Supplier AST Sportswear, Inc. which operates in the promotional products industry under the Bayside Made In America (UPIC: BAYSIDE) brand, has acquired the former American Apparel dyeing and finishing plant in Hawthorne, California.
That 95,000-square-foot plant, which had been shut down earlier this year, will resume operations starting in early 2017. Anaheim-based AST Sportswear plans to create approximately 120 new manufacturing jobs as a result of the acquisition. The purchase includes machinery and equipment related to fabric dyeing and finishing, along with industrial dyers, compressors and boilers.
Abdul Rashid, AST Sportswear’s chief operating officer, says, “The purchase of the Hawthorne dyeing and finishing plant is an imperative addition to AST Sportswear, Inc.’s, production capacity. While AST Sportswear, Inc. already operates knitting, cutting andsewing operations, this procurement will further reduce our reliance on contract dye facilities. This will allow us to expand our product offering, streamline our supply chain, lower costs and ensure better quality control. In acquiring these assets and the additional investments planned at this facility for the future, the company believes it will be able to bring virtually all of its dyeing volume in-house.”