Upgrades, web shop and loyalty program: Mayer & Cie. presents solutions for longer, sustainable circular knitting machine life 

Textile machine manufacturer Mayer & Cie. has always set great store by the quality and longevity of its circular knitting machines. At this year’s ITMA the owner-managed family firm presented solutions that further enhance these properties. Upgrades offer a rejuvenating makeover for existing models, conversion kits create additional application areas, and a fit for purpose web shop makes it easy for users to access the parts they need.  

“We know that customers value existing Mayer & Cie. machines in their machine park,” says Mayer & Cie.’s Managing Partner Benjamin Mayer. “Our upgrade kits offer these customers a way to make their investment long-term secure and its use even more comprehensive.” 

Machine-specific upgrade kits 

Mayer & Cie. currently offers eleven upgrade kits. They range from machine-specific upgrades like the performance kit for existing Relanit 3.2 models and the speed boosting kit for the OVJA 1.6 EE to the Control 5.0 upgrade kit, which is a prerequisite for using the digital services that Mayer & Cie. offers as knitlink. All machines built since 2001 can be upgraded to Control 5.0 and new machines will be supplied with the new machine control generation from 2024.   

Control 5.0 is is available in two versions, both as an upgrade and, from next year, in all new circular knitting machines. In the standard version it comes as SmartControl, with a so-called Smart Knob fitted to each machine foot. From there all the functions that the operator needs for his work are available. Further-reaching settings the line manager might like to use are only accessible from a mobile device that can also manage any number of Mayer & Cie. machines. In the ClassicControl version, Control 5.0 is fitted to the foot of the machine as a monitor and, as hitherto, can only be controlled from that access point.  

Senso Blue RS 

Also available as an upgrade or an option for new machines is the new, machine-integrated oiler system Senso Blue RS. Oil is applied spot-on and in the right quantity to needles and sinkers. The quantity applied is subject to speed. Used oil is collected, filtered several times and then returned to the system. The oiler system is monitored by the machine control.  

The oiler can make a real difference to oil consumption and sustainability. Optimal oil application leads to a reduction in oil use that is around 20 per cent less than that of a conventional oiler. In addition, the used oil recycling rate can be up to 40 per cent.  

Conversion kits to boost flexibility 

Along with upgrade kits that add technological innovations to existing machines Mayer & Cie. offers conversion kits for popular types of machine. At present, two are available for single jersey machines. The MV4 3.2 II, for example, which is popular in the lingerie sector, can be converted into the three-thread fleece machine MBF 3.2. The MBF 3.2 also combines three-thread fleece with single jersey structures such as gouffre, piqué and mesh.  

A second conversion kit converts an S4-3.2 II into an SF4-3.2 III, which knits lightweight elastic three-thread fleece fabrics. It is also extremely good at plating.  

“Our conversion kits also serve the purpose of making existing machines more valuable and more value-retentive,” Benjamin Mayer says. “For a low price compared to that of buying a new machine the customer in effect receives an additional model with all of its capabilities.” 

Web shop with registered machines  

Machine components, upgrades and consumables are all available from the new Mayer & Cie. web shop called my.shop. It makes life easy for buyers. The buyer can register his Mayer & Cie. machines via the “my machines” function. If a spare part or a machine component is required, my.shop will show only the parts that are relevant for the machine in question. 

Customer retention programme  

Users who regularly order from Mayer & Cie. machine components, consumables or upgrade kits can benefit from the company’s customer retention programme. Subject to the annual order volume my.loyaltyclub offers a discount of up to ten per cent on Web shop orders for spare parts, components and upgrades. The first of five discount rates equals two per cent on annual orders of more than € 2,000. The highest rate is ten per cent on orders from an annual total of € 162,000. 

Increasing value means improving sustainability 

“We are sure,” Mayer & Cie. Managing Partner Benjamin Mayer concludes, “that with this approach we can prolong the life of our machines and further increase their value for knitters. That means we can thereby also give sustainability a further boost.”