Mayer & Cie. Increased Its Turnover By 50 Percent in 2021
Saying that the demand for textile products in Turkey is still very high despite the negative exchange rate, Mayer&Cie. Regional Sales Manager Stefan Bühler made the following assessment. “Despite the unfavourable exchange rate, demand for textile products in Turkey has been very high. For the past decade or so, an average of around 2,000 machines was imported to Turkey. In the last two years, this number even reached around 3,500 machines per annum.
This is due to several factors: For one, other production sites in the Far East are closed to European and US brands. Turkey offers a very attractive alternative. Costs are reasonable, production is secure, reliable and products are high quality. Besides, shipment is cheaper and faster.”
We talked about the new trends, targets and expectations in the knitting industry with Stefan Bühler, Regional Sales Manager of Mayer&Cie., who we interviewed for our Tekstil Teknoloji magazine.
First of all, how was 2021 for Mayer&Cie.? Especially after the first quarter of the year, there was an increase in orders. Can you evaluate the year 2021 in figures?
2021 was way better than the previous years 2019 and 2020, during which a low demand met a worldwide pandemic. Since the market kick started again in summer 2020, our order numbers have remained at a substantially high level. In 2021, our turnover reached around 100 million Euro by the end of the year and without the worldwide problems regarding the supply chain we would have been able to reach even around 10 percent more. This is an increase in comparison to last year of around 50 percent. Also, since order intake has remained strong, the foundation for the current year is already very solid.
“Double Jersey Machines Especially for Interlock Fabrics are in Strong Demand”
In knitting, what are the developments that Mayer&Cie has seen over the years, and what advantages the systems that Mayer&Cie offers over that of its competitors Technologies?
We’re noticing a trend towards industrial frames. Productivity and high volumes are key. Knitters have to satiyfy bulk ordes and machine downtimes are to be kept at a minimum. Secondly, double jersey machines especially for interlock fabrics are in strong demand. This can be attributed to the popularity of comfy home wear. When working from home, we all prefer joggers to a suit.
In an increasingly digitised world, how are your machines keeping pace?
We at Mayer & Cie. understand digitisation as reaching well beyond machinery. Yet, if we look at our machines first, there is knitlink, of course. The knitlink platform records the operating data of your Mayer & Cie. circular knitting machine(s) and visualises it. All our current machines will be compatible to this platform.
Our web shop for spare parts which is to be launched this year also forms part of knitlink. The same is true for our activities in remote maintenance which has already been working smoothly during the pandemic period.
Coming back to the comprehensive digitisation approach we focus on our product lifecycle management (PLM). It is the basis for pretty well all areas of digitisation and is now reflected everywhere, such as in the web shop for spare parts, which in future will be geared to the digital twin philosophy.
This gives credit to our conviction that the customer is the key incentive of our digitisation. We aim to offer him lean, innovative processes and new experiences in order to do justice to our claim to be the market’s technology and innovation leader.
“3500 Machines are Imported to Turkey Annually”
The knitting industry performed very successfully in Turkey, especially during the pandemic period. How do you evaluate the performance of Turkish knitters in this process? What do you think are the reasons for success?
Despite the unfavourable exchange rate, demand for textile products in Turkey has been very high. For the past decade or so, an average of around 2,000 machines was imported to Turkey. In the last two years, this number even reached around 3,500 machines per annum.
This is due to several factors: For one, other production sites in the Far East are closed to European and US brands. Turkey offers a very attractive alternative. Costs are reasonable, production is secure, reliable and products are high quality. Besides, shipment is cheaper and faster.
There are many bulk orders which require enlargements of existing machine parks. Obviously, that in turn fuels demand in textile machinery.
Our customers are often experienced knitters who are very well catered for by our long-standing Turkish representation, Mayer Mümessillik. Customers benefit from their experience in the after sales process, too.
Can you tell us about your expectations, goals, new products and investment plans for 2022?
In 2022, we expect a turnover increase of around 10 to 15 percent. This is if the supply chains will get more reliable within the next months. Plus, interest rates in Turkey are reaching unprecedented levels so it’s challenging to finance new projects. All in all, forecasts are very difficult to give these days. Our goal is to manage this difficult situation as well as possible.
In 2022 we won´t launch any special products due to the upcoming ITMA show in 2023.
Regarding our investments we are clearly focussing on the digitalisation of our internal processes and our products. Another focus goes to the modernization of our machine park which we are constantly working on.
“ITM 2022 Will Be The First Major Event To Be Held In The New Term”
The ITM Exhibition, which was postponed due to the pandemic, will be held after 4 years. Could you share with us your views on the ITM Exhibition, which will bring the textile machinery industry together after such a long break?
We all know that digital meetings can never replace real life contacts. For the past two years, almost all fairs have either been postponed or cancelled. ITM will be the first major event that can take place again. On a personal level, it will probably feel like a familiy reunion. On a professional level, we’ll see developments and enhancemets we could never grasp when being introduced to them via a web conference. Let’s hope the fair can take place as planned!
Do you have new products or new technologies that you are planning to exhibit at the ITM 2022?
As of now, we haven’t made a final decision what machines to exhibit. However, the products on show will be in line with market requirements as stated above.
Interview: Dilek HAYIRLI
