Shima Seiki Italia, one of subsidiaries of Shima Seiki Mfg., Ltd., a leading computerised flat knitting machinery manufacturer, has opened its first office in Germany, following a period of continued expansion. Located in the city of Haibach, 50km from Frankfurt, this is the first office directly managed by the Italian branch of the Japanese manufacturer.

“Shima Seiki covers a large part of European market and other areas in the world as well, thanks to well-distributed network of branches, dealers and agents. In addition, we have always wished to enter the German market because that is where our biggest competitor is coming from,” commented Nobuyuki Sasamoto, President of Shima Seiki Italia.

“Moreover, the German market is very important for us because there are many famous brands that belong to different sectors, such as sportswear, medical industries, automotive, home furnishing and so on. Therefore, this office in Haibach represents a new challenge for Shima Seiki and its success is important for conquering other markets where these sectors are developed.”

Shima Seiki has already began collaborating with several local brands, including Escada, Hugo Boss, Marc Cain, Marc O'Polo, adidas, and Puma. “Shima Seiki Group has never stopped developing new technologies for knitting machines, hardware, software and sampling. Our goal is to spread out our technology in Germany, after the excellent success obtained in Italy,” added Mr Sasamoto.

The new office occupies 250 square metres and features a room for knitting machines, a showroom and a room dedicated to demonstrations and training courses on the SDS-ONE APEX 3.4, a 3D design system. At the core of the company’s Total Fashion System concept, APEX3 provides comprehensive support throughout the production supply chain, integrating production into one smooth and efficient workflow from yarn development, product planning and design to production and even sales promotion.

According to the company, this is the first step towards further development, catching on overtime, thanks to the company’s team of specialists, who offer support to Shima Seiki’s customers in Germany.

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 computerised knitting technology. Shima Seiki is also a 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 leader in Wholegarment knitting technology with over 25 years of on-going research and over 15 years of proprietary field experience and know-how. As one of subsidiaries of Shima Seiki, Shima Seiki Italia serves the European knitting industry, mainly in Italy and other surrounding countries.

www.shimaseiki.eu