00 ItMa 2011 (exclusive Feature) - Textile Magazine

of technical textiles. The sales figures
also increased as the company
added to its product repertoire.
By 1954, the 1,000 th warp knitting
machine had been produced
in Obertshausen, and by the end of
1990, roughly 75,000 warp knitting
machines had been delivered. This
represented a market share of just
under 70 per cent.
Another factor that contributed
to the success of the company was
its early move towards globalisation,
which began with the setting
up of foreign subsidiaries and the
establishment of a global network of
agents. The first international subsidiary
was set up in Clifton, New
Jersey, in 1955. By operating close
to its markets, Karl Mayer continues
to maintain a leading position
among its global competitors. “We
must export if we want to guarantee
jobs. We can only export if we are
competitive on the world market,”
explained the company’s founder.
Nowadays, exports account for
roughly 90 per cent of the business –
itMA 2011 [exclusive feature]
a strategy that gave birth to the company’s
production location strategy.
For example, the company took into
account the shift of the market towards
Asia when it extended its factory
in China recently, and it invests
extensively in the Obertshausen
plant to highlight the importance of
its headquarters as a high-tech production
location and centre for innovation.
Karl Mayer has invested mainly in
acquiring the latest production technology,
in structural reorganisation,
in the building of a highly efficient
Logistics Centre, and in the establishment
of a state-of-the-art Development
Centre.
In particular concentrating all the
creative design and development engineers
in one place guarantees that
the company will continue to maintain
its huge capacity for innovation.
The company has been setting the
technical standard for many years
in this sector by constantly coming
up with new developments and improvements.
Karl Mayer currently operates
with the business units of warp knitting
machines, warp preparation,
technical textiles and components
production, and employs approximately
2,000 people worldwide.
This family-run company has a turnover
of roughly 390 million Euros
and a market share of approximately
70 per cent, and is continuing to
write history.
Recent examples that illustrate the
company’s leading position are the
revamping of its lace raschel machines
by developing a new patterning
system in 2003, and the introduction
of lightweight construction
principles on its high-speed tricot
machines in 2007. The 100,000 th
warp knitting machine rolled off the
production line last year.
The celebrations to mark the company’s
75 th anniversary will also go
down as a milestone in the successful
history of this traditional company,
with its unique ability to be
adaptable.
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ThE TEXTILE MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2011 | 97