Log in

Register Subscribe

Changzhou - Warp knitting machine builder Karl Mayer (China) celebrated its 25th anniversary in Changzhou on 17 January, 2020.

The company-wide event was held in Changzhou with the entire workforce and management representatives from Germany, Hong Kong and Japan – including CEO Arno Gärtner – all taking part in the celebrations.

Back in 1995, Karl Mayer was amongst the first overseas machine builders to invest in Chinese facilities, confident in the belief that China would one day become the world’s most important market.

Building on this belief, Wujin Textile Machinery Co Ltd was founded in 1995 as a joint venture with a Chinese partner. Just four years later, Karl Mayer acquired all of the shares in the joint venture. Together with Nippon Mayer, the manufacturer set up Karl Mayer Textile Machinery Ltd as its own entity in Changzhou, and in 2005 formed Karl Mayer (China) Ltd. A phase of continual expansion followed.

In 2008, the company moved to a new plant with a surface area of 170,000 m². In 2011, the production of knitting machines was expanded to include the manufacture of warp preparation equipment and in the following year, production was expanded again. The latest but no less important milestone in the company’s history was the establishment of KM.ON China – a subsidiary of Karl Mayer’s software start-up KM.ON – in June 2019.

Karl Mayer (China) currently employs around 800 people in Changzhou. Following a ten-year economic boom, the company achieved the best results in its history in 2018. With its proximity to the main market – around 70% of warp-knitted textiles are produced in China – it is an important member of the Group. “There is no doubt that Karl Mayer’s success over the last 15 years is largely down to Karl Mayer (China),” said Arno Gärtner at the anniversary celebrations.

In order to operate at an even closer proximity to customers in the main Chinese market, the significance of the subsidiary in Changzhou will continue to grow, the company says. Over the past 10 years, an enormous capacity for textile production has been established in China. At the moment, however, China’s geopolitical situation has led to slow growth with the company saying it must be able to adapt flexibly to this situation. “As the market leader, we want to be the first to recognise market developments and respond with more innovative solutions offering maximum customer benefit based on buyers’ requirements,” said Gärtner. "In order to always be one step ahead, Karl Mayer (China) will assume more responsibility for its customers and for solutions, and KM.ON’s activities will be further expanded."

Back Issue Archive
Other Publications from MCL News & Media

Weekly e-news bulletin

Latest news direct to your inbox
Get in touch: +44 1977 708488

Interested in advertising?

Simply give us a call

Sales: +44 1977 708488

Or if you prefer email, click on the button below and we'll get back to you asap

 

Why Subscribe?

If you are a knitwear or knitted fabric manufacturer looking to source the latest knitting technology or a designer or retailer searching for inspiration in the field of knitted textiles, Knitting Trade Journal is the ideal resource for you.

Key benefits:

You will learn about:

All this from MCL News & Media – the fastest growing international textile publisher – which offers a unique insight into how today’s industry will look tomorrow.

In print, online and mobile device formats.