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Grand reopening and ribbon cutting of North America distribution centre

  • 04 Jun 2018

Coats, the world's leading industrial thread manufacturer and a major player in the Americas textile crafts market, along with the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission, today celebrated the grand reopening and ribbon cutting of its newly rebuilt North American distribution centre in Albany, Georgia, US.

The original distribution centre in Albany, was devastated by the tornado of 22 January 2017.  After a competitive search across several states in the US, and through partnership with the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission (ADEDC), Coats & Clark, which is part of Coats, decided to locate its new distribution centre on the same site as the original structure.

Stephanie Leichtweis, President, North America Crafts, said: ‘Coats & Clark is proud to be able to continue our presence in Albany-Dougherty County, where we have enjoyed success for the last 71 years.  Having both our manufacturing and distribution facilities located together in Albany enables us to continue to effectively serve our consumers across the Americas through the production and transportation of quality products.’

The new distribution centre stands at 370,000 square feet and has helped to secure more than 300 jobs in Albany-Dougherty County.

Justin Strickland, ADEDC President, said: ‘Being able to keep Coats & Clark’s North American distribution centre in our community, and in close proximity to its manufacturing facility, is a huge win for both Coats & Clark and Albany-Dougherty County.  We look forward to strengthening this company’s legacy in Albany-Dougherty County and to continuing the partnership we have enjoyed with Coats & Clark for many years.’

The new distribution centre employs more than 100 people in the Albany area while the nearby manufacturing facility employs more than 200 people.  The company has maintained manufacturing and distribution operations in Albany since 1947 from where it distributes its industry leading textile crafting brands, including RedHeart®, Dual Duty®, J&P Coats, and Coats & Clark®.

ENDS

For more information contact:
Kristina Blissett, Head of Communications
kristina.blissett@coats.com
T +44 (0)208 210 5084, M +44 (0)7714 539887

Notes to Editors

About Coats

Coats is the world’s leading industrial thread manufacturer and a major player in the Americas textile crafts market. At home in some 60 countries, Coats employs 19,000 people across six continents. Revenues in 2017 were US$1.5bn.

Coats’ pioneering history and innovative culture ensure the company leads the way around the world: providing complementary and value added products and services to the apparel and footwear industries; applying innovative techniques to develop high technology Performance Materials threads and yarns in areas such as automotive, composites and fibre optics; and extending the crafts offer into new markets and online.

Headquartered in the UK, Coats is a FTSE 250 listed company on the London Stock Exchange. It is the Official Thread Supplier to the Royal Shakespeare Company.

  • Each year we make enough thread to go into 8 billion pairs of jeans - that’s one for every person on the planet
  • Every month Coats produces enough thread to stretch all the way to the sun
  • More than 450 million pairs of shoes are made every year using Coats’ thread
  • More than 100 million car airbags are made using Coats’ Performance Materials thread every year
  • In 1879 Thomas Edison used Coats’ thread in his experiments to invent the light bulb
  • Our Red Heart knitting and crochet yarn brand has been named ‘America’s Most Recommended’ by the Women’s Choice Award for three years running
  • Our flame retardant Performance Materials threads can withstand temperatures as high as 1,000 degrees Celsius
  • Coats is the second largest supplier of zips to global brands

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About the Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission

The Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission is a public-private partnership whose mission is to foster new investment and job creation through the recruitment, retention and expansion of industry for Albany-Dougherty County.