Shima Seiki – ITMA Preview

The 2007 edition of the International Exhibition of Textile Machinery presents an opportunity for Shima Seiki to re-establish its position among textile machinery manufacturers as the leader in flatbed knitting machine technology. Absent from the previous ITMA show at Birmingham in 2003 due to the break-off of the knitting machinery sector to form the International Knitting Machinery Exhibition (IKME), Shima Seiki is returning this year to Munich with a full product line featuring even more technological emphasis and market significance than ever before.

Shima Seiki in the past has emphasized the dichotomy of the world’s knitting machine market, with its WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machines catering to what remains in the way of production within consumer-oriented markets, while conventional shaping machines were geared toward export-oriented mass-production markets. This is still the case on a worldwide scale, however the boundaries are steadily disappearing as performance of conventional machinery is increasing to meet the demands of healthy consumer-markets, while the formerly export-only markets are finding WHOLEGARMENT® production to be an attractive possibility. This is especially the case for those markets which are seeing an increase in demand for their own domestic consumption of fashion goods.

SWG®-series WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machines are still at the center of attention at large-scale textile machinery shows as ITMA, as a showcase of Shima Seiki flagship technology and the current cutting edge of garment production. The bread-and-butter of Shima Seiki’s lineup however is high-quality shaping and integral garment production using its new lineup of SSG® and SIG® computerized flat knitting machines, the successors to Shima’s market-proven best-seller, the SES® series. New models for both production systems are slated for introduction at ITMA.

No matter what the production method, it is clear that higher levels of product planning and design quality are becoming increasingly important issues for any market. In that sense, it could be said that the SDS®-ONE design workstation is the most important piece of knitting technology Shima Seiki has to offer. With full planning and design capability combined with the advantages of super-realistic virtual sampling, SDS®-ONE is the key to a complete knit production system that

covers the knit supply chain from yarn design to retail promotion. At ITMA, Shima Seiki will introduce the latest version of SDS®-ONE with brand new features and capabilities. Demonstrations on SDS®-ONE will be held on a regular basis during ITMA.

Also on display at the Shima Seiki booth will be a large collection of over 100 knitwear samples that reflect the latest trends and techniques, created by designers in both Italy and Japan.

Shima Seiki Mfg., Ltd. of Wakayama, Japan is the leading manufacturer in the computerized flatbed knitting machine industry, with the largest market share worldwide. With complete systems integration from planning, production to sales promotion and retail sales, Shima Seiki has been dedicating its products and services to the knitting industry worldwide through the latest in computerized knitting technology. Shima Seiki is also the pioneer in complete garment manufacturing technology—called WHOLEGARMENT® —wherein an entire knitted garment is produced on the knitting machine without the need for linking or sewing afterward. Since its commercial introduction in 1995, Shima Seiki has been the undisputed leader in WHOLEGARMENT® knitting technology with over 20 years of ongoing research and over 10 years of proprietary field experience and know-how, not to mention over 150 patents worldwide.

In 2005, the company celebrated the 10th Anniversary of WHOLEGARMENT® technology. 2007 marks the 45th anniversary of Shima Seiki’s founding.