KARL MAYER has officially opened its new Textile Innovation Center (TIC), marking a major strategic investment aimed at accelerating global textile innovation and strengthening collaboration across the value chain.
The four-day launch event, held from April 21 to 24 at the company’s headquarters in Obertshausen, culminated in a grand opening that attracted around 220 international guests, including customers, brands, and partners from across the textile industry.
“We believe in the value of textiles,” said Karl Josef Mayer during the opening ceremony, underscoring the company’s long-term commitment to the sector. He emphasized that the new center sends a strong signal of continued investment in the future of textiles and global industry development.
Chief Executive Officer Lutz Wolf described the facility as a milestone in the company’s strategic evolution. “This Textile Innovation Center is designed as a place where ideas come to life—a space for collaboration, creativity, and market-relevant solutions,” he said, highlighting its role in fostering closer partnerships and faster innovation cycles.
Spanning approximately 5,000 square meters, the TIC provides a fully integrated development environment where textile concepts can move rapidly from idea to prototype and industrial production. The facility combines warp knitting, warp preparation, and technical textile technologies under one roof—an approach the company says is unique within the industry.
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Equipped with 14 advanced machines, the center enables customers and partners to co-develop new textile solutions alongside KARL MAYER’s technical experts. The goal is to shorten development timelines while ensuring that innovations are aligned with real market needs.
The opening also featured a keynote by Vishnu Prakash Muthusamy of New Balance, who demonstrated how warp knitting technologies are driving innovation in performance footwear, signaling growing cross-industry applications of advanced textiles.
The Obertshausen facility forms part of a broader global innovation network, with additional centers located in China and Japan. Together, these hubs connect regional expertise with global capabilities, supported by a team of approximately 15 specialists in materials, processes, machine technology, and textile applications.
Visitors to the center were given guided tours showcasing its capabilities, including a large showroom featuring textile applications across fashion, sports, footwear, home textiles, and industrial segments. A particular focus was placed on future-ready workwear solutions, combining functionality with modern design.
The TIC also houses an “Inspiration Hub,” drawing on nearly 90 years of textile expertise, and the KARL MAYER Academy, which offers hands-on training programs aimed at upskilling industry professionals and bridging the gap between theory and production.
With the launch of the Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is positioning itself beyond machinery manufacturing toward a broader role as an innovation partner, aligning with industry-wide shifts toward integrated development ecosystems and faster commercialization of textile technologies.
