Leading German circular knitting machine manufacturer Mayer & Cie reports good demand for its mattress ticking knitting machines as high-quality mattress cover fabrics become more sought after during the pandemic.
“Since about summer this year we have experienced a surge in demand in the mattress ticking market,” says Thomas Zizmann, sales area manager at circular knitting machine manufacturer Mayer & Cie. and an expert in this area.
“The current pandemic situation may have contributed toward the trend with people spending more time at home able to tackle tasks for which they previously lacked time and leisure. It also seems to have had a positive effect on quality awareness,” Thomas adds.
The comeback of a niche market is apparent in all geographical regions, the company reports – from the United States across Mexico and Brazil to Italy and Belgium. “In Brazil the mattress market regained ground at a tremendous pace and our longstanding customers in North America and Belgium report high capacity utilisation,” says sales area manager Zizmann.
The requirements of mattress cover knitting machines are relatively homogenous, Mayer & Cie. says. What customers mostly want is a combination of production performance, variety of patterns and user friendliness, it adds. That is what the OVJA 2.4 EM offers – a machine that Mayer & Cie. unveiled at the 2019 ITMA.
With a system density of 2.4 per inch and a higher rev count, the electronic jacquard machine reaches a speed factor of 950 (on 38 inches). So, it produces up to 30 kilograms of mattress cover fabric per hour, Mayer & Cie. says. “That makes it demonstrably the world’s most productive circular knitting machine for mattress cover fabrics. The OVJA 2.4 EM’s extensive and uncomplicated variety of patterns is due to technology leader Mayer & Cie.’s electronic single needle selection. Details like the horizontal weft yarn guide deliver additional user friendliness,” the company explains.
“The sales figures for our OVJA 2.4 EM show that we have succeeded in mapping our customers’ requirements well,” Zizmann says. “Our new product in the mattress segment has met with keen purchasing interest, from America to Europe.”
