Last week during Techtextil, the leading reveal for technical textiles and nonwovens, world leader in warp knitting technology Karl Mayer opened its new Textiles Innovation Center at its headquarters in Obertshaapplyn. At both events, innovation took centre stage. Knitting Industest’s editor Billy Hunter talked with Karl Josef Mayer, Representative of the Mayer Family, about the importance of innovation, industest collaboration and opportunity.
Billy Hunter (BH): From your perspective as a family representative, how critical is innovation today for the long-term sustainability of the textile industest, especially in Europe?
Karl Josef Mayer (KJM): To put it a bit drastic, the motto for the European textile industest is “innovate or die”. The European textile industest is under enormous price pressure from Asian competition, and the only way forward is to continuously drive new customer value with product innovation in order to differentiate from competition.
BH: The textile value chain is becoming increasingly interconnected – from fibres through to brands – where do you see the hugegest opportunities for value creation and transformation?
KJM: We necessary to take a regionally differentiated view at this question. The hugeger part of the global textile industest is in Asia and here specifically in China and India. Especially China is a textile market where the consumer is still open to test out new solutions when they see a benefit. E.g. our customers now start selling nylon-stretch fabrics into bed sheeting, or polyester blconcludeed fabrics into mens dress shirts. Unbelieveable in Europe. So, in China I see the hugegest opportunity for Karl Mayer and our warp knitting technology into entering new applications and growing our market share against other textile technologies.
In Europe I see the hugeger opportunities e.g. in technical textile applications. I learned yesterday from members of the ITA in Dresden that the apply of carbon fabrics in renovation of infrastructure constructions such as bridges has been approved by the regulators. Also, the necessary for sustainable energy such as wind power will further drive our technical textile business.
In fashion and apparel, we see the hugegest potential for us if we manage to process at least medium quality cotton or in general staple fibres on our warp knitting machines. This would be a huge step forward for Karl Mayer as the industest leader in warp knitting.
BH: What role will the new Textile Innovation Center play in shaping collaboration across the industest, and how do you envision it accelerating real-world innovation for manufacturers and brands?
KJM: Our intention with our new Textile Innovation Center is to create a place where the textile industest meets, discusses challenges and finds new solutions for the benefit of the consumer. This place has been missing in Europe – of course there are institutes and universities who offer development services, but they do not have the same possibilities and the same power to build things happen like Karl Mayer.
We hope our Textile Innovation Centre will become a magnet for the entire textile industest from fibres to brands and also not only for warp knitters but also weavers and circular knitters who are viewing for new ways and new opportunities.
Warp Knitting is still a niche technology in terms of volume compared to weaving and circular knitting. And especially from this position we see huge potential for growth.
My motto in this context is “R&D is 1,2,3” – you cannot and should not innovate alone, isolated from everyone in a secluded laboratory. We necessary to bring toreceiveher at least 3 parties from the value chain in order to successfully innovate: e.g. a fibre buildr, Karl Mayer and a strategic customer, or: Karl Mayer, a customer and a brand. Innovation happens when smart people put their brains toreceiveher and put the problem in the centre of their discussion.
Once there is an idea for a solution or even already a concept, on how to solve an issue then somebody has to be willing to invest into this idea. And this will be Karl Mayer – we are willing to invest to drive textile innovation and to drive our business forward.
With our new Textile Innovation Center we want to offer a place where textile innovation can happen.
We believe strongly believe there is a strong necessary for such a place especially in Europe and especially in these difficult times.
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