More patterns, less effort: the MULTI-MATIC® at Rohleder
How premium weaver Rohleder is boosting its efficiency and redefining creative boundaries with KARL MAYER’s warp sampling machine
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Rohleder is one of Europe’s most modern weaving mills. For over 80 years, the family-owned company has been developing and manufacturing premium fabrics for brands, retailers and private customers – 100% Made in Germany.
This success is made possible by a consistent focus on design, quality, and functionality, as well as by continuous investment in state-of-the-art production facilities.
Rohleder also relies on innovative technologies in warp preparation and has been collaborating with KARL MAYER for many years. As recently as 2023, a MULTI-MATIC® was delivered to the company’s headquarters in Konradsreuth.
Since then, the high-performance warp sampling machine has proven its worth in practice through its high efficiency while also opening up entirely new possibilities in product development.
Rohleder: tradition meets high tech
Rohleder was founded in Konradsreuth in 1946 and has grown from a family-run textile business in Upper Franconia into one of Europe’s leading upholstery fabric weavers. Key milestones in the company’s history include its entry into the U.S. market in the late 1970s under Klaus Rohleder, the shift to functional synthetic fibers in the 1980s, and the building of a new production facility at its headquarters in the early 1990s.
Today, the family-owned company employs around 165 people and exports its high-quality upholstery and decorative fabrics worldwide. Nearly half of its production is sold internationally, particularly in Europe, the U.S., and Asia.
Rohleder owes its success above all to a combination of creativity, versatility, and premium quality.
„We stand for service, quality, and design excellence. Together with our textile retailers and wholesalers, we develop exclusive collections that are available only to these partners. In addition, we supply renowned furniture manufacturers such as Rolf Benz, Steelcase, and Sedda with unique products,“ says Leni Rohleder, granddaughter of the company’s founder. As Head of Sustainability and Marketing, she shapes the company’s future alongside two other managing directors with foresight, innovative spirit, and entrepreneurial acumen.
About 9 designers provide the creative power needed for frequent, rapid product changes and a wide variety of items, even in small quantities. In addition, since 2018 they have been creating their own home collection that showcases the benefits of all Rohleder products. Particularly durable, easy-care, and high-quality upholstery fabrics are awarded the company’s Q2 quality label.
These creative concepts are brought to life through a highly flexible, vertically integrated production. From warp preparation through weaving to finishing, all manufacturing steps are handled in-house. In the weaving mill alone, around 70 machines are in operation, covering nearly the entire spectrum of weaving technology. Many of the machines have been specially adapted to the company’s requirements.
„We have one of the most diversified weaving mills in the world,” says Leni Rohleder.
This extraordinary versatility places high demands on warp preparation. Whether very coarse or particularly fine yarns: At Rohleder, premium warps are produced for a wide variety of fabrics and complex patterns in small and medium production runs.
Partnership with KARL MAYER: reliability on equal terms
At Rohleder, warping machines from KARL MAYER are at the heart of warp preparation. The partnership between the two companies has been in place since 1998 and is based on mutual trust, technical expertise, and shared values.
„We know that things run smoothly with KARL MAYER,“ says Peter Raich, Technical Manager of Research + Development at Rohleder.
He particularly appreciates the reliable supply of spare parts and the expert support provided by the service teams. Thanks to their geographical proximity and long-standing partnership, technical challenges are resolved quickly and easily.
Peter Rödter also confirms the value of the partnership. What matters most to him is that this reliable support remains guaranteed in the long term, even after the PROWARP® and MULTI-MATIC® systems installed in 2018 have been in operation for many years.
Warp Preparation Manager Manuel Hirte particularly emphasizes the high quality of the machines and KARL MAYER’s technical expertise. To identify further opportunities for optimizing production, he plans to visit the TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER at KARL MAYER’s headquarters in Obertshausen together with his technical team and Leni Rohleder.
The MULTI-MATIC®: the key to greater efficiency and design Freedom
With the installation of the MULTI-MATIC®, Rohleder is replacing three older warping machines.
To be able to produce not only sample warps but also production warps with lengths of up to 400 m, the company decided on a MULTI-MATIC® 128.
What made the modern warp sampling machine the right choice? The company’s wide range of designs. Short warp lengths, high thread counts and complex warping sequences with up to 400 ends per repeat had previously resulted in a high manual labor burden through creeling, time loss, and waste from bobbins that were not fully used. The MULTI-MATIC® has put an end to that.
„We save 50 to 60% in warping time per month with the MULTI-MATIC® compared to our previous solution,“ explains Peter Rödter following a comprehensive analysis of production data.
The analysis revealed that the higher the proportion of pattern warps in the mix with production warps and the more complex the patterns, the greater the efficiency gain – to the point of sheer feasibility, as impressively demonstrated by a trade show development from the Rohleder designers: An exceptionally color-intensive fabric with 2,900 threads and twelve colors in a complex distribution could only be produced thanks to the MULTI-MATIC® and became a highlight of the exhibition.
„Design versatility is a true USP of the MULTI-MATIC®. We can now realize warping sequences that were previously prohibitively expensive, thereby opening up new market segments for us,“ emphasizes Leni Rohled
In addition, sources of error are reduced, as time-consuming manual steps – such as frequent creeling and knotting – are largely eliminated.
Rohleder‘s design team is also excited about the new possibilities. Color variations and pattern complexities can now be designed with significantly greater freedom than before.
Technology for maximum performance
The MULTI-MATIC®’s high performance is based on a series of innovative technical solutions designed to deliver maximum flexibility, efficiency, and quality:
• Flexibility in patterning: With up to 128 individually controlled yarn guides, short warps lwith a maximum working width of 3,600 mm, as well as short and medium-length production warps with large patterns without the need of dividing of packages by re-winding can be produced
• Efficiency: A state-of-the-art drive control technology, fully automated controlled stop free leasing/sizing separation, automated color change with precise yarn laying at production speeds of up to 800 m/min and a minimum amount of yarn needed enable a fully automated, cost-effective, and highly efficient warping process.
• Quality: High precision during the whole warping process and an interactive determination of the ideal setup of the creel ensure the production of premium-quality beams.
Curious about the possibilities of the MULTI-MATIC®? At the TEXTILE INNOVATION CENTER at KARL MAYER’s headquarters in Obertshausen, the innovative warp sampling machine is available for demonstrations and processing trials, and Jan Eimuth looks forward to your questions.
Group picture: L to R: Peter Rödter, Technical Manager, Jan Eimuth Product Developer at KARL MAYER, Peter Raich, Technical Manager of Research + Development, Leni Rohleder, Head of Sustainability and Marketing, and Manuel Hirte, Warp Preparation Manager
