Polytex Garments develops local apparel industry through its sustainable growth

Polytex Garments Ltd., a part of the global apparel giant the Esquel Group, has been an integral part of Sri Lanka’s apparel industry for the last 36 years, and continues to grow from strength to strength.

Specialising in the production of knit shirts, the company boasts of an impressive client portfolio which includes some of the most popular retail brands in the world such as Nike, Marks & Spencer, Ralph Lauren,Tommy Hilfiger, Hugo Boss and Gap and records over US$ 75million in turnover each year.    

With five factories located in Ja-Ela, Yakkala, Kegalle and Koggala, Polytex Garments currently employs over 6000 employees, many of whom are from the neighbouring cities, and thus the company is able to directly contribute to the development of the communities in which they are based.

In line with the vision of its parent company, the Esquel Group, Polytex Garments is consistently focused on maintaining a safe and rewarding work environment without compromising on the quality of the output. Hence, a testament to its success is the high retention rate among employees, with an approximately 97% retention rate specifically among the graduates of its comprehensive management trainee program, an achievement Polytex considers an extreme honour.

“Polytex Garments is proud of the role we have played in the Sri Lankan garment industry and its development,” said Polytex Group Director in Charge Eardley David. “Since our inception in 1977, our goal has been success through innovation, employee welfare and sustainable growth. In all these regards, our parent company the Esquel Group has been the biggest proponent, and ensures that all of its subsidiaries adhere to the five ‘e-Culture’ policy of ethics, environment, exploration, excellence and education. With their strong backing, we at Polytex Garments hope to further grow as a company, while simultaneously contributing to the local apparel industry as a whole.”

Verifying the potential for growth in Sri Lanka and the Group’s commitment to local expansion, Polytex Garments, in conjunction with the Esquel Group, opened a second unit in Koggala in June 2012. Built on 53,000 square feet of land, the newest addition to the Polytex factories is equipped with 10 additional sewing lines, as well as departments furnished with state-of-the-art automated cutting and washing machines. Successfully completed due to the hard work and collaboration of the management and workers alike, this project has already provided over 600 additional jobs to the youth of Koggala.  

Polytex also strongly believes in training and developing its employees for a change in the work place; enabling its workforce with both technical and managerial training with the view of increasing their productivity and promoting career growth within the organisation.

Being recognised in both a local and international level is also of paramount importance to Polytex Garments; being awarded the ICAN recognition in the year 2011 and 2012 respectively, then having attainted their ISO 9001 certification in the year 2000 then again having obtained the ISO 14001 certification in the year 2002, it truly believes in setting the standard in the garment industry.

The Hong Kong based Esquel Group is the only garment producer which is truly vertically integrated, and is involved in every stage of the supply chain – from cotton farming to point of sale – giving the company the advantage of having optimal control to ensure the highest quality.

As one of the largest apparel manufacturers in the world, the group has a strong regional presence with manufacturing facilities based in China, Malaysia, Vietnam and Mauritius, in addition to Sri Lanka. Furthermore, Esquel is owner of its own retail brand ‘PYE’ and has merchandising offices in multiple cities in the United States, as well as London, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing and Lindau.