Karl Mayer reports that ITMA ASIA + CITME, held from 28–31 October 2025 in Singapore, exceeded all expectations, with the company welcoming visitors from 39 countries and conducting around 570 technical discussions. Most guests were from India, followed by China, Indonesia and Pakistan, and conversations focused on investment projects, new technologies and opportunities for collaboration and business expansion.

The company positioned itself as an industry pioneer with a clear focus on warp knitting, warp preparation and technical textiles, alongside a strong customer-centred approach. Attention centred on two machine premieres – the HKS 2-SE TWO and the HKS 4-M EL ECO – supported by a textile showcase. Additional presentations highlighted opportunities in technical textiles for filtration and construction, and new warp preparation solutions designed to cut energy use, reduce production costs and maximise weaving efficiency.

According to CEO Lutz Wolf, the company’s presence at ITMA ASIA demonstrated the strong appeal of the brand, the energy of its team and the importance of concentrating on innovation and customer proximity, despite a still-sluggish market.

The warp knitting area proved to be a major attraction, with the live demonstration of the HKS 2-SE TWO and HKS 4-M EL ECO drawing considerable interest. The new two-bar HKS 2-SE TWO is designed for productivity, energy efficiency, high fabric quality and low operating costs, setting new benchmarks in elastic tricot production. The HKS 4-M EL ECO targets the fashion sector with high flexibility, rapid responsiveness to market changes and an attractive price-performance ratio, supported by the proven reliability of the HKS line.

A textile display showcased versatile warp-knitted fabrics and examples of contemporary clothing, prompting strong engagement from customers, brands, designers and product developers. Karl Mayer’s textile experts received valuable feedback, including proposals for new development projects and potential collaborations.

In the technical textiles segment, visitors presented a diverse range of objectives, from traditional knitters considering repositioning to fibre producers exploring value-chain expansion. Discussions on weft-insertion and composite machinery were prominent, and President of the Technical Textiles Business Unit, Hagen Lotzmann, expects these conversations to lead to orders in the medium term. Filtration and construction were particularly lively topics, with significant interest in processing hollow fibres for high-performance filter mats and in personal protective equipment.

Warp preparation also drew positive attention, despite ongoing market uncertainty. While the sector saw improved sentiment in the third quarter, investment caution remains. Encouraging signals are emerging from the Middle East, especially Egypt, where domestic cotton is increasingly being processed into apparel and home textiles rather than exported. Karl Mayeris supporting this shift with complete staple fibre processing lines, including Cascade technology for reducing energy consumption and CO₂ emissions during sizing on the Prosize system, and the WARPDIRECT machine for low-maintenance beam warping.

In India, the filament segment is developing strongly. Discussions with major industrial groups confirmed clear demand, and Karl Mayeris positioning India as a high-quality, reliable sourcing alternative to China, with a focus on quality commodities, export markets and apparel applications.

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