how people's experience of exercise can be improved, performance increased and a sustainable lifestyle made possible. The potential offered by digital technologies, particularly in the field of sensors, plays a key role here. The topic of clothing is also important as an interface between technological solutions and people. This is why KARL MAYER and Grabher are among the 26 project partners from industry and research, representing the textile industry.

The innovative textile machinery manufacturer KARL MAYER is contributing its expertise in the field of wearables to the project work. The TEXTILE CIRCUIT team of its TEXTILE MAKERSPACE has already successfully implemented various projects in this area. In addition, an MJ 52/1 S from KARL MAYER is used at V-Trion, Grabher's research company in Lustenau, for the production of electrically conductive textiles.

DiMo-NEXT will be launched on April 1, 2024, shortly before Techtextil 2024 in Frankfurt am Main. KARL MAYER will present its contribution to the project work at the leading international trade fair for the sector.

Interacting instead of just analyzing

Ever smaller, cheaper and more precise sensors are already leading to new products and services, but these are only suitable for recording and analyzing data, for example on the length, frequency and speed of activities. DiMo-NEXT goes one step further: integrated motion sensors and psychophysiological sensors are to be combined with new, intuitive interaction concepts to support consumers in their physical activities and ensure greater motivation, performance and well-being. This approach is based on expanding the performance potential of clothing.

(c) 2024 KARL MAYER - Franziska Guth, Product Developer for Textile Technology

"For us as textile product developers, DiMo's objective means that we have to deal with the implementation of next-generation wearables," says Franziska Guth, Product Developer for Textile Technology at KARL MAYER.

The processing of electronics in textiles to record vital data has already been successful and proven. Now it is important to use the clothing to interact with the wearer, for example to optimize movement sequences and training sessions.

(c) 2024 KARL MAYER - Inductive charging structure

KARL MAYER will be demonstrating how this can be achieved at Techtextil in Frankfurt am Main from April 23 to 26. The manufacturer is looking forward to meeting its guests in Hall 12.0, Stand B73. Franziska Guth and her colleagues look forward to welcoming their visitors.

New spinning package with two-step filtration for recycled yarns and more

At the ITM in Istanbul, BB Engineering unveiled its new, patented ValuePack spinning package for the first time, which features a two-stage filtration system. This is particularly beneficial for re-cycling processes. Until now, spinning packs have used either metal powder (“sand”) or filter candles as filter media. Both options are suitable for differ-ent applications, and each has its own specific advantages and dis-advantages.

ITMA 2027 gains strong momentum

In line with the theme "Co-creating the future of textiles", ITMA continues to strengthen its support for start-ups, recognising their role in driving innovation and shaping the future of textile and garment manufacturing. Through the Start-Up Valley, emerging companies gain access to a global marketplace where they can connect with industry leaders, potential partners, investors and customers.

Mongolia: Workshop on Italian textile technologies kicks off in Ulaanbaatar

The workshop dedicated to Italian textile technologies will kick off in Ulaanbaatar from 21 to 23 June 2026. Focused on the most advanced innovative solutions for the textile industry, the initiative will bring together 13 Italian textile machinery manufacturers, confirming the growing interest in strengthening industrial cooperation between the two countries and highlighting Mongolia’s strategic importance for Italian textile machinery producers.

Driving digitalization, efficiency, and Smart Manufacturing across textiles and carpets

At this year’s ITM, BMSvision proudly showcases its next leap forward in digital manufacturing excellence. As a long-standing global pioneer in Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) for the textile and plastics industries, BMSvision continues to accelerate digital transformation by delivering powerful, data-driven solutions that boost productivity, enhance quality and support sustainable growth. Visit BMSvision at the Vandewiele booth in Hall 7, Booth 710, to experience the future of textiles manufacturing.

Textilfabrik 7.0 launched: Mönchengladbach becomes a real-world lab for sustainable textile production

With the official kick-off event of the Textilfabrik 7.0 (T7), a major transformation project for the German textile and apparel industry has been launched in the Monforts Quarter in Mönchengladbach. At the “Textile Roundtable,” an event format organized by the Zukunftsagentur Rheinisches Revier, representatives from industry, research, politics, and the regional economy came together to jointly lay the foundation for CO₂-neutral, circular, and economically viable textile production in Germany.

OnceMore® from Södra brings end-to-end traceability for circular Man-made Cellulosic Fibers (MMCF) using TextileGenesis

OnceMore® from Södra, the world’s first large-scale process for recycling blended fabrics into high‐quality dissolving pulp, will begin using TextileGenesis, a Lectra company, to strengthen traceability from raw material to retail across the value chain. OnceMore® produces dissolving pulp made from blended textile waste and wood sourced from responsibly managed Swedish forests. By integrating TextileGenesis, OnceMore® supports the growing need for verified data and secure, transparent tracking throughout increasingly complex supply chain.

The textile industry in transition

Recycling, traceability, eco-design and digitalisation are among the key future challenges facing the European textile industry. The Erasmus+ project Skills4Circularity, involving 21 partners from twelve countries, is investigating the skills required to address these challenges. As the German industry partner, the Industry Association for Finishing – Yarns – Fabrics – Technical Textiles (IVGT) is bringing the industry’s perspective to the project.

GenuTrace client advisory: Is your cotton supply chain UFLPA ready?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has released updated operational guidance (CBP Publication No. 5560-0526) expanding its forced labor enforcement framework. The guidance supersedes the original 2022 UFLPA Operational Guidance and now covers all forced labor enforcement authorities — UFLPA, CAATSA, and WROs/Findings — in a single unified document. For cotton importers, the enforcement posture has not softened. It has become more structured, more documented, and more demanding. Learn more about UFLPA.

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.