Coming from Japan, a leader in flatbed knitting and whole-garment technology, Shima Seiki has a formidable 62% share in the global market. Represented in India by Janaksons International, and continuing with its new generation technologies to provide easy but faster solutions for complex operations while adding value to them at the same time, Shima Seiki was
present at KnitWorld with its knitting solutions as well as its software innovation SDS ONE.
“The response to our machines has been tremendous. On display is a state-of-the-art flat knitting machine with maximum 40 induction feeders. Secondly, to cater to the price-sensitive nature of this market, we are also displaying our economy model,” said Ashwani Behl, President, Janakson International.
The affordable SSR series from the company offers increased productivity with a maximum knitting speed of 1.2 metres per second, as well as a R2CARRIAGE System that achieves quicker carriage returns. It also carries proven Shima Seiki technology such as Digital Stitch Control System (DSCS), spring-loaded Full-Sinker System, Stitch Presser, Yarn Gripper and Cutter, and Takedown Comb. The, first ever digital stitch device DSCS, used in the machine, can be programmed with the desired loop length after which it monitors yarn consumption continuously and adjusts yarn feed and tension to yield consistency throughout the fabric to within a remarkable ±1% tolerance. The result is quality control that is essential to ‘shaping’ and integral to garment production.
The SV variant of SSR offers wide gauge capability that allows a variety of gauges to be knit on a single machine. This gives the freedom to handle changing seasons and shifting trends without investing in a machine for every gauge or resorting to the complex, time-consuming task of gauge conversion.
Ludhiana, being a price-sensitive market, one would assume that it is a tough battle ground for high-end machines from Shima Seiki, as against the much cheaper Chinese alternatives, but Ashwani disagrees. “When the Chinese machines entered the market, many price-conscious buyers got trapped by them. Today they are coming back to us. Our machines have 40 to 45% higher productivity than them, at the same time a Shima Seiki machine will easily last for more than 35 years,” he reasons.
Shima Seiki’s new focus is on the software, SDS®-ONE APEX3, a specialized hardware/ software system from Shima Seiki, which encompasses an entire pre-production and post-production solution for a company specializing in knitting, from yarn design to retail promotion. With its ability to support all aspects from planning, design, sampling and production to machine programming, merchandising and sales promotion, SDS®-ONE APEX3 has established its reputation as an all-in-one apparel design tool.
SDS®-ONE APEX3’s virtual sampling capabilities permit accurate evaluation using photo-realistic simulations without the need for costly and time-consuming preproduction sampling. For even more effective virtual sampling, it features 3D modelling capability as products can be checked in 3D using 3D simulation, 3D modelling, 3D fitting simulation and 3D mapping.