#Knitting & Hosiery

2021-10-07

Mayer & Cie. at IHK Reutlingen (I)IoT event: Creating digital added value for analogue products

Made in Albstadt and shipped to customers all over the world who manufacture knitwear, Mayer & Cie. circular knitting machines are in use from Australia to Argentina. “Via our 80 or so local representatives we managed to maintain at least a limited overview of the whereabouts of our machines,” says Sebastian Mayer, head of R & D at Mayer & Cie. “But indirect contacts between manufacturer and users led to the loss of a great deal of “systematic” and valuable knowledge. The opportunities digitization offers enable us to come much closer to our customers both technically and organisationally.”

Sebastian Mayer, Head of Corporate Development © 2021 Mayer & Cie.

He recently dealt with coming closer to the customer as a speaker at the Reutlingen Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK) event on the Industrial Internet of Things ((I)IoT) held by the IHK’s IT, TC & Multimedia networks and its IT Management network. His digitally savvy audience showed keen interest in the Mayer & Cie. solution knitlink, a machine- and Web-based customer portal on which the textile machinery manufacturer provides a hub for information, data and services about and for circular knitting machines and their uses.

Mayer & Cie. also sees knitlink as a starting point for new business models. It currently consists of three modular apps, including a Web store for spare parts that is scheduled for further development. A digital twin for every type of machine is a vision for the future.

“We see ourselves as leaders in our area of textile machinery manufacture,” Sebastian Mayer said. “Our claim to leadership extends far beyond the technical aspect. If we are to serve our customers satisfactorily also in the future we need efficient processes and a digital infrastructure to match them.”

The portal’s developer is partly the Albstadt digital enterprise MeetNow!. MeetNow! CEO Michael Krieger was the second speaker at the IHK’s I(I)oT event. He presented in the joint venture Wains a business model that successfully ports an analogue product to the digital world.

Huixing acquires insolvent Mayer & Cie.

Insolvency proceedings for the circular knitting and braiding machine manufacturer Mayer & Cie. were opened on December 1, 2025. Immediately following the opening of proceedings, the complete cessation of business operations was initiated. Most employees were subsequently given notice effective the end of February 2026. The production of the remaining orders in the circular knitting segment is expected to be completed by the end of the month. As early as December 2025, Mayer & Cie.’s braiding machine division was sold to an Italian investor.

Mayer & Cie. to shut down after failed search for investor – 270 jobs affected

Mayer & Cie., the long-established German manufacturer of circular knitting and braiding machines, will cease operations after its international search for an investor ended without success. The company, based in Albstadt-Tailfingen, had been undergoing insolvency proceedings in self-administration since its filing on 23 September 2025. As Schwarzwälder Bote reports, the insolvency court has now formally opened the proceedings, triggering the decision to wind down the business in an orderly process.

Mayer & Cie. at ITMA Asia

Mayer & Cie. will participate in ITMA Asia from October 28 to 31, 2025, which takes place in Singapore. Visitors will find the manufacturer of circular knitting machines and braiding machines in Hall 5, Stand D 301. At its booth, the company will be showing a new circular knitting for jacquard fabrics - the OVJA 2.4 EC II - and will provide an overview of its digital and smart solutions. Another focus is on the machines of Mayer & Cie's "Performance Line": circular knitting machines, which are the most efficient solution in their respective classes.

Shima Seiki showcases WHOLEGARMENT® and 3D knitting solutions for technical textiles at Techtextil 2026

Leading textile technology solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan, along with its Italian subsidiary SHIMA SEIKI ITALIA S.p.A., will be participating in the Techtextil 2026 exhibition in Frankfurt, Germany next month. On display will be WHOLEGARMENT® and other advanced three-dimensional knitting applications across a wide range of industries besides fashion apparel that are not typically associated with knitting, such as technical textiles using industrial materials and advanced three-dimensional knitting.

Driving WARP KNIT Inspiration

KARL MAYER sees performance fabrics and next-level textile solutions in particular as potential growth drivers for its customers, as a motor for business development and as real game changers for the entire textile industry. Innovation does not happen by chance. It is the result of close exchange with customers & brands, textile expertise and competence in textile machine engineering. This is why KARL MAYER is investing in progress and collaborative development and opening its TEXTILE INNOVATION CEN-TER (TIC) – a place to be for the entire textile world.

KARL MAYER (China) celebrates its 30th anniversary

On February 6, KARL MAYER (China) celebrated the new year and its 30th anniversary. Employees and the management team at the Changzhou location, as well as representatives from management in Germany, Italy, and Hong Kong, were invited to the festivities. A special highlight was the visit by Lutz Wolf, CEO of KARL MAYER.

YKK launches “YZiP® Light” aluminum alloy zipper for cotton pants

YKK Corporation (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; President: Koichi Matsushima; hereafter, YKK) has launched YZiP® Light, a lightweight aluminum alloy zipper for cotton pants, with sales beginning in late March. The introduction of YZiP® Light expands YKK’s zipper portfolio—led by the flagship YZiP® copper alloy zipper—providing customers with greater flexibility to meet diverse garment needs.

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.