Leading German flat knitting machine builder Stoll is commencing series production of its brand new CMS ADF-3 flat knitting technology in this, the company’s 140^th year. The latest Stoll ADF flat knitting technology was first shown in prototype form at last year’s ITMA Asia + CITME exhibition in Shanghai and will go on sale this summer.

Powering into 2013

Managing Director Heinz-Peter Stoll, who is pleased about a corporate existence steeped in tradition that he says is unparalleled in the industry, comments:

"The new year will not only see the start of the series production of the CMS ADF-3, of which we are already very proud, but also another major and important event; our 140th company anniversary on 27 July 2013. We are already looking forward to celebrating this happy occasion with our employees and business partners.”

“There surely are widely varying reasons for our long-standing existence, but we want to mainly use this celebration to thank all those that have remained loyal to us over the years."

Stoll has never rested on its laurels and there are continuous changes and innovations that have found their peak in 2012 in a new generation of machines. Pilot installations of the CMS ADF-3 machine type with newly developed yarn feeder technology have been set up at the first customers and the machine is drawing ever closer to its official launch in summer 2013.

“In typical Stoll fashion the new machine will only come to market after the strategic tests within these pilot projects are deemed to be adequately successful to guarantee that customers can work efficiently with the machine from the outset,” the company stresses.

In addition, Stoll says the preceding coordination process for the new generation of machines involves very close cooperation with its customers because they have always been important partners in the development of new Stoll knitting machines.

Deliveries of the new generation of Stoll machines with independently driven yarn feeders that can be moved to any height and in addition can be set to various positions with respect to the lock will start in 2013. The Reutlingen company full expects that this will open up a host of new possibilities for plating, multi-gauge applications, and intarsia knitting, such as smaller colour areas, reverse plating and intarsia plating.

The traditional German manufacturer of flat knitting machines has combined all of its existing yarn feeder functions in this innovation to offer the knitting industry what it says are limitless combinations together with the freedom to quickly and cost-effectively execute new patented and established knitting styles.

On the CMS ADF-3 each of the yarn feeders is driven by two independent motors and both their heights and their relative travelling positions can be freely programmed.

“Each yarn feeder thus not only gains two new degrees of freedom, but can also be redefined for every movement. The diversity of new pattern and colour combinations lets pattern designers, developers, and innovative producers of knit products enter new dimensions in knitting. The high degree of flexibility of the yarn feeders also enables new stitches and yarn inserts,” Stoll explains.

“In addition, a number of ergonomic improvements unmatched by any other flat-knitting machine make working with the CMS ADF-3 a pleasure; sliding rear hoods with integrated bobbin holders and balloon preventers, yarn control devices arranged above the machine in the shape of a ‘V’ to ensure non-intersecting yarn paths, and a low working height.”

Innovative market leader

During the last 12 months flat knitting machine manufacturer Stoll, says it has been able to further cement its position as an innovative market leader and reliable technical partner, a position it has held for almost 140 years. This, the company says, was evidenced not only by the successful participation as an exhibitor in the ITMA Asia + CITME trade show in Shanghai in June 2012, an important show for the industry.

At the show Stoll also successfully launched an innovative prototype of the new Stoll ‘ADF’(Autarkic Direct Feed - the word autarkic coming from the German autark, meaning independent or self-sufficient – referring to the individually controlled yarn feeders) machine generation with live demonstrations of the newly developed yarn feeder technology that was met with great interest by industry experts.

This also allowed the traditional Swabian company to substantiate its new trademark and the new brand identity Knit ahead, both of which were developed during 2012. Consequently, Stoll says, it was again able to live up to its aspiration of always being one step ahead without losing sight of its long-standing customer relationships.

“This benefits not only the company itself, but also Stoll customers, who can always be one ‘stitch’ ahead of their competition,” Stoll says.

“2012 was a year of new products, innovations and restructuring in a wide range of areas. Despite all the new things, we never lost sight of our roots and the high demands we make of ourselves”, says Managing Director Heinz-Peter Stoll.

“With the revised CI and the new machine generation we have set the course for an equally successful 2013, and we are proud to have already showcased ourselves as a visionary company with tradition in 2012”.

Competent partner for knitting technology, service and fashion

For almost 140 years the name Stoll has not only stood for reliable and innovative knitting machines, but also for a comprehensive service concept that provides hardware and software solutions, trend collections, training and financing models.

“A company that is known for countless technological innovations in the industry must also always be looking ahead with regard to service, fashion, design, and financing,” Stoll says.

With a competent service team, Stoll offers its customers a worldwide service network with individual consultation and solutions to their problems. The company is also a competent and inspiring partner in regard to fashion with its trend collections and fashion and technology centres in Reutlingen and New York. Stoll also uses a network of brand-name companies, knitwear designers, retailers and universities for a continuous transfer of know-how.

Successful and yet modest

A success story like Stoll’s is not written by chance. More than 1000 Stoll employees worldwide, a wide range of apprenticeships, several hundred patents and inventions, and many satisfied customers are the result of a continuous development process in the spirit of the inventive genius of founder Heinrich Stoll.

“Important milestones in the history of the company are, for example, the Jacquard device, the first computer-controlled flat-knitting machine, the world's first professional pattern preparation system, the first computer-controlled knitting machine (CMS) and the capability to knit technical textiles on flat-knitting machines. But the company does not keep its ideas and innovations secret; rather it lets customers, students and other interested parties share in its knowledge,” Stoll says.

Stoll additionally offers lectures at universities and guided tours of its fashion and technology centres in Reutlingen and New York, and provides machines for students free of charge. The company has also been strongly committed to social issues for many years and supports the SOS Children's Villages organisation and purchases various components from the LWV Eingliederungshilfe GmbH workshop for disabled people in Rappertshofen and from the Bruderhaus Diakonie Stiftung Gustav Werner und Haus am Berg directly in Reutlingen.

About Stoll

Stoll, based in Reutlingen, Germany, is a world leading manufacturer of flat-knitting machines. A company with a long history, it was founded in 1873 and now employs about a thousand people worldwide. Besides flat-knitting machines, its portfolio includes pattern software that is widely used to create fashion, technical, and medical textiles.

Stoll’s production activities are centred in Germany, from which it exports to 70 countries around the globe. Via subsidiaries, sales and service centres, and distributors, the company also offers a full range of services. Stoll leverages innovative technologies to launch a steady stream of new knitting trends that are displayed in its own inspiring collections.

Further reading

Read all about the Shanghai introduction of the CMS ADF-3 and interview about the technology with Stoll’s head of research and development here - Stoll’s ADF technology: A new dimension in flat knitting?

Check out Stoll’s latest stunning fashion collection here - FLAMBOYANT - Stoll Trend Collection AW 2013-14