This year’s ITM textile machinery fair is scheduled for 14 to 18 July in Istanbul. It was postponed due to the spread of the coronavirus and the July dates are by no means certain, but Mayer & Cie. (MCT) is still going ahead with preparations for a trade fair that for the German circular knitting machine manufacturer is almost as important as the ITMA, albeit on a smaller scale. Three machines are to be on show: the D4 2.2 II, the OV 3.2 QCe and the Relanit 3.2 HS. The two Double Jersey machines target the strong demand for rib and interlock structures, while the Relanit is a traditional favourite with Turkish customers.
Preparations optimal, outlook uncertain
“Turkey is one of the markets where demand for our products is strongest, which makes the ITM so important for us,” says regional sales manager Stefan Bühler. “Even though, as matters stand, we don’t yet know whether or quite when the trade fair will take place we are, of course, preparing for it to the best of our ability.”
Together with its local agency Mayer Mümessillik, which for decades has represented Mayer & Cie. successfully on the Bosporus, the company has gained a leading position in the Turkish market for circular knitting machines. Orders may have declined in the lean period for the entire textile machinery market from mid-2018 onward, but when business picked up again at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020 Turkish customers were keen to invest and their orders gave the order books a distinct boost. “In addition,” Bühler says, “we benefited from the desire for shorter supply chains that the spread of the coronavirus triggered. That effect has since petered out, of course.” Both in Central Europe and in Turkey the number of people who have caught the coronavirus is on the increase, public and economic life is severely restricted and readiness to invest is minimal.
Perfect-fit portfolio of knitting machines
“In principle we see a trend toward Double Jersey machines in Turkey,” says regional sales manager Bühler, “and the choice of machines we plan to exhibit at the trade fair is geared to that trend.”
Exhibit No. 1, the D4 2.2 II, is a tried and tested model used by customers to manufacture eight-lock and rib structures. Knitters are appreciative of the machine’s productivity and reliability, especially in elastomer plating. The D4 2.2 II, which knits very fine gauges (up to E40), also makes spacer fabrics. The finished materials are used in fashion and sportswear.
The second exhibit, an OV 3.2 QCe, is similar to the D4 2.2 II in its range of uses and its popularity. It too produces eight-lock and interlock structures and spacers as well as gauges as fine as E40. Its special feature is the Quick Change easy system, which makes changing cylinder and dial quick and easy. The OV 3.2 QCe is also available in an industrial and a giant frame.
The Relanit 3.2 HS, the third ITM machine, “is an old acquaintance among knitters, both globally and in Turkey” Stefan Bühler says of the relative technology machine. Capable of up to 50 rpm on a 30-inch model, it is known in the market for being extremely reliable, delivering good results even with highly fluctuating yarn qualities. At this year’s ITM, the Relanit 3.2 HS is to be presented to trade visitors with the Mayer Cleaning System (MCS). A current of air flows between the needle and sinker channels and the tongue bearing. Less fluff is deposited as a result, leading to an up to two and a half times longer needle service life, depending on the yarn used. Needle oil consumption is reduced by up to a third too.
With their portfolio of machines Mayer & Cie. and Mayer Mümessillik feel well positioned for the ITM even if a further postponement proves necessary. Stefan Bühler sounds a positive note, saying that “we hope the measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 are effective and we will gradually be able to return to normal working conditions. We look forward to being able to present our portfolio to our customers once the crisis is over.”
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