Mayer & Cie returned from this year’s Febratex exhibition in a positive mood, buoyed by strong visitor numbers, although the circular knitting machine remained cautious over the ongoing performance of the unpredictable Brazilian market. “Quite positive,” was Horst Maier’s verdict on the exhibition, held from 21 to 24 August 2018 in Blumenau, with Mayer & Cie’s experienced Regional Sales Manager for Latin America, sounding a note a caution. “When we exhibited at Febratex two years ago, all the signs pointed toward an economic recovery and from mid-2016 we did indeed see an increase in demand for circular knitting machines,” Maier said. “That positive trend took a tumble for the time being at the beginning of this year.”
The main reason for the current restraint, he said, was the Presidential elections, due to be held in October. “The high visitor frequency at this year’s sounded a positive note. It was significantly higher than in 2016, according to the organisers with a large proportion of visitors were from Brazil, especially from Santa Catarina State, where there are many circular knitting producers.” On the stand shared with Brazilian representative MBR, Mayer & Cie. presented two machines. The Relanit 3.2 HS was a favourite with fair visitors because single jersey mechanical circular knitting machines that produce large volumes have been in demand in Brazil for some time. The high-performance machine on show fitted the bill perfectly. It knits all single jersey structures and the model exhibited in Blumenau was a 38 ins, 28G machine. As a member of the Relanit family it is also highly efficient, highly reliable even with challenging yarns, and highly energy-efficient.
The key focus of interest, however, was on the OVJA 1.6 EE, an electronic machine designed for knitting shoe uppers. “Circular knitted shoe uppers are a hot topic in Brazil, as they are all over the world,” Maier said. “So we were able to answer a large number of enquiries by potential customers about our OVJA 1.6 EE.” The OVJA 1.6 EE works with electronic individual needle selection in the cylinder and on the rib dial and delivers an extraordinarily wide range of patterns. It can also produce spacer fabrics. Compared with alternative manufacturing methods, circular knitting of shoe uppers has various advantages. The setup times are shorter, less yarn is used, even for multi-coloured fabrics, and the output is much higher.
A functioning spinit systems model rounded off the Mayer & Cie. trade fair presentation. The team used it to demonstrate how the Spinit 3.0 E spinning and knitting machine works. “Brazil is a major cotton producer with a highly developed textile industry and a large domestic market. These are all important aspects that make our spinning and knitting technology of interest for Brazilian customers,” said spinit systems Sales and Marketing Manager Michael A Tuschak.
