Long John Commissions Karl Mayer’s New RDJ 7/3 Jacquard Machine

Karl Mayer’s latest RDJ 7/3 Jacquard Double Needle Bar Raschel Machine has entered commercial operation, with Long John Group becoming the first customer to invest in the new technology. The Taiwanese footwear fabric specialist officially commissioned the machine at its Indonesian plant on August 20.

Representatives of leading global athletic footwear brands and Karl Mayer management attended the commissioning event, where guests witnessed the machine’s capabilities for producing advanced footwear textiles.

Equipped with three wireless Jacquard bars and other technological features, the RDJ 7/3 enables manufacturers to develop complex patterns, precisely defined functional zones, three-dimensional structures and distinctive design effects with greater flexibility and efficiency.

Strong Position in Global Footwear Fabrics
Founded in 1983 by Jeff Wen, Long John Group is a major supplier of footwear fabrics in Asia and works with leading global brands. The company operates manufacturing facilities in Taiwan, China, Vietnam and Indonesia, along with a sales office in the United States.

Its vertically integrated production capabilities cover spinning, weaving, knitting, warp knitting, dyeing and finishing. According to the company, its Jacquard Double Needle Bar Raschel machines have produced fabrics for more than 313 million pairs of shoes.

Warp knitting is a key part of Long John’s product development activities. The company produces open-designed stretch tricot fabrics for shoe uppers and linings, as well as high-performance spacer fabrics featuring plain and Jacquard-patterned mesh surfaces for athletic footwear applications.

Karl Josef Mayer, grandson of the founder of Karl Mayer, in conversation with Kevin Wen (back left), son of the founder and Chairman of Long John, Jeff Wen, about the latest textile innovations

Expanding Design Possibilities
Long John has expanded its machinery portfolio with Karl Mayer’s RDJ 7/3 to support the development of new footwear fabric designs and structures.

The technology enables the production of:

• Hole designs with larger and more precisely defined openings
• Integrated patterns and functional zones with greater design flexibility
• Customised Jacquard patterns with two-tone effects and colour combinations
• Three-dimensional surfaces and embossing effects directly within the fabric

These capabilities provide footwear fabric manufacturers with additional options for combining aesthetics and functional performance in a single textile structure.

Long-Standing Technology Partnership
The cooperation between Karl Mayer and Long John dates back to 2012, when the footwear fabric manufacturer invested in its first Karl Mayer Double Needle Bar Raschel Machine with Jacquard technology from the RDPJ series.

Since then, Long John has continued to adopt newly developed Karl Mayer technologies, positioning itself among the early users of the company’s latest machinery.

The RDJ 7/3 has now made its industrial debut at Long John’s Indonesian facility. The commissioning reflects the company’s continued investment in advanced warp-knitting technology for the global footwear market.

Karl Mayer will demonstrate the RDJ 7/3 at its Product Show in Changzhou, China, on November 19, 20, 21 and 23, 2026, held in conjunction with ITMA ASIA.