Mayer & Cie. circular knitting machines can regularly be seen ready for shipping at the end of the workshop corridor on the company’s Albstadt head office site. There they stand, all in a row, shiny silver with clearly recognisable outlines on wooden pallets, waiting for the carrier. They may be bound for customers several thousand kilometres away – and several weeks away. On a truck or in the hold of a ship they rock and sway as they head for their destination.

Bubble wrap is only the start

Ensuring that customers in Turkey, India or Bangladesh can take delivery of their circular knitting machine in pristine condition requires an intricate and sophisticated plan. Once it has been assembled the finished circular knitting machine spends about half a day in the shipping department. The specialists there partly dismantle it. The doors are removed to enable the crane to lift it up and onto the pallet. There is a layer of bubble wrap for the control cabinet to ensure that it is neither damaged nor as much as scratched.

Tetris for the accessories

For the machine, shipping staff drill mounting holes in the pallet. Bubble wrap and aluminium foil are laid on the pallet before the circular knitting machine is screwed firmly into place. It is now the turn of the various accessories – supporting arms, ring segments, ventilators and feeders – to be stowed securely away. As in the computer game Tetris they end up in their allotted place between the feet of the frame, where they are held in place by metal band and protected by bubble wrap. The doors are re-installed and tied down.

Packed rust-free in aluminium foil

Next comes the core of the machine. The knitting head and yarn guide are sprayed with corrosion inhibitor and covered in anti-tarnish paper. The final touch is a strikingly shining silver aluminium hood that is superimposed on the machine. The air beneath it is extracted and the hood is welded and sealed into position, so the contours of the circular knitting machine beneath the packaging are unmistakable. These precautions also ensure a rust-free climate in the circular knitting machine’s travel packaging.

The fact is, then, that no circular knitting machine is shipped without bubble wrap, but more is needed to ensure a safe journey.

www.mayercie.com