Merz marks 126 years with medical knitting machine portfolio pitch

Merz, the German circular knitting machine builder, counts more than 3,000 machines in operation across over 30 countries. The company presented that installed base at The Loop – Chapter One: Medical Textiles, hosted by Groz-Beckert in Albstadt, as it marks 126 years of manufacturing. The event placed the Hechingen firm in front of medical hosiery producers at a moment when compression garment capacity decisions are on the table.

The numbers behind the pitch are modest by machinery standards. Merz employs around 70 people at a production and office facility of approximately 6,400 square metres. It offers three principal machine types. That scale invites a question: what does this change for medical hosiery sourcing? The answer lies in the spec sheet, not the headcount.

What do the machines actually deliver?

Merz builds circular knitting machines with four cylinder diameters: 4½, 4¾, 5½ and 6 inches. Needle configurations run from 320 to 452 needles depending on the model. The machines carry reciprocated heel movement and electronically controlled knitting functions. That combination, the company argues, lets manufacturers produce knitted structures meeting the specific requirements of graduated compression garments.

The machines support several established formats:

• full-length compression tights
• thigh-high stockings with open toes
• knee-high stockings with closed toes
• anti-embolism stockings for patients with reduced mobility, including bed rest
• travel stockings, sports compression socks, knee and elbow supports, ankle protectors

Knitting time per garment runs to several minutes, depending on construction and machine configuration. Merz did not publish throughput figures or price lists at the event. Buyers will need to benchmark cycle times against competing machinery before committing capital.

A 126-year record, read closely

Carl Merz founded a mechanical workshop in Hechingen in 1900, initially producing sewing machines and bicycles. The first circular knitting machine for socks followed in 1948. Machines for nylon stockings arrived in 1957. A move to a new Hechingen production site came in 1962, employing 210 people at the time.

Note the trajectory. Headcount then was triple today's level. By 1970, Merz was developing circular knitting machines specifically for medical stockings, and that specialisation remains the core of the business. The company has not disclosed current order volumes, revenue or capacity utilisation. Longevity is not a forward order book.

Compliance and product claims

Graduated compression stockings exert their highest pressure at the ankle, decreasing towards the thigh. The garments support venous blood flow and are used in managing venous conditions including varicose veins. Compression garments come in different compression classes, with pressure levels selected according to medical requirements.

These are device-adjacent claims. Compression classes are defined by medical standards, and producers buying Merz machinery will still carry the burden of certifying finished garments against those classes in each market. The machinery enables the structure; it does not certify the product.

Sustainability: what is measured, what is asserted

Merz makes two verifiable claims and one soft one. The verifiable: more than 50% of the company's electricity demand is covered by photovoltaic systems commissioned in 2008 and 2012. That is a dated, quantified figure — though the 50% share is self-reported and no external audit is cited.

The softer claims: long-lasting machines help conserve resources, and local sourcing where practical supports responsible production. No lifecycle assessment, no certification standard, no emissions data accompany these statements. Buyers applying CSRD or supply-chain due diligence rules will find nothing auditable here beyond the solar figures.

In-house depth as the differentiator

Merz manufactures core machine components in-house at Hechingen. The company says this retains control over manufacturing quality while supporting technical support and spare parts services. For hosiery producers, spare parts availability and service response times often matter more than list price. Merz did not state service lead times or parts inventory commitments.

The sourcing decision this news forces is narrow but real. Medical compression producers weighing machine investment have a specialist German supplier with a 6,400 sq m plant, an in-house component base and a 1970-vintage focus on medical stockings. What they do not have is published pricing, throughput data or audited sustainability metrics. Request all three before signing.