#Knitting & Hosiery

2022-07-28

Opening of the new STOLL customer center, July 25, 2022 in Reutlingen-Betzingen, with important representatives from government and administration

Already at the opening, the new customer center proved to be extremely suitable for its purpose of being a place of meeting and exchange © 2022 KARL MAYER

STOLL, a Business Unit of the KARL MAYER Group, opened a new customer center in Reutlingen-Betzingen, thus completing its move to the new location in the west of Reutlingen. The first part of the production was relocated from the city center back in 1987. This was followed in 2004 by the remaining part of the production, and in 2020 by the move into a new development center.

For the time being, the ceremonial opening of the new building took place in a closer regional setting. Among the guests were Finance and Economic Mayor Roland Wintzen and Economics Minister Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut, as well as members of the STOLL family, the architect and general contractor of the project, and the neighbors. The inauguration for customers, other business partners and the workforce is planned for 2023. It is to crown the celebrations of the 150th anniversary.

The doors of the new building are already open for exchanges with interested industry players. "The new customer center is intended to be an inspiring meeting place for partners in the textile value chain. Through exchange and joint projects, we want to drive relevant innovations related to flat knitting," said Andreas Schellhammer, Head of the STOLL Business Unit during his welcoming speech.

Cooperation within the textile industry is nothing new for STOLL. What is new, however, are the possibilities offered by the modern customer center. Workshops, a showroom with the latest STOLL trend collection and an extensive sample archive invite you to experiment, research and inform yourself. State-of-the-art equipment is available for training courses to impart knowledge. There is also a well-equipped machine park with up to 30 flat knitting machines, finishing technology and digital tools. Experts in machine and software development and in the field of textile applications provide technical support. The know-how and machine technology are also available to existing and entry-level customers for implementing their own ideas through to the finished textile solution. The offer is part of the KARL MAYER Group's new TexLab format, which will be worldwide in the future. "Customers can get an idea of STOLL's innovative strength here. The building is extremely impressive, from the outside and even more so when you enter," explained Nicole Hoffmeister-Kraut.

With its customer-centric orientation and representative architecture, the new meeting point in Reutlingen-Betzingen has overarching significance. "The customer center is the innovation hub for flat knitting topics in the KARL MAYER Group and thus makes a fundamental contribution to innovation leadership," said Andreas Schellhammer.

The new STOLL customer center © 2022 KARL MAYER

In addition to purpose and appearance, the issue of sustainability was also important in the construction of the customer center. The building with its approximately 5000m² of floor space is fully insulated, a heat pump system takes care of a large part of the air conditioning and LED lighting provides light at the workplaces for up to 100 employees.

Footwear innovation enabled by warp knitting technology– insights from New Balance

The future of the athletic shoe is increasingly being shaped on warp knitting machines. For KARL MAYER, the footwear industry is one of the most important growth markets – and one of the sectors where innovative textiles can realize their full potential. In his keynote address at the opening of KARL MAYER’s TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER in Obertshausen in April, Vishnu Prakash Muthusamy, Senior Textile and Materials Engineer at New Balance, explained the opportunities that warp knitting technology opens up for performance, sustainability, and faster development processes, and why textile manufacturers are transitioning from suppliers to development partners.

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.

KARL MAYER presents a textile TEXTRONIC® innovation at ITM 2026

With highly efficient machines and continuous textile innovations, KARL MAYER underscores its role as a reliable partner for discerning top-tier customers. Just in time for ITM 2026 in Istanbul, the industry leader is introducing a true innovation: an eyelash lace with its characteristic fringed look – combined with a previously unattainable 4-way stretch. While the established fabric could until now only be produced as rigid version or with one-dimensional stretch, the new elasticity in both dimensions expands the possibilities for cross-band panel fabrics.

ITM 2026: Mayer & Cie. Global presents itself successfully at international industry trade fair

Mayer & Cie. Global has used ITM 2026 in Istanbul for its first major international appearance since the restart. Together with the Turkish representative Mayer Mümessillik, the company presented its premium circular knitting machines "Made in Germany", explained its future positioning within the group of companies and held talks with customers and representatives from numerous markets. The response to the restart was positive. The clear orientation of the company, the reliable worldwide network of representatives and the resumption of service and spare parts supply were welcomed by customers.

TM WEFT, 270" – More width, more design freedom for the fashion world

KARL MAYER is expanding its successful TM WEFT series with an innovative model that opens up new possibilities, particularly in the fashion & apparel sectors. With a working width of 270", this new machine with weft-insertion not only offers significantly higher output than its narrower counterparts but is also specifically tailored to the demands of dynamic clothing market – particularly in China and Türkiye. A well-thought-out upgrade also ensures even greater design versatility.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

2026 general meeting of the Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen at ITA

The Friends and Supporters of RWTH Aachen e. V. (proRWTH) looked back on a successful year of support at their 2026 general meeting. The meeting took place at Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen and was combined with a joint session of the Executive Board and the Administrative Board. Before the general meeting began, participants were given a guided tour of ITA, providing them with fascinating insights into current research and development topics in textile engineering.

Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brings supply chain leaders together around cotton innovation

Cotton Incorporated’s Cotton ConneXions Insight to Impact brought together more than 300 industry leaders from 140 companies across 10 countries, including more than 45 top global brands and sourcing organizations, underscoring strong global interest in cotton-rich product development, sourcing and supply chain collaboration.

HKRITA signs MoU with Jeanologia and Looptworks to establish the Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem

The Hong Kong Research Institute of Textiles and Apparel (HKRITA) yesterday officially signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two key global partners, Jeanologia and Looptworks, to establish the Green Machine Circular Textile Ecosystem – a first-of-its-kind collaboration to accelerate the large-scale recycling of blended textiles.