“Türkiye Will Continue to Be a Strong Market for the Karl Mayer Group”

Interview: Dilek Hayırlı

Axel Wintermeyer, President of Karl Mayer Warp Knitting Business Unit, emphasizes that Türkiye has traditionally been one of the most important markets for the company. With the establishment of a subsidiary in Bursa in 2023 and its strong presence at the ITM Exhibition, Karl Mayer is solidifying this strategic importance and aims to continue its growth in Turkey in the long term with its broad product portfolio and innovation-focused approach.

Having deep expertise in warp knitting, warp preparation, and technical textiles, Karl Mayer has strengthened its innovation drive by entering a strategic refocusing process in the 2025–2026 period. The new knitting machines and innovative textile solutions introduced at ITMA ASIA in Singapore strongly convey the company’s “re-turn ” message; while the Textile Innovation Center (TIC) to be opened in Obertshausen takes its R&D, co-creation, and market-ready prototype development capacity to an unparalleled level. In our interview with Axel Wintermeyer, President of Karl Mayer’s Warp Knitting Business Unit, for our Tekstil Teknoloji magazine, we discussed the company’s 2025–2026 strategies, its new Textile Innovation Center investment, and its digitalization vision. Wintermeyer emphasized that Türkiye has traditionally been one of Karl Mayer’s most important markets, stating that the establishment of its subsidiary in Bursa in 2023 and its strong participation in the ITM Exhibitions are clear indications of this strategic approach.

“We will Open Our New Textile Innovation Center in 2026”

How would you evaluate the 2025–2026 period for Karl Mayer Group? What were the key achievements and highlights across global markets?

Since the beginning of last year, we have refocused on our core technologies – Warp Knitting, Warp Preparation and Technical Textiles – and have been driving innovation with more determination than ever. The ITMA ASIA 2025 also demonstrated that we are on the right track.

Our presence at this leading trade fair was a milestone. In Singapore, we very successfully launched two new tricot machines and impressed visitors with an accompanying textile show featuring innovative textile solutions for business expansion. Our visitors experienced: Karl Mayer is back.

A highlight this year will be the opening of our new Textile Innovation Center (TIC) at our headquarters in Obertshausen. The TIC stands for our substantial investments in innovation, quality, and partnership-based development. The size and equipment of the TIC are unique worldwide. The entire textile world is invited to collaborate here, create new momentum for the industry, and bring concrete textile products to market maturity – and to join us in celebrating the opening of the TIC.

We will inaugurate our new TIC with a Grand Opening Week from April 21 to 24, coinciding with Techtextil in Frankfurt.

Other key events this year include our trade fair participations. At Techtextil in April, we will showcase textile solutions with high innovation and market potential, including hollow-fibre mats from warp knitting machines with weft insertion for diverse filtration applications, and functional apparel items, particularly for trending fields such as defense, workwear, and sun protection. At ITM in Istanbul in June and ITMA ASIA in November in Shanghai, we will present not only innovative textile products but also the latest machines offering maximum customer value.

The recently opened Textile Innovation Center marks an important step for Karl Mayer. How does this center strengthen your R&D capabilities and co-creation approach with customers?

New developments do not emerge by chance, but through exchange, expertise, and machine competence. At the TIC, we will work together with our customers and representatives from the entire textile value chain – from fiber to brands. At the TIC, partners will find everything they need for a successful innovation process: a modern machine park for processing tests and turning ideas into near-market prototypes, direct access to top experts, and inspiration at a glance. A spacious showroom and an open, unique pattern archive serving as an “Inspiration Hub” invite visitors to rethink materials, structures, and applications.

With the launch of solutions such as the RE 6 EL, new HKS EL models what concrete benefits do you offer manufacturers in terms of performance, flexibility and cost efficiency?

Working with EL guide bar control enables pattern changes at the push of a button and designs with unlimited repeat lengths. Data is uploaded at the machine’s operating interface and can be easily modified – either directly on the interface or via patterning software.

The labor-intensive handling of pattern discs – exchanging, ordering, transporting, and storing them – is eliminated, even for short patterns. This saves costs, reduces environmental impact, and increases flexibility.

Thus, equipping machines with EL pattern drives is particularly suitable for sectors with rapidly changing requirements, such as the fashion industry.

From a digitalization and automation perspective, how do Karl Mayer’s machines and software solutions support customers in achieving smarter and more efficient production?

We have sharpened our focus on digital solutions and adapted the infrastructure for delivering them. These digital services are used without external networks such as cloud. All you need is the latest generation key device from Karl Mayer. The key is connected to the customer’s internal company network and provides the necessary software.

Three services are available. With Remote Support flat, customers can easily take advantage of remote diagnosis and maintenance options, reducing machine downtime without the need for on-site technicians. A dashboard ensures efficient performance monitoring of the machine fleet. An easy-to-use Core Lite software is available for those who would like to continue using digital tools for patterning.

All these services can be used within the internal company network. A newly developed interface (API) can be used by the customer to transfer machine data to his third-party systems.

What role do high value-added segments such as technical textiles, home textiles, sportswear and functional fabrics play in Karl Mayer’s growth strategy?

We believe in the value of textiles. Performance textiles in particular embody this vision, form the core of our TIC, and are key drivers for our machine developments. Textile solutions that offer consumers unique added value help our customers succeed and are an important growth engine for our business.

“Our Visitors will be able to See the New Four-Bar HKS Model at the ITM 2026”

ITM 2026 will be a key meeting point for the Turkish and regional textile industries. With what objectives is Karl Mayer preparing for ITM 2026, and what innovations can visitors expect to see at your stand?

At the upcoming ITM, we will once again present ourselves as a technology leader. Visitors from the warp knitting sector can look forward to a new four-bar HKS model with EL guide bar control, offering efficiency, flexibility, and an attractive price level.

The machine will demonstrate its capabilities during the fair by producing various patterns for different applications. It is particularly strong when fast reactions to demand trends are required — ideal for fashion-oriented production.

Additionally, we are preparing a showcase of exclusive textile innovations designed to inspire our visitors and provide new momentum for their businesses.

How do you position the Turkish market within Karl Mayer’s global strategy, and what are your expectations for Türkiye looking beyond 2026?

The Turkish market has traditionally been one of our most important markets. With our broad product portfolio, we are well positioned to meet all market requirements. Türkiye will continue to be a strong market for the Karl Mayer Group. Reflecting this importance, we established our own subsidiary in Bursa in 2023, and we have a strong presence at ITM.