A visit to the CHICO twisting mill: the master of threads provides an insight

Green. Blue. Purple. Red. And a shining yellow. Christian’s day-to-day work is above all one thing: colorful. The Mühlviertler works for us in the CHICO twisting mill. Not only the treads for the hammocks and hammock chairs run together with him, but he also is the master of all the threads and spools. Christian is therefore an indispensable force for our hammock production and the CHICO twisting mill is an important piece of the mosaic in the entire manufacturing process. In this blog post, Christian gives us an insight in his field of work and reveals, where his own CHICO-hammock stands.

400 threads & 18 spools

In the twisting mill, Christian has been switching and controlling or rather set and checked for many years – all by himself. In the morning, he prepares the machines for use. Therefore, the spools are attached and arranged according to the desired thread thickness and pattern. Then it starts: The machine is switched on; there is a buzzing and clacking sound and a few seconds later colorful threads flow across the room and over Christian’s head. They combine to a new thread. Around 400 threads, distributed over 18 spools, run into the 5-meter long machine on average. Almost 20 tons of selected yarn we process every year. And Christian? He has an eye on everything.

6 to 9 rounds per day

He makes sure that all the threads are properly inserted and run along them, that empty spools are refilled quickly; that there are no vacancies or waiting times and that everything runs smoothly. Especially with mottled yarns, it’s important that the threads are always placed on the same place. Otherwise, the pattern may change and one of the threads either sticks out or gets lost in the braid. About one hour later, the yarn is ready and is brought directly in the weaving or in the stock. For Christian’s it means: On to round two! Depending on the size of the threads and spools, the machine goes through this process six to nine times daily. In the evening however, it’s easy to care for. “You just have to turn it off,” says Christian with a smile.

Intuition in the production of hammocks

This machine has been in the CHICO twisting mill for three years and replaced an older, slower model with smaller spools. In order to become master of the threads like Christian, you need intuition. A number of other skills are also important. “You have to be quick and stress-resistant and have a lot of endurance,” says Christian. Especially with mottled yarns, it is important to have a certain sense for harmony and colors. Christian brings all of this with him – and much more. Because of this he is also at trade fairs and in the field for us; visits our merchants and advises customers. He also does this with a great passion. “I just enjoy working with the hammock product – almost everyone can do something with it,” he reports. In the last 10 years, many things have changed among customers. “They are now looking at quality, sustainability and transparency and want to know exactly where their product is made.” With us you can be sure that you are holding a high quality hammock in your hands or that you soon can use it in your garden or living room. There is no “made in nowhere”, only made in the Mühlviertel.

Chilling near the border

Apropos Mühlviertel: You are wondering if the master of the threads also has a CHICO hammock at home? “Yes, of course,” he nods. It stands just before the Czech border, not far from the Schwarzenberger Schwemmkanal. There, where up to 8 million cubic meters of wood were once transported to Vienna, Christian is now chilling in his hammock right in front of the front door. Sometimes he enjoys a nap there, other times he just puts his feet up and looks over to the dense forest behind which the Czech neighbors are. And maybe he's even a little proud to be lying on a product whose yarns he was responsible for. At least we are!