Columbus, GA, May 7, 2018 – The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) today announced that Gildan Yarns, LLC, will be expanding the production capacity of their facilities in Columbus to better meet the demands for specialty yarns. The Company expects to create approximately 80 jobs in the coming months which will include supervisory, production and maintenance positions.
“The textile industry is making a strong return in the form of manufacturing high tech, and specialty yarns and fabrics,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “This announcement gives a nod to our infrastructure, workforce and other business assets that make Georgia competitive. I am glad to see Gildan take advantage of these assets and grow in Columbus.”
Gildan Activewear Inc. (Gildan), parent company to Gildan Yarns, LLC, is a leading manufacturer and marketer of quality branded apparel that manufactures and markets activewear, innerwear, hosiery and socks across a growing portfolio of brands. The new facility will service growing sales within the fashion basics segment of the North American apparel business.
“We are pleased to announce this expanded capacity and the resulting incremental jobs. Since 2013, we have invested more than USD $400M in seven yarn-spinning operations in the region and now employ in excess of 1400 people, a testimony to the confidence we have in these communities and the strength of the people who have joined our teams”, says Chuck Ward, President of Gildan Yarns, LLC.
Gildan operates large-scale manufacturing facilities covering the full spectrum of processes from yarns to finished garments, with 50,000 direct employees and a strong commitment to operating responsibly and sustainably.
The Company announced its results of first quarter 2018 on May 2. Gildan continued to see strong sales momentum in higher growth product areas such as fashion basics, as well as strong
double digit sales growth in international markets. During the quarter, the Company also successfully launched its full assortment of Gildan® branded men’s underwear on Amazon.
“One of our priorities is to assist our existing companies with the attraction of new employees,” said Russ Carreker, chairman of the Development Authority of Columbus. “Our team and our partners will provide Gildan Yarns, LLC. with expertise and resources to make it easy for them to identify qualified and dedicated people that are interested in working with a company that can achieve success in our community for a long time to come.”
GDEcD Regional Project Manager Anna Hurt represented the Global Commerce division in partnership with the Greater Columbus Georgia Chamber of Commerce, Columbus Development Authority, Georgia Department of Labor and Columbus Technical College.
About Gildan
Gildan is a leading manufacturer of everyday basic apparel which markets its products in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, under a diversified portfolio of Company-owned brands, including Gildan®, American Apparel®, Comfort Colors®, Gildan® Hammer™, Gold Toe®, Anvil®, Alstyle®, Secret®, Silks®, Kushyfoot®, Secret Silky®, Therapy Plus™, Peds® and MediPeds®, and under the Under Armour® brand through a sock licensing agreement providing exclusive distribution rights in the United States and Canada. Our product offering includes activewear, underwear, socks, hosiery, and legwear products sold to a broad range of customers, including wholesale distributors, screenprinters or embellishers, as well as to retailers that sell to consumers through their physical stores and/or e-commerce platforms. In addition, we sell directly to consumers through our own direct-to-consumer platforms.
Gildan owns and operates vertically integrated, large-scale manufacturing facilities which are primarily located in Central America, the Caribbean Basin, North America, and Bangladesh. With over 50,000 employees worldwide Gildan operates with a strong commitment to industry-leading labour and environmental practices throughout its supply chain in accordance with its comprehensive Genuine Responsibility™ program embedded in the Company’s long-term business strategy. More information about the Company and its corporate citizenship practices and initiatives can be found at www.gildancorp.com and www.genuineresponsibility.com, respectively.
About GDEcD
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state’s sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a destination for arts events and location for film, music and digital entertainment projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development. www.georgia.org