WORLD MARKETS
Knitted Textiles and Apparel Production

During mid of 2003 Textiles Intelligence published a report "World Markets for Knitted Textiles and Apparel: Forecasts to 2010" showing that world production of knitted textiles and apparel was over 17 million tons accounting for one third of world textile market, and the output will grow by 25% over the following ten years, reaching over 21 million tons.

In terms of knitwear production, a report published in January/February 2010 by just-style shows that during 2004 to 2008, China increased its world market share in knitwear from 20% to 32% partly due to the removal of quotas and also due to the range of yarns and capabilities available.  However, price of knitwear from China is relatively high. The report also reveals that currently the fastest-growing countries for knitwear are Nicaragua, Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia. For sourcing opportunities, the report suggests the following information;

- Albania is strong in swimwear and intimate apparel.
- Croatia is strong in hosiery, intimate apparel and swimwear.
- Serbia is the second largest supplier of hosiery to the UK after China.
- Laos is strong in knitwear, tops, dresses, trousers and skirts.
- Cambodia is strong in both knitwear and woven apparel.

In terms of production costs, another report published in mid 2009 by Textiles Intelligence shows that total production costs in knitting industry are mostly composed of raw material costs while manufacturing costs are very little and Italy has the highest total production costs in the world. India has the lowest cost for the production of knitted fabric made from ring yarn and textured yarn while the USA has the lowest cost for the production of knitted fabric made from rotor yarn.

Fabric Production
 During January 2010, ITMF (the International Textile Manufacturers Federation) revealed that in the third quarter of 2009, world fabric production increased 1.2% in average. Fabric production in Asia and North America remained the same as the previous quarter, while in Europe the production increased 0.9% and in South America increased 18.1%. In terms of world fabric stocks in the third quarter of 2009, it was found that inventories in North America and Europe dropped by 7.7% and 1.5% while those in South America and Asia increased by 3.3% and 10.5% respectively.

Knitting Machinery Shipment
In 2009, ITMF revealed that 2008 world shipments of circular knitting machine dropped at double digit rates reaching 21,150 machines. Shipment of single jersey circular knitting machine decreased 11.3% and shipment of double jersey circular knitting machine decreased 31.3%. Shipments of both kinds in almost all regions were down in 2008 and only shipments to Africa increased at double digit rates. Brazil, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico and the USA decreased their shipments of single jersey and double jersey circular knitting machines at double digit rates. Shipment of double jersey circular knitting machine to China dropped 33% and shipment of single jersey circular knitting machine to China dropped 5.4% in 2008.

In terms of flat knitting machinery shipment, it was found that in 2008 world shipments of hand knitting machine and semi-automatic knitting machine decreased 21.4% while that of electronic flatbed knitting machine fell by a lesser 6.7% to a total of 20,300 machines. The drop of hand knitting machine and semi-automatic knitting machine shipment was mainly due to a 67% decrease in shipment to mills in China and also due to a significant drop in shipments to Hong Kong, India, South Korea and Thailand. On the contrary, shipment of hand knitting machine and semi-automatic knitting machine to Bangladesh was found to increase 4.3% in 2008 and this led to an increase of Bangladesh's world market share to over 77%. For shipment of electronic flatbed knitting machine, China decreased its shipment by 3,245 machines in 2008 while shipments to Cambodia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates increased.

It is estimated that in 2009 Italy exported a value of 575 million euros of textile machinery to Asian markets. As expected, China was the biggest customer of Italian textile machinery followed by India, Turkmenistan and Iran. In Asia, Italian machines most in demand are spinning machines (31% of the total), followed by finishing machines (17%), accessories (17%), knitting machines (14%) and weaving machines (11%).

INNOVATIONS IN KNITTING
Karl Mayer
Karl Mayer, leading maker of warp knitting machines, has recently announced and celebrated the shipment of its 100,000th machine to Taiwan (HKS4 EL high speed tricot machine). The company celebrated its shipment of the 25,000th machine in 1968 and the 50,000th machine in 1974. Over sixty years ago, Karl Mayer started as the medium-sized family business in 1948. Its first warp knitting machine was made for simple production at speeds of up to 400 rpm and the original machine is currently shown in the Karl Mayer Academy at the company's Obertshausen headquarters. At present, its high-tech tricot machines with speeds up to 4000 rpm are much more sophisticated but still keep the same principles. In May 2010, the company will reintroduce to the market its HKS 4 F terry machine for high-speed, efficient production of premium terry fabrics from filament yarns. The machine provides speeds up to 1,400 rpm, gauges of E24 and E28, and a working width of 136 inches.

During the beginning of this year Karl Mayer introduced an upgraded and optimized version of its HKS MSU S weft insertion warp knitting machine, enabling a wider range of yarns to be used (e.g., finer yarns) and being more versatile when reinforcing yarns are used for producing a fabric's high load-bearing capacity. These high-speed tricot machines with parallel weft insertion are used to effectively produce textiles for semi-technical and technical applications. Highly stable yarns can be incorporated in line with the courses which lie at an angle of 90 in the fabric and are inserted as full wefts. Fabric constructions produced in this way are insect-repellent nets, lightweight dense shading and screening materials, high-quality warp knits for soft furnishings and a variety of interlinings. The improved performance features of the machine include a fabric width of 6.27 meters, even at a gauge of E28 and a productivity rate of 2,000 square meters of fabric per hour. A wide variety of yarns can be used, for examples; viscose and acrylic spun yarns as the weft, and extremely fine yarns such as a polyester filament yarn with a count of 17 dtex. In addition, the machine is more versatile when it comes to incorporating the reinforcing yarns in which long underlaps (e.g., in an arrangement of 1-0/4-5//) can be processed with no problem.

