Posted April 7, 2014

 

Following its October announcement that it was buying competitor Glenoit Fabrics in Tarboro, N.C., Monterey Mills plans to invest $250,000 in the operation to gain a greater share of the growing sliver knitting industry, according to yarnsandfibres.com.

 

Monterey Mills, based in Janesville, Wis., said Glenoit is North America's largest sliver knitter and paint roller fabric supplier.

 

Glenoit’s special sliver knitting process locks individual fibers directly into a lightweight knit backing, allowing each fiber to stand upright, free from the backing to form the soft pile on the face of the fabric, according to its website. This makes Glenoit’s comfort pile fabrics softer, warmer, more drapable and more resilient than fabrics made from yarns, the company said.

 

The plant currently employs 50 people and, with the investment, that number is expected to double this year, according yarnsandfibres.com.

 

Monterey Mills acquired Glenoit, which employed more than 1,000 people in the late 1990s, from a local ownership group in October.