The Karl Mayer Group, owner of the leading German flat knitting machine manufacturer Stoll, has commented on the future of the brand following rumours and articles in the local German press over the past few weeks about the closure of Stoll’s main production site in Reutlingen, Baden Württemberg. The group issued the following statement to Knitting Industry late last night.

In January of this year, the Karl Mayer Group announced its intention to refocus on its core business areas – warp knitting, warp preparation and technical textiles. As part of this strategic reorientation, it was also decided to divest the flat knitting machine business under the Stoll brand.

Negotiations concluded with employee representatives at Reutlingen site

Since February 2025, Karl Mayer has been in discussions regarding the future of its largest Stoll site in Reutlingen, Germany. Now, in close consultation with the Works Council, the closure of the plant has been determined for November 2025, and the workforce was informed on 8 May.

Production in Reutlingen is fully utilised until October. “We are currently examining what more we can do,” says Oliver Mathews, Managing Director of Karl Mayer Stoll Textilmaschinenfabrik GmbH. “The production of Stoll machines at the Karl Mayer site in Changzhou, China, will continue for the time being.”

Service and spare parts supply will be secured

After the end of production, a team will remain at the Reutlingen site to ensure service and spare parts supply. Karl Mayer is currently working on securing the availability of spare parts. With clarity now established on the timeline in Reutlingen, suitable solutions for all other Stoll locations will be developed promptly. 

Investor interest proves the relevance of the Stoll brand

“Stoll is a globally recognised brand in the flat knitting industry. The technology is leading in certain applications. There are interested parties with different strategic approaches to the technology and brand, but we cannot provide any further details due to the ongoing discussions,” emphasises Oliver Mathews.

Karl Mayer remains a driver of innovation - preview of ITMA ASIA 2025

With its strategic focus on the three business areas of warp knitting, warp preparation and technical textiles, Karl Mayer is making targeted investments in innovation and technology development. The company will be presenting innovations from these core business areas at ITMA ASIA in Singapore in October 2025.

Further Reading

Karl Mayer: Transformation focused on the future

New investors sought by flat knitting machine builder Stoll

www.karlmayer.com

www.stoll.com