 During ITMA 2007 in Munich, Karl Mayer introduced its tricot machines equipped with CFP bars (carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic) for increasing the machine speeds. After then the company began to adapt this work on the raschel machines and the first raschel machine equipped with CFP bars, RSE 4-1 four-bar raschel machine (for stretch fabrics production), will be exhibited at the ITMA Asia + CITME 2010 during June 2010 in Shanghai, China (available in the market at the beginning of April 2010). The CFP high-precision composite components are up to 25% lighter than conventional components as well as are more rigid in which speeds can be increased significantly for immediately optimization of machine availability. The components are unaffected by heat and cold and thus it is possible to widen the window of climatic specifications from 2C to 7C for trouble-free operation.  Karl Mayer is now further optimized the application of this technology (second generation CFP components) in order to make it easier to work with a revamped bar and shaft concept. The machines equipped with the second generation of CFP technology are more stable to ambient temperature when operating and thus guarantee high gauge accuracy.

Shima Seiki

MACH2X153 18L, a complete garment knitting machine enabling to knit ultrafine gauge garments more than twice as fast as previous models.

Shima Seiki has recently introduced the MACH2X153 18L a complete garment knitting machine enabling to knit ultrafine gauge garments more than twice as fast as previous models. The machine is the latest innovation to the company's MACH2X series.  It offers a special large-hook version of Shima Seiki's SlideNeedle mounted on four needlebeds at 18-gauge needle pitch, which effectively yields very tight, high-grade 15-gauge texture fabrics. Its maximum speed is at 1.6 meters per second and Shima Seiki's Rapid Response R2CARRIAGE for quicker carriage returns after each course. To keep up with the increased speed, the company's i-DSCS Digital Stitch Control System with Intelligence has been upgraded to a new system i-DSCS+DTC, featuring Dynamic Tension Control. This system allows variable electronic control of yarn tension, thus supporting high-speed knitting of delicate yarns to reduce the chance of yarn breakages. The MACH2X153 18L also includes a yarn gripper and cutter system equipped with a new lint remover. A USB interface has been positioned directly below the control monitor to improve access in data exchange and the network connector has been repositioned to improve access for factory data management with Shima Network Solutions. The fabric collection tray has been integrated within the machine frame to save space.

 The company has also introduced another machine MACH2SIG, the cutting edge flat knitting technology. The machine has the maximum knitting speed of 1.4 meters per second and the Rapid Response R2CARRIAGE achieves quicker carriage returns after each course for higher efficiency. Due to the number of yarn carriers increasing from 32 to 40, the machine is more flexible during operating and has an increased range of possible intarsia patterns. The machine can include the optional system i-DSCS+DTC and a yarn gripper and cutter system equipped with a new lint remover. In addition, it also can have a USB interface, the network connector and the fabric collecting tray the same way as shown in the MACH2X153 18L machine.

Mayer & Cie
At the ITMA Asia + CITME 2010, Mayer & Cie will demonstrate maximum striping performance with its S4-3.2 R single jersey striping machine. This latest circular knitting machine has 108 feeders with a cylinder diameter of 34 inches. Up to 3 colors can be knitted per feeder over all 108 feeders or alternatively, up to 6 colors over 54 feeders. This can open up a whole range of completely new options for achieving maximum productivity when making superior-quality fashionable striped fabric. S4-3.2 R machine is very flexible and with 3.2 feeders per inch, single jersey fabrics can be made with or without 3-colored striping, or with 6-colored striping using 1.6 feeders per inch. The rapid Quick-Change gauge conversion in the machine offers greater flexibility as the new system dispenses with the need to remove the strippers, facilitating gauge conversion and reducing conversion times.  With a diameter of 34 inches, the machine has a rotational speed of up to 20 rpm in striping mode and when the Speed Up function is used, the speed can reach up to 31 rpm in the sections without striping via patterning control.

Another innovation from Mayer & Cie is a fine gauge S4 single jersey machine in gauge E44, the S4-3.2 II. With 3.2 feeders per inch, it is capable of making silk effects at high production rates with this gauge and special unfolding frames prevent marks caused by squeezed edges.

Terrot
 Recently in the Bandung Inter Tex 2010, Terrot has introduced its latest version of upgraded S296-2 single jersey circular knitting machine. Its features include 36 inches in diameter, E28 gauge, 115 feeders and 2 up to 4 needle tracks. Benefits of this machine include advanced central and individual stitch adjustment with greater precision, which enhances accurate stitch adjustment, a completely re-engineered knitting head with convertible low cost new cylinder needle. The redesigned knitting head includes positive needle guidance in cam profiles where needles are guided smoothly for less wear and tear and for higher machine speeds. The machine is also equipped with new wear resistant zirconium yarn carriers with spandex rollers to improve plating and to prevent fluff accumulation.

Pai Lung
Pai Lung recently has introduced two of its PLF-KS132 computerized flat knitting machines having 52 inch needlebeds (one in 7 gauge and the other in 12 gauge, 14 gauge is also available) to the 16th International Exhibition KNIT WORLD 2010 in India. The PLF-KS132 needle selection is full-jacquard solenoid selection and stitch density is electronically controlled at 60 levels. The machine has a maximum knitting speed of 1.2 meters per second. It has a single carriage with two knitting systems, each with three way technique. Transfer is available from front to back, or from back to front simultaneously, regardless of carriage direction. Their built in central production management and control systems runs precisely for data collection and analysis. The machine is equipped with PLC and communicating interface which can be connected to Pai Lung's on-line monitoring system, electronic yarn rate monitoring and tape speed control.