A knitted textiles manufacturer which only started production in July this year, is set to double its workforce and triple its capacity making fitted sheets for hospital and healthcare facilities across the USA.

North Carolina based Discovery Textiles has purchased a used Karl Mayer warp knitting machine and modified it to produce seamless one piece fitted sheets which are said to last three times longer than normal sheets.

The sheets are made from a variety of materials, all said to come from the Carolinas. President Jurgen Grunert told local reporters at a ribbon cutting ceremony last week that the modifications to the machine, which included a special double needle, were unique and that a patent was pending.

Competing in textiles requires a better product and automation, Grunert told the Fay Observer. "Otherwise you're competing with 100 (workers) in a foreign country," he said.

The modified warp knitting machine creates fitted sheets in a single process and in a variety of materials and are said to gain inherent strength from the seamless process. The sheets are lightweight which is said to be an advantage for buyers, as most laundry services which wash hospital sheets, charge by weight.

Details of machine modifications or sheet construction were not disclosed but it seems Discovery has found a way to make a seamless fitted sheet where only the part which the patient comes into contact with has a good cover factor with the necessary wear and comfort properties.

"Those sheets have to be washed, and most linen services charge by weight. There's real savings to be had by keeping the material light, especially where it's not seen, while putting the best part of the sheet where the patient has contact," Gary Lanier, Columbus County's economic development director told the newspaper.

At a time when many textile plants have long since closed in the area, sending jobs overseas, Discovery Textiles says it has found a way to compete using the customized knitting machine. The company currently employs six people and Mr Grunert says he expects to double his workforce and triple his capacity with additional equipment.  

A second machine which will be modified in a similar way to the current machine is expected to be delivered in the foreseeable future.

Source: Fay Observer