Shima Seiki will exhibit at Apparel Sourcing Week 2026 in Bengaluru, India, on 7–8 October, positioning its APEXFiz Design software as a route to cutting physical sampling and development time for apparel manufacturers and brands sourcing from the region.

The Japanese flat knitting specialist, founded in 1962 and headquartered in Wakayama, will present from booths SP23-SP24 at the Sheraton Grand Bengaluru Whitefield Hotel & Convention Center. Its commercial pitch centres on Digital Product Creation (DPC): replacing knitted prototypes with 3D virtual samples built from scanned data of actual yarns.

The company claims APEXFiz produces digital representations of knitted products realistic enough to serve as 3D prototypes, allowing companies to reduce or eliminate physical samples and save time, cost and materials during product development.

From design file to machine data

The workflow Shima Seiki will demonstrate extends beyond sampling. Once a design is approved, the software generates knitting data automatically, and that data converts directly into machine data for production on Shima Seiki's computerised flat knitting machines. The company frames this as a continuous digital thread from initial planning through to finished product, linking product development teams on the buyer side more closely with factory-floor manufacturing.

APEXFiz is subscription-based and not confined to flat knitting. It simulates woven and circular knitted fabrics, printing and embroidery, and operates alongside other 3D design tools — a relevant point for brands running multi-category programmes who want a single simulation environment across fabric platforms.

Shima Seiki says the approach increases automation and reduces labour requirements across product development, prototyping and production, while supporting digitalisation and sustainability goals across textile and apparel supply chains.

Why India, why now

Apparel Sourcing Week gathers manufacturers, brands, suppliers and technology providers from across the apparel value chain, making it a natural venue for Shima Seiki to address Indian suppliers under pressure from buyers to shorten development calendars and reduce sample freight between Asian factories and Western head offices.

The company pioneered Wholegarment knitting, which produces complete garments on the machine without linking or sewing, and has built its digital portfolio — design software alongside virtual sampling technology — to connect planning and development with manufacturing capacity.

The sourcing decision

For sourcing directors and vendor development teams, the Bengaluru showcase poses a concrete question: whether to fund DPC capability — through subscription software plus the knitting hardware it feeds — within key Asian supplier clusters, or keep sampling workflows physical and absorb the cost, time and material waste that virtual sampling claims to eliminate. Buyers setting sustainability targets tied to sample reduction will need to verify any waste and emissions savings against their own reporting standards rather than accept vendor claims at face value.