The get-together between Karl Mayer and its Indian clients, attended by guests from Surat, Silvassa, Mumbai and distant cities of Amritsar and Delhi, provided an exchange of information about business development and market trends.

Important market

In recent years the Indian market has become one of the three top markets for modern, high-technology warp knitting machines produced by Karl Mayer and LIBA, explained Arno Gärtner, Karl Mayer’s CEO. This year’s demand for tricot machines was at a consistently high level, and now there is also a growing demand for lace machines, he added.

During the last few months Karl Mayer’s tricot machine sector was marked by activities relating to integrating LIBA into the Karl Mayer Group, explained Oliver Mathews, Sales Vice President of the Warp Knitting Business Unit. After having analysed the two companies’ technologies during so-called Best of Both projects, and after having renamed the former competitor into Karl Mayer LIBA, now there follows the restructuring of Sales and the setting up of the future product portfolio.

Consequently, customers in India and all over the world will be able to work together with a partner who will continue to set new standards by means of increased innovative strength, stressed Oliver Mathews.

Lace segment

“The lace segment has been booming during the past two years, mainly due to the fashion trend in outerwear. All machine manufacturers have been busy, the main demand came from China,” commented Mathews.

But it is evident that the lace boom is over for the time being, according to the manufacturer. The high investments resulted in capacities that are more than sufficient for the current demand for lace fabrics.

“We will undertake the necessary steps in the coming months to further strengthen our position as well as that of our loyal and long-term customers.” The new Karl Mayer factory in Ahmedabad is one of the ways, by which Karl Mayer intends to further increase its market presence in India.

Outlook for 2015

The new modern manufacturing site in Ahmedabad will officially be opened to the public during an open house event held together with the customers on 24 April 2015. The advantages for the local knitters are forecast to be short delivery times, better services, shorter response times to customers’ inquiries and the best possible availability of spare parts. “With A.T.E., Karl Mayer India Service and Karl Mayer Manufacturing we will now have our presence here in India put on three stable legs,” said Oliver Mathews.

Other highlights of 2015 mentioned by the Sales Vice President are ShanghaiTex in June and ITMA in Milan in November next year. “There will be plenty of news, presentations and announcements during the coming months prior to the trade fairs and almost every three months we will have announcements of our exhibits, new developments in all sections“, said Oliver Mathews.

At ITMA the company intends to premiere 14 completely newly developed machines in the course of 2015, five of which alone are designed for lace manufacture.

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