The Textile Innovation Center (TIC) by KARL MAYER is a 5,000 m² facility in Obertshausen, Germany, designed to accelerate textile innovation through advanced warp knitting machines, expert collaboration, and real-world testing environments.
KARL MAYER Opens Textile Innovation Center to Drive Warp Knit Inspiration
KARL MAYER sees performance fabrics and next-level textile solutions in particular as potential growth drivers for its customers, as a motor for business development and as real game changers for the entire textile industry.
Innovation does not happen by chance. It is the result of close exchange with customers & brands, textile expertise and competence in textile machine engineering. It is the result of close exchange with customers & brands, textile expertise and competence in textile machine engineering.
That is why KARL MAYER is investing in progress and collaborative development and opening its TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER (TIC) – a place to be for the entire textile world. Its size, equipment and offerings are unique worldwide. Covering 5,000 m², the TIC provides everything that makes development processes faster, more efficient and more successful.
TIC SHOWROOM: Textiles & Applications
A spacious showroom brings textile visions to life. Its curated presentation of textile materials and applications opens up space for inspiration, encourages out-of-the-box thinking and fuels new ideas – bridging the gap between the conceivable, the possible and the feasible. Whether you are searching for initial ideas or have a specific development goal in mind, innovation starts here innovation starts here with fresh perspectives.
There is much to discover:
- The latest samples from KARL MAYER’s textile product development range
- Concept textiles and applications with real market potential
- Trend collections straight from market scouting.
Everything is clearly structured into tried-and-tested textile categories: Fashion & Apparel, Sports Textiles, Footwear, Home Textiles and Technical Textiles.
At the opening, TIC visitors will be able to discover innovative solutions for the growing workwear sector – from protective clothing to stylish items for the office.
INSPIRATIONHUB: 90 Years of Textile Expertise
Why start from scratch when there is already a treasure trove to draw from? With its unique collection of patterns, KARL MAYER opens the doors to almost nine decades of textile development. The INSPIRATIONHUB is thus a creative catalyst – a place where the past becomes the foundation for the new.
TEXTILE MACHINES: Customer Trials & New Developments
The TIC supports customers, brands and other textile players throughout their entire innovation process – from the initial idea to the near-series prototype.
A range of innovative machines for warp knitting, warp preparation and technical textiles is available to put ideas into practice.
This is where testing, trialling and further development take place, because ‘Driving WARP KNIT Inspiration’ means not just thinking up ideas, but making them possible, through:
- Processing tests under real conditions
- Production simulations with genuine practical relevance
- Experiments to create new textile constructions and push technological boundaries.
Machine equipment highlights include:
- A small three-bar high-performance warp knitting machine with PLUS configuration and gauge E 14 that produces completely new warp knitted fabrics, including trendy shoe fabrics at HKS speed
- A next-generation Raschel machine for the highly efficient production of shade netting
- A modular fibre spreading set-up for new lightweight construction applications and solutions for the protection sector
- A warp knitting machine with weft insertion that excels at high-precision and gentle hollow fibre processing
- A high-performance machine for the sectional warping of performance materials.
TOP EXPERTS: Expertise, Networks and a Genuine Spirit of Innovation
At the TIC, customers work side by side with KARL MAYER’s textile experts – and benefit from an extraordinary pool of experience, openness and innovativeness. As a team, the experts have decades of practical experience in a wide range of market segments – from Fashion & Apparel to Sports Textiles and highly specialised technical applications.
What sets them apart? They don’t think in terms of standards, but in terms of possibilities. With an open mindset, a strong focus on solutions and genuine enthusiasm for textile innovation, the experts at KARL MAYER support TIC partners in all their individual objectives.
With an open mindset, a strong focus on solutions and genuine enthusiasm for textile innovation, the experts at KARL MAYER support TIC partners in all their individual objectives.
They contribute not only in-depth material, process and machine expertise, but also a strong international network of fibre manufacturers, technology partners, institutes and brands. The experts are the heart and soul of the TIC.
ACADEMY: Expertise for Professionals
The KARL MAYER Academy, which is well established in the market, has become part of the TIC and continues to offer a unique training programme. The training courses stand for sound expertise, the very highest quality and a clear focus on the requirements of everyday production. They are aimed at customer technicians, brand employees, in-house service technicians and students of textile-related subjects – and are characterised by their exceptionally high practical relevance. Here, theory is not just taught, but directly applied.
The combination of know-how, machine access and an innovative environment makes the Academy even more attractive.
KARL MAYER looks forward to presenting all these possibilities to customers, partners and the international trade press at the TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER in Obertshausen during the opening event week.
GRAND OPENING TIC!
Save the date: 21 to 24 April 2026, Obertshausen – in parallel to Techtextil Frankfurt.
FAQ
What is the purpose of KARL MAYER TIC?
The TIC enables faster textile development through collaboration, testing, and advanced machinery.
Where is the Textile Innovation Center located?
It is located in Obertshausen, Germany.
When is the TIC opening event?
April 21–24, 2026, alongside Techtextil Frankfurt.
Who can use the TIC facility?
Textile manufacturers, brands, researchers, and industry professionals.
What technologies are featured at TIC?
Warp knitting machines, Raschel machines, fibre spreading systems, and performance textile solutions.
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