South Asia apparel conglomerate, MAS Holdings, recently took a significant step as it sealed its commitment to become the first Sri Lankan apparel group to commence manufacturing in the United States. MAS Holdings will achieve this through the acquisition of the business operations of Acme McCrary Corporation, which is established in North Carolina.

Its Western Hemisphere Organisation will operate in four locations. Existing manufacturing facilities in Asheboro, North Carolina, USA and Choloma, Honduras will be upgraded, and complemented by a brand new facility in the Caracol Industrial Park in Northern Haiti. In addition the collaboration includes a distribution centre, also in Asheboro.

The four facilities, totaling over 800,000 ft² will add immense value to MAS, complementing its Sri Lanka and wider offering to its U.S. Customers with an ‘on-shore and near-shore’ strategy, to deliver speed and flexibility, enabling the organisation to react rapidly to the dynamic market environment.

It is noteworthy that MAS’ recent global expansion announcements come in the backdrop of a significant investment it made earlier this year in Sri Lanka, pledging over $28 million for export oriented projects at the new MAS Fabric Park Giriulla, in Sri Lanka. The 42-acre facility is expected to create over 3,000 direct employment opportunities in three years of operations.

Commenting on the venture, Chairman MAS Holdings, Deshamanya Mahesh Amalean said “As a continuously evolving organisation, we are constantly looking to transform our design and manufacturing landscape to best represent the dynamic interests of our customers. The need for a robust model that enhances speed of response and cost competitiveness without compromising quality, to ultimately provide winning product creations for our customers, has always been at the core of our business principles. Bringing the strength of MAS Holdings together with Acme McCrary Corporation’s 100 year heritage will provide our customers with a unique value proposition, which we are honoured to champion, going forward.”

Since its humble beginnings in 1987, MAS Holdings has significantly expanded its operations in Sri Lanka, and employs over 70,000 associates on the island, in 40 locations. Its international expansions have added a further 15,000 associates in 14 countries, prior to these new investments.

MAS is a globally recognised concept-to-delivery solutions provider, with an ecosystem of design offices, apparel plants, an integrated supply chain, customised IT solutions for the apparel and footwear industry, private Industrial Parks and retail brands.

Featured from left to right: Neal Anderson – CEO of Acme McCrary, Bill Redding – Chairman of Acme McCrary, Deshamanya Mahesh Amalean – Chairman MAS Holdings, Shirendra Lawrence – COO MAS Holdings, Donnie White – President of Acme McCrary & Ramesh Fernando - CEO MAS Western Hemisphere Strategy

Bill Redding – Chairman of Acme McCrary & Deshamanya Mahesh Amalean – Chairman MAS Holdings