Intro
In the first two parts of our AMANN × Liersch interview series, we explored how industrial sewing has evolved, what defines reliable seam quality and how intelligent process monitoring can help detect critical deviations.
In part three, we turn our attention to what makes these developments possible in the first place: collaboration. Together, AMANN and Liersch combine sewing thread expertise, machine technology and process know-how to develop solutions that go beyond individual products or components.
Question 1 - Hidden defects
Where do you see the biggest opportunities when machine technology, sewing thread expertise and process consulting come together like in the case of Liersch and AMANN?
In closing the loop. Today these three worlds still optimise separately, and the customer is left to integrate them. If they come together, you can define a process window instead of three sets of individual settings – and then run inside it with confidence.
The commercial effect is very tangible: less scrap, less rework, higher output at the same or better quality, and far less time spent on troubleshooting. There is a sustainability argument too, and it is not a soft one. Every rejected part carries the full material and energy input of everything that went into it. Avoiding defects is the most effective form of resource efficiency in our industry.
Question 2 - Defect detection
How do you see intelligent sewing technologies evolving over the next five to ten years?
I expect three developments. First, the sewing process becomes a documented process. Today a seam record is a differentiator; in ten years it will be a requirement, particularly in safety-relevant applications.
Second, monitoring becomes prediction. We currently detect deviations very early. The next step is to recognise patterns that announce a problem before it occurs – a needle approaching the end of its useful life, a tension unit starting to drift. That is predictive maintenance applied to the sewing head.
Third, the systems get easier, not harder, to operate. Skilled sewing staff are becoming scarce across Europe. Technology that requires an expert to set it up solves the wrong problem. Our target is a machine that carries the expertise itself and guides the operator – and that is where AI will earn its place, not in buzzwords.
Question 3 - Process monitoring
As a final question we'd like to ask, where does excellent seam quality actually begin?
Long before the first stitch – and never with one single component. Excellent seam quality begins with the decision to look at the whole system: material, thread, needle, machine, process, people. And it begins with the willingness of the partners involved to work together instead of each optimising their own part.
If I have to put it in one sentence: excellent seam quality begins with a conversation between people who understand different parts of the same seam.
Outro
Great solutions rarely come from looking at just one part of a process. They emerge when different perspectives, technologies and areas of expertise come together.
The long-standing collaboration between AMANN and Liersch is a strong example of this approach. AMANN contributes deep expertise in sewing threads and their behaviour under demanding production conditions, while Liersch brings extensive knowledge of machine technology, automation and process monitoring. By looking at the same sewing process from different perspectives, both partners can identify challenges more comprehensively and work together on solutions that improve quality, reliability and efficiency.
For AMANN, this is an important part of what Beyond Threads. Partnership stands for: going beyond the role of a supplier, sharing knowledge, testing together and combining competencies to turn technical challenges into practical solutions. For those who would like to explore the machine technology and automation expertise behind this collaboration in more detail, the Liersch website offers further insights into the company, its solutions and its work in industrial sewing.
This third interview concludes our AMANN × Liersch series, but each part highlights a different aspect of the same shared approach.
In Part 1, we explored how industrial sewing has evolved and why excellent seam quality depends on a well-matched system of machine, thread and process expertise.
In Part 2, we looked more closely at sewing defects, real-time process monitoring and why consistent sewing thread quality is essential for reliable process data.
Together, the three interviews show how much can be achieved when individual areas of expertise are not considered in isolation, but connected across the entire sewing process.
Because the best solutions are created when knowledge, experience and technology come together in true partnership – AMANN. Beyond Threads.