NamYang diversifies to stay in vogue

With a portfolio of global brands from the United States and Europe, garment production and export company NamYang International is extending its reach to the mainland. The company will start production for mainland sports clothing brand 361 in November, and hopes that this partnership will pave the way for collaborations with other mainland and regional brands.

"We are interested in expanding our customer market to the mainland through the help of distributors and store chains," says Hong Jin-soo, NamYang International president.

As an original design and equipment manufacturer, NamYang produces women's, men's and children's wear for brands such as H&M, The Limited, Kohl's and Talbots. These well-known brands rely on NamYang's unwavering quality, service and technical design.

With the impact of the economic turmoil in the United States and Europe, NamYang is bullish that Asia can sustain the company's growth momentum. "Market diversification is very important to grow safely. It is how we can stabilise our situation," Hong says.

Bolstering its manufacturing capacity goes hand-in-hand with developing partnerships with more clothing brands. Besides investing in the expansion of existing facilities in Vietnam, the company is eyeing Myanmar and Bangladesh as promising manufacturing hubs to boost its global competitiveness.

The possibility of trade between Myanmar and the US and the trade links between Europe and Bangladesh pushed NamYang to tap the two Asian countries for their abundant labour forces.

NamYang sources 50 per cent of its raw materials from the mainland and the rest from Asia, Europe and the Americas. The materials are sent to NamYang's manufacturing facilities in Vietnam and the Philippines for processing. NamYang has 11 facilities and a total of 120 production lines. While NamYang manufactures garments in different countries, the company keeps a close eye on every step of the production process to ensure quality.