“We Are Here to Support Our Customers in the Turkish Market”
Innovative market leader Karl Mayer, which offers excellent solutions in the fields of warp knitting and flat knitting, technical textiles, warp preparation for weaving and digitization, participated in ITM 2024 with its wide product portfolio. We had an interview with Toros Greenhalgh, General Manager of Karl Mayer Group Türkiye and Lutz Vogel, Regional Sales Manager of Karl Mayer Group brand Stoll on the third day of the exhibition.
Could you briefly inform us about the products that you highlighted at ITM 2024?
T. Greenhalgh: At ITM we are showcasing products from all our technologies: warp knitting, warp preparation, technical textiles, flat knitting and digital solutions. We are happy to launch some brand new solutions such as an energy efficiency solution, digital product management, quality monitoring system and a new warp preparation technology called CASCADE. We are also introducing our machine innovations. We have a brand new Tricot machine with many new improved technologies from flat knitting at the fair. We have four machines on display, including a new economical CMS and a flexible ADF version.
The motto of ITM 2024 Exhibition this year is ‘Discover the Future’. What are your predictions for the future of the textile industry? How are you preparing for the future as a company?
T. Greenhalgh: Digitalization and sustainability. It feels like we’ve been the only ones saying these words across all industries for years. But the reality is that they will play a major role in the future of our business. That’s why we take their development very seriously in all our departments, including with the support of KM.ON, our own software company within our group of companies, for the efficient and customized development of digital solutions.
How is ITM 2024 coming along for Karl Mayer Group? What opportunities do you expect from ITM 2024?
T. Greenhalgh: In response to the economic difficulties in the Turkish textile industry, we established a subsidiary in Bursa to provide better support for our services. Karl Mayer Turkey is now operational and through ITM we have the opportunity to present ourselves honestly to our old and new customers in these difficult times.
How was the interest of visitors to your booth during the event?
T. Greenhalgh: To be honest, we did not expect high sales in these difficult times. But we are here to listen and support our customers who have been in the Turkish market for over 80 years. It was great to spend time with them to better understand where we are and where we are going. We all have the same understanding that whatever happens and wherever we go, we will get there together.
What are your predictions for the future of the flat knitting industry? How are you preparing for the future as Stoll?
Lutz Vogel, Regional Sales Manager of Karl Mayer Group brand Stoll
L. Vogel: As the Stoll brand of Southern Germany under the Karl Mayer Group, I would like to take you a little bit into the future with regard to the flat knitting sector. What are we planning to overcome this dramatic change you are experiencing in Turkey? We have to deal with economic problems in the market. Inflation is very, very high and we want to help the Turkish market to overcome this change, to become profitable again, to become flexible and more sustainable. We have received a lot of advice from the Turkish market, from our customers here who are now suffering from these cost and inflation booms. We will listen to them.
Today is the 3rd day of the exhibition. Are you satisfied with the interest in your products so far? Which machines are your customers most interested in?
L. Vogel: We’re developing a brand new product with them that we’re going to launch towards the end of the year and we’re almost done, because we believe that this market is important enough to need support from day one. And we’re very optimistic that with the new technology we can bring this market back to where it needs to be. To be honest, the first day of the exhibition started quite slowly. But I think that’s normal, it’s always been like that. But from the second day it started to get busy. Let’s call it productive. We had very good customer meetings. Customers are interested in almost all the products we have on display here. We have everything from economy machines to high class ADF technology. We have customers who are mainly interested in high class machines. Because they are already working in a niche area. But the majority of customers are looking at our economic machines called CMS 502 and 503. We are very happy with the response we get.
