Unifi Manufacturing
{{Infobox company
| name=Unifi Manufacturing, Inc.
| logo=Unifi_Manufacturing_logo.jpg
| logo_upright=1
| image=
| image_caption=
| founder=
| founded={{start date and age|July 1971}}
| products=
| industry=Textiles
| type = Public
| traded_as = {{NYSE|UFI}}
| hq_location_city = Greensboro, North Carolina
| website = {{URL|https://unifi.com/}}
}}
Unifi Manufacturing, Inc. is an American-based international textile manufacturing company which specializes in polyester yarns.
History
In 1971, Allen Mebane, Bill Kretzer, and several other executives left their positions at Universal Textured Yarns to establish their own textile company. In July, they organized Unifi{{cite news| title = Unifi Shares Go on Block| newspaper = The News & Observer| page = 35| date = December 15, 1972| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-unifi-shares-and-e/124634501/}} with headquarters in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. Unifi's first plant was established in Yadkin County that year to texturize polyester yarn. The company expanded quickly