#Knitting & Hosiery

2021-02-17

Seamless chic swimsuit demonstrates the performance of the new RASCHELTRONIC®

KARL MAYER is continually adapting its RASCHELTRONIC® range to the needs of the market. With adjusted performance profiles, the efficient raschel machines are intended to give customers the edge in their usually dynamic business fields.

Sunny prospects with the RJ 5/1 N

It was only at the end of last year that the manufacturer launched a highly productive model, the RJ 5/1 N, which sets trends in the production of chic lingerie articles and inelastic, lace-like fabrics. Now stylish swimwear from KARL MAYER’s Textile Product Development department shows the potential of this five-bar newcomer. The RJ 5/1 N can be used to produce typical RSJ articles, such as locknit produced with three guide bars, SpotNet qualities and elastic or rigid Powernet qualities, and to create effective seamless constructions. Front and back parts are produced directly on the machine, into which opaque areas and open pattern parts are alternately incorporated as required, and even lettering is seamlessly incorporated. Appropriately designed leg, neck and back cut-outs can also be integrated and do not require seams thanks to the free-cut design. Only the side seams need to be closed as part of the confectioning process.

However, it is not only the making up that is efficient, but also the textile production itself. The RJ 5/1 N reaches a maximum speed of 1,100 rpm and is therefore just as fast as the previous five-bar RASCHELTRONIC®, the RSJ 5/1. The finished fabric for the swimsuit developed by KARL MAYER was produced at a speed of 12.8 m/h. Like the RSJ 5/1, the new raschel machine also works with four ground bars and one split jacquard bar. The patterning is done by a standard N gear. It is also offered in gauges E 28 and E 32. However, the RJ 5/1 N, which is produced at KARL MAYER (CHINA), is superior to the established model in terms of its priceperformance ratio. “The RJ 5/1 N is up to 60 % better than the RSJ 5/1 in terms of investment per production. We expect that it will become established with customers in the five-bar RASCHELTRONIC® sector,” says Sascha Müller, Product Owner Local Lace & Raschel at KARL MAYER.

STOLL in focus:

At the beginning of this year, KARL MAYER announced that it would be shifting its focus back to its core areas of warp knitting, warp preparation and technical textiles. As part of this strategic realignment, the flat knitting machine business under the STOLL brand will be discontinued. The Reutlingen plant will close down on 31 October 2025. Production in China will end in December 2025. This was an extremely difficult decision for KARL MAYER.

KARL MAYER develops seersucker WARP KNITS with even more character and style

Seersucker fabrics are icons of the clothing industry and assure their manufacturers' success. Just in time for ITMA ASIA + CITME 2025, the textile product developers at KARL MAYER have succeeded in creating brand new variants of this material. These fancy newcomers feature unique bubble effects and, with their new dimensionality, inject extra dynamism into the textile surface – and into the market.

The KARL MAYER Warp Knitting Business Unit at ITMA ASIA + CITME 2025

The manufacturing of warp knitting machines has made KARL MAYER a leader in its field. It remains the company’s most important Business Unit today and has established its name as a brand in the warp knitting industry. KARL MAYER stands for the very highest quality, performance and technical progress. In a persistently difficult market environment, the company is seeking to strengthen its outstanding reputation and, above all, focus more than ever on innovation. The man responsible for this reorientation is Axel Wintermeyer, who has been President of the Warp Knitting Business Unit at KARL MAYER since January 2025 and is also part of the Management board.

Lutz Wolf becomes CEO of the KARL MAYER Group

Effective 1 November 2025, the Supervisory Board of the KARL MAYER Group, a leading global provider of solutions in textile machinery manufacturing, has appointed Lutz Wolf (51) as the new sole CEO of KARL MAYER Holding SE & Co. KG. Wolf will assume overall responsibility for the internationally active group of companies, which has its headquarters in Obertshausen, Germany.

KARL MAYER shows new solutions in its core technology at ITMA ASIA + CITME 2025

“How can I increase my efficiency? How can I boost my productivity? How can I identify new business areas?” No matter what customers have in mind, KARL MAYER takes care of it! “WE WARP. WE KNIT. WE CARE.” This is the motto of the company’s 360 m² booth A 301 in hall 5 of the Singapore EXPO and the standard KARL MAYER sets for its work.

Rieter reports stable order backlog and strategic progress – outlook for 2025 adjusted

In its Investor Update 2025, Rieter announced an order intake of CHF 203.9 million in the third quarter and CHF 559.3 million after nine months, reflecting a continued cautious investment climate in the textile machinery sector. Sales totaled CHF 121.5 million in the third quarter and CHF 457.7 million for the first nine months of the year, while the order backlog stood at around CHF 590 million as of September 30, 2025.