From then on, the company has related his name to the “SEAMLESS” phenomenon, becoming itself worldwide leader in the production of electronic knitting machines for garments without seams.
Santoni technology allows to process the upper as one-piece, avoiding the stitching and the waste of fabric with a series of cuttingedge solutions designed to successfully take up the challenges set by an increasing demanding, ever-changing market..
Established in 1919 and very first Italian sock-knitting machine manufacturer, Santoni is an internationally renowned enterprise, able to effectively meet the varied needs of the textile and fashion markets, guaranteeing first-rate quality and performance standards.
Patrick Silva, marketing manager, described the most important moments in the history of the Brescia-based company that made it an international leader as well as the challenges lying in store in the near future.
What are the main end sectors for the eamless technology?
At the beginning, this technology was applied to a range of circular electronic knitting machines for the production of underwear. However, over the years, the range of end sectors has widened, including also sportswear, technical garments, beachwear, medical wear, knitwear and, last but not least, the footwear industry. Garments and shoes produced with seamless electronic circular machines give an unmatched sensation of comfort and wellbeing. This ground-breaking processing technique was firstly developed by Santoni, who is still the undisputed leader in this field, as confirmed by the fact that our company currently meets up to 95% of the world’s demand for seamless machinery. The absence of stitching offers a greater freedom of movement and an incomparable softness.
This procedure has resulted in a marked reduction in the number of required seams, thus favouring a decrease in processing and finishing costs as well as in energy consumption levels. The articles manufactured with this technology guarantee the highest standards in terms of breathability, comfort, durability and wearability.
This technology has been constantly developed and improved over the years.
Innovation has always represented for Santoni a strategic commitment of utmost importance; that’s why the Research and Development Center is located inside the company’s headquarter, a hub of knowledge and experimentation where engineers and highly specialized technicians design, in close co-operation with clients and partners, machines able to anticipate new needs and trends.
Thanks to the constant commitment shown by the in-house R&D Department and to the significant investments in technological upgrading, we have been able to develop new models that provide a higher creative versatility, the utmost efficiency and top-notch performances, while paying close attention to environmental sustainability. Furthermore, the seamless technique is the result of the synergy between connected companies and their sets of technical-business skills, of a corporate philosophy based on dialogue and collaboration. “All in a Group” conveys our will to put together innovation and leadership to design cutting-edge machines that help customers meet the ongoing challenges of the textile market and of the fashion business.
Footwear is the latest frontier of the seamless technology. What kind of solutions have you developed to fulfil the demands of this sector?
We have recently upgraded one of our best-selling models, that is, the MECMOR CMP, the garment-length circular knitting machine complete with rip border separation, a byword for productivity, quality of the finished product and reliability. The undisputed leader in its category, it is now available in the OPEN version, designed to manufacture seamless uppers, so as to effectively meet the needs of the increasingly demanding footwear sector. Besides ensuring the utmost efficiency and low consumption levels, this machine provides ample customization opportunities, helping designers create high-definition patterns and effects by using multiple colours and different yarn types.
With the X-Machine Santoni takes seamless production to footwear.
It’s an innovative technology which creates countless intarsia items to knit seamless uppers. X Machine also allows the mapping of different areas according to the type of yarn used and the various combinations chosen, in order to produce a final product which is ready for application of the sole, the last manufacturing stage of the shoe.
It is a highly sophisticated machine that carries out an analysis of the upper’s different areas according to the required rigidity, elasticity and colour, so as to get, with a single process, a finished product that can be immediately assemble with the sole. This model guarantees incredible production times (from 5 to 7 minutes, per piece), first-rate quality standards, reliability and ease of use. It’s a single-cylinder electronic knitting machine featuring four reciprocatingmotion feeds, provided with a system patented by Santoni for patterning on all four feeds, thus resulting in motifs standing out for their high definition and chromatic sharpness. It has been developed in partnership with Lonati S.p.A., the most prominent company in the field of hosiery machines thanks to its innovative “closed-toe-truelinking system” that performs a stitch by stitch finish. In addition to cutting down production and labour costs, this machine provides endless patterning possibilities and colour combinations, and it is equipped with a ground-breaking inlay system that allows to create unprecedented 3D textures.
Besides R&D projects, what are Santoni’s main priorities?
Significant resources are invested also in training initiatives. Said commitment is perfectly embodied by the Santoni School, an in-house facility dedicated to courses held by qualified teachers and open to the customer’s technicians, grown into a centre for vocational growth and updating. We own also a hotel to host guests, a laboratory equipped with the whole range of corporate machines as well as a large showroom putting on display garments and shoes made with our technologies.
Patrick Silva, direttore marketing di Santoni
Built within the plant’s area, the hotel is used to host visiting customers.