Lenzing hopes Karl Mayer tie-up will ‘inspire’
A strategic collaboration between German textile machinery manufacturer Karl Mayer and Lenzing, a producer of wood-based manmade cellulosic fibres, is expected to facilitate higher-percentage botanical and biodegradable material in both warp and flat-knit fabrics.
Their tie-up will emphasise use of Karl Mayer’s Stoll flat knitting machines, incorporating Austria-based Lenzing’s carbon-zero range of Tencel-branded fibres in flat knits and Tencel lyocell fibres and filament yarns for warp knitted textiles. The fully fashioned Stoll system enables single-process underwear production on the one machine, a significant departure from more conventional cut-and-sew techniques. It has thus far been tested on ultrafine flat knits using 20-gauge machines, they said.
Lenzing's vice-president for global textiles, Florian Heubrandner, commented that he looked forward to “inspir[ing] the textile value chain to take proactive steps towards achieving climate goals” through “easier adoption” of biodegradable natural material when using Stoll machinery.
Karl Mayer chief executive, Arno Gärtner, added that he hoped the Lenzing collaboration would broaden the range of lower-impact, petroleum-free yarns, including recycled varieties, its machinery technologies can process. “In addition to more sustainability, this will also open up the potential for new product developments,” he explained.
Both parties are due to present a selection of their latest concept products, fabrics and “technical samples” at the International Textile Machinery Association (ITMA) trade show in Milan between June 8 and 14. Lenzing will set up its booth inside hall number two, at E212, whereas Karl Mayer’s own stand will be sited at 4-B-119, hall four.
Lenzing’s Tencel lyocell filament yarn. Image credit: Michael M Vogl/Lenzing.
