Teejay Lanka doubles production capacity at Indian mill

Teejay Lanka, one of Sri Lanka’s largest textile manufacturers, has announced that the company has doubled the production capacity of its Indian mill, Teejay India, following the completion of an expansion project involving an investment of $15 million. The mill is located within the 1,000-acre Brandix India Apparel City (BIAC) in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh.

Teejay India is now capable of manufacturing up to 42 million metres of weft knitted fabric annually using state-of-the-art machines for knitting, dyeing, finishing, and inspection, according to the company.

The expansion entailed the installation of state-of-the-art machinery for knitting, dyeing, finishing, and inspections as well as fully-automated packing machines, a lab dip dispenser for colour service, and a chemical dispensing system. These can produce 12,500 tons of fabric a year.

The expansion has also generated additional employment opportunities for up to 276 people, the company disclosed.

The formal opening of the expanded Teejay India manufacturing plant took place recently with the participation of senior management of Teejay operations in Sri Lanka and India, major shareholders Brandix and Pacific Textiles of Hong Kong and representatives of key customers.

The company’s deputy CEO, Pubudu De Silva said, “We now have a remarkable new facility in India which is one of the best in BIAC and sends a clear message that Teejay is a global company which believes in high standards of production, and is ready to take on more orders.

"The decision to expand despite tough market conditions is likely to be one of the best the company has made, as it equips Teejay to tap into the broader Asian and expanding EU business.”

Teejay India was incorporated in 2009 as Ocean India Private Limited and became part of the Teejay Group in 2015, as a fully-owned subsidiary of Teejay Lanka. It was renamed as Teejay India Private Limited in 2016 with the rebranding of Teejay.