History
Leading Needle Manufacturers Today
Today, industrial sewing machine needles are manufactured by a relatively small group of specialized manufacturers, many of whom have been in the business for decades. Many “brands” you see on the market actually come from just a handful of factories, especially Organ, Orange, and Groz-Beckert/Schmetz.
Some smaller regional brands in China, India, and Southeast Asia make industrial needles but usually focus on domestic markets or OEM contracts. The choice of a needle often depends on the machine type (lockstitch, overlock, chainstitch, bar-tack, embroidery, etc.) and the material being sewn. Straight needles remain dominant, especially for clothing and general textile work, while curved needles are steadily growing in specialized sectors like upholstery and leather goods.
• Organ Needles Co., Ltd. (Japan) – One of the largest Japanese manufacturers, supplying needles for a wide range of industrial sewing applications. Needle types: Industrial-quality straight needles (e.g. DB×1, 16×231, 135×17, 287WH), overlock/serger needles (e.g. DC×27, B×27), commonly used systems across industrial applications. Production: Headquarters and design in Japan; substantial production in Vietnam (quality considered equivalent). Diamond Needle Corp. (U.S.) – Founded in 1951, it is one of the world’s largest distributors of sewing machine needles. Their alliance with Organ Needle Co., as their exclusive North American distributor, gives the U.S. the backing of the world’s leading quality maker of sewing machine needles.• Orange Needles — Taewon Needle Ltd., (Republic of Korea) – known for both home and light-industrial machine needles. Merrow Superior (U.S.) — The exclusive distributor of ORANGE Brand needles in the United States, a partnership announced in May 2022. Merrow Superior LLC acquired Goldberg Supply Company in September 2022, which was a previous distributor of Orange needles, integrating their operations into Merrow Superior to serve dealers and distributors of sewing parts.
• Groz-Beckert (Germany) – The largest industrial needle maker, producing needles for sewing, knitting, felting, weaving, and tufting machines. Wide-ranging—over 70,000 types for sewing, knitting, nonwovens, tufting, weaving, technical textiles, and shoe production, including both straight and specialized needles. Production: Global, with core engineering and R&D in Germany. The company absorbed Ferd. Schmetz with manufacturing in Germany, Switzerland, and India.• Schmetz (Germany) – Long-established brand, known for both household and industrial sewing needles. Schmetz (now under Groz-Beckert). Known for both industrial and domestic needles—straight, twin, leather, specialty types. Production: Engineered in Germany; manufactured in India per German specifications.• Singer (originally U.S., now produced under license, often by Organ or other OEMs) – Still sells industrial machine needles under the Singer brand.• Klasse (Singapore) – Primarily home-sewing focused, but also offers some industrial lines.• Lammertz (Germany/Brazil) – Makes industrial needles, particularly for heavy-duty sewing and leatherwork.• Jeans Needles / TNC (Taiwan) – Manufactures a range of industrial sewing needles, often as OEM for other brands.• Triumph Needle Co. (U.S.) – Supplies industrial sewing needles for specific sectors, often sourcing from major OEMs and rebranding.• Bekaert (Belgium) – Specializes in certain technical textile needle applications.• Ucan Zippers (U.S.) — The last full-service zipper manufacturer in Los Angeles.