Apparel manufacturing in North America is getting a boost through a new partnership between Stoll AG and Myant Inc.
Stoll, Germany’s leading 3-D knitting machine company, and Myant, one of Canada’s top textile computing company, have formed a strategic and exclusive collaboration to populate functional computing textile manufacturing in Canada and the U.S. with 500 state-of-the-art knitting machines from Stoll.
The companies said the collaboration will have a significant impact on the textile manufacturing industry worldwide, as it raises the bar for functional computing textiles. Myant and Stoll share a vision of disrupting the textile industry with new advancements in Industry 4.0, material science and technical applications for high quality products made in North America.
Andreas Schellhammer, chief executive officer of Stoll, said, “Our collaboration with Myant represents a completely new approach to smart textiles. The demand for smart fabrics has never been higher, as companies race to create garments, wearables, industrial, defense, healthcare and household items to connect humans to the Internet of Things. Myant is leading the creation of a new economy in functional computing textiles with Stoll machines. They have the vision and the right interdisciplinary team to make this a global revolution.”
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“Myant and Stoll are taking a big step to democratize manufacturing and resuscitate a ‘making’ culture in Canada and the U.S. Our goal is to reduce the barriers to entry in textile innovation and production and promote collaboration between scientists, doctors, engineers, designers, students and anyone with a creative idea. I believe that true innovation is only possible when the inventor can actually make the invention,” Tony Chahine, CEO of Myant, said. “The Stoll machines will have a massive impact on commercialization in the smart textile industry, which is in need of disruption, and will help to speed up the prototyping to production cycle.”
The collaboration coincides with Myant’s plans for expansion into the Canadian and American university-affiliated textile technology centers featuring Stoll machines. The endeavor will require new disciplines, curricula and expertise to be developed in the engineering, material sciences, design and manufacturing fields.
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Stoll, based in Reutlingen, Germany, exports to more than 70 countries and offers integrated services through affiliated companies, sales and marketing centers. The Stoll product portfolio comprises 3D knitting machines and patterning software that are used for the production of fabrics for fashion, as well as for technical applications.
Founded by Chahine in 2010, Myant employs an interdisciplinary team that’s creating a computing platform that interfaces with humans through textiles. Myant’s 80,000-square-foot facility in Toronto is an end-to-end textile supply chain with a state-of-the-art knitting division, a printed electronic lab and a traditional cut-and-sew operation.