Mayer & Cie. at ITMA Asia 2018
Over 100 German exhibitors on around 7,000 square metres and much more extensive than in 2016 was how the German Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) saw this year’s ITMA Asia. A Sino-German trade fair team in Shanghai represented Mayer & Cie., a part of the strong German presence. That made ITMA Asia something of a home game given that the circular knitting machine manufacturer’s Chinese production facility, Mayer & Cie. China, is not far from the trade fair centre. It was a short journey for the OVJA 2.4 EC as well, the first e-machine assembled at Mayer & Cie. China.
The Chinese machine portfolio had previously consisted of three mechanical models, including the successful single jersey MSC 3.2 II. The full jacquard OVJA 2.4 EC premiered at ITMA Asia, albeit a pre-series model. It is aimed solely at the Chinese market, where Mayer & Cie. wants to attract discerning Chinese customers who knit fabrics for outerwear, sports and casual fashion wear.
The Spinit 3.0 E spinning and knitting machine and the OVJA 1.6 EE 3/2 WT had a much longer journey to Shanghai. Together with a roughly ten-member trade fair team that included Mayer & Cie. CEO Benjamin Mayer, they came all the way from the company’s head office in Albstadt, Germany. The journey was worthwhile even though, as Mayer & Cie. Sales manager Wolfgang Müller put it, the circular knitting machine market is “taking a breather”. “After several extremely good years,” he said, “in the second half of 2018 demand has declined slightly in the textile machinery market.” That in no way detracted from interest in the Spinit 3.0 E and the OVJA 1.6 EE 3/2 WT, the shoe upper specialist. Keen attention was also paid to the spacer patterns on show at ITMA Asia. “The trend in shoes is toward reusable and knitted materials,” Müller said. “So we as a premium manufacturer must offer appropriate solutions – and of course score points for quality and performance. They are – and continue to be – our most important USPs.”
Michael A. Tuschak was satisfied with “his” Spinit 3.0 E’s trade fair performance. In Shanghai, the man in charge of spinitsystems sales and marketing was able for the first time to exhibit a series machine in China – and visitors were numerous. “Some were just curious, of course, but in our talks we soon realised that they included many potential users,” he said. One regular Spinit 3.0 E customer was already convinced. In the run-up to the trade fair, he placed a follow-up order. “We are all really proud of that, of course!”
