Responsible for the project is entrepreneur and owner Anvar Hejaziniah, who aims to market his textile products both in Iran partially through his own chain of retail outlets and also by exporting around the world.
When it came to equipping the circular knitting production plant, Anvar Hejaziniah opted to install exclusively Mayer & Cie. circular knitting machines. A total of 85 machines will be shipped out to Ardabil, covering an extremely wide range of technologies - for single and double jersey, mechanical and fully electronic, with and without open width device, plush, striping, transfer and transfer/striping.
Defining criteria in opting for Mayer & Cie. were the high technological and quality standard of its circular knitting machines and the associated exemplary fabric quality, as well as the availability of excellent on-site support in the form of the local agent in Teheran, which has been working for Mayer & Cie. for over 20 years.
Another factor was the broad spectrum of machines required for the factory. Mayer & Cie. offered the benefit of being able to supply all these machine requirements from one and the same source.
In the year in which it celebrates its 100th Jubilee, closing this contract was a particularly gratifying bonus for the Albstadt-based company. A family-owned firm in its third and partially also fourth generation, management of Mayer & Cie. is in the capable hands of Managing Partner Rainer Mayer. With Marcus Mayer, who has been working in the company for the past three years, Mayer & Cie. is moving into its fourth generation as a family firm.
Mayer & Cie. currently employs a workforce of 600 in Albstadt. Of its core business of circular knitting machines, which generated a turnover of 105 million Euro in 2004, almost 98% is destined for export. This is reflected in the close-meshed worldwide network of company-owned branches, service firms and also independent agencies.
Worldwide, the Mayer & Cie. Group employs a workforce of some 1,600, with consolidated Group sales amounting to 230 million Euro in 2004.
The company is looking forward with subdued optimism to 2005 in the expectation of a turnover increase somewhere in the region of 4% to 7%.
The challenges facing the German economy have not left Mayer & Cie. unscathed. Rainer Mayer as Managing Partner: Given the expansion of the EU and the globalization and liberalization of markets, for a German manufacturer aiming to stay competitive and to secure its export strength for the future, innovation and quality are key. Mayer & Cie. is already ideally positioned from this point of view. This is why the issue of maintaining Germany as our production base in general and staying in Albstadt in particular is not up for debate: We consider the development and production of the stitch-forming components which form the nerve centre of our machines to be our core competence. Because the extensive pool of expertise in place in our Albstadt location and our level of employee qualification are second to none, there is nowhere else in the world where we could achieve these high standards better or more effectively.
However only companies who stay abreast of the latest technological developments and are able to fully exploit rationalization reserves will be able to survive in this toughly competitive global marketplace.
This calls for on-going and extensive investment. Mayer & Cie. recognized this need and put it into practice years ago. One result is that its circular knitting machine production operates to the very highest technological level. Only by ensuring this high standard is the exemplary precision and quality associated with Mayer & Cie. circular knitting machines achievable. As it celebrates 100 years of successful company history, the company will continue to pursue this strategy.
At the beginning of May, for instance, the entire company was converted to SAP in every division from Development through Production to Sales and Administration in order to achieve more closely-meshed data networking and more effective work processes.
