The Hua Yu Zheng Ying Group, based in Jinjiang City, China, is one of the first users of the Karl Mayer high-performance RD 7/2-6 EN double needle bar raschel machine, which was launched in 2019 specifically to enable companies to be more competitive in the shoe component fabrics market and has quickly established a leading market position.

Hua Yu was founded in 1989 and produces warp knitted and knitted fabrics in a vertically integrated process chain with man-made fibres, yarns and textiles production, as well as finishing and dyeing.

It operates more than 400 modern warp knitting machines, including 170 double needle bar raschel machines from Karl Mayer, with an output of more than 20,000 tons of functional textiles per year.

Spacer fabrics

Hua Yu is one of the largest producers of spacer fabrics in the China and demand for these products has been going through the roof in recent years, leading to a full order book and short delivery time pressures.

In response, Hua Yu has made its entire manufacturing chain more competitive and strengthened its core competitive advantages in terms of cost and size to respond quickly to external changes, and also strengthened its technical base.

“We have invested heavily in Karl Mayer’s advanced machines to ensure quality and efficiency, said Su Chengyu, the group’s general manager.

“The quality of RD 7 goods is a real competitive advantage,” added Yang Xiaoqing, manufacturing director of Hua Yu’s Warp Knitting Division. “The fabrics it produces feel smoother and more homogeneous and have clearer patterns.”

Hua Yu operates the RD 7/2-6 EN at up to 1,1000 rounds per minute and has increased its spacer fabric capacity by around 30%, while also benefiting from the machine’s flexibility.

Varied designs

In the past, the production of warp knitted fabrics with different patterns required machines with different specifications and corresponding operating personnel. Equipped with seven guide bars and EN pattern drives for their electronic control, patterns of the most varied design can now be produced on just one machine, meeting the requirements of different applications. In addition, the patterns can be easily changed.

“With the RD7 our production efficiency has been increased dramatically,” said Yang Xiaoqing. “Previously we had one operator on two machines, and now one operator can manage four to five machines.”

In addition, the availability of the production equipment has been significantly improved and machine failure rate has fallen from 6% to 3%, while operating efficiency has increased from 80% to 90%.

Karl Mayer also provides Hua Yu with sophisticated after-sales solutions for an efficient internal operational procedure. If questions or problems arise, engineers are immediately on hand to monitor the required data and report back the results. If necessary, cooperation partners are also involved in problem finding on site.

“Karl Mayer has service centres in China’s key warp knitting industrial clusters, communicates with us in a timely manner, and responds quickly if there are any problems,” said Yang Xiaoqing.

The Karl Mayer Academy, the company’s in-house educational facility also provides regular training on warp knitting technology and customised training at customer premises according to specific technical requirements. Hua Yu has already had its operators trained via this latter option.

Differentiation

Technological innovation is Hua Yu’s core advantage in a competitive environment that is all about differentiation and the company attaches great importance to research and development capabilities. With an R&D team of around 200 people and over 36 patented technologies, the company has won a variety of international sports brands such as Skechers, Asics, Puma, Anta and Li-Ning as long-term partners.

In order to further expand, Hua Yu is now emarking on new warp knitted fabric production project, with a new 170,000 square-metre plant currently being planned.

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