M.J. Soffe is looking to increase capacity in screen printing following strong demand for its decorated products. In an interview with The Fayetteville (NC) Observer, Soffe President Ken Spires said that “our sales guys really did a great job in getting some additional business.”
Spires told the local newspaper that hiring won't be done in its Fayetteville plant and instead, the company will likely look to offshore facilities. Soffe already has a sizeable screen-printing business in its Fayetteville facility.
The company will look for plants in Central America for screen-printing orders that can be placed far enough in advance. Fayetteville workers will continue to focus on mainly the “quick turn” business, such as a particularly hot market that retailers want to have replenished quickly or orders tied to a particular sports team's victory. Fayetteville workers will also continue to fill military orders, which are tied to certain domestic-production requirements.
The newspaper noted that in January, Soffe parent Delta Apparel announced it would be shuttering its textile operations in Fayetteville and would eliminate 107 jobs by the summer, leaving roughly 550 other jobs at the plant.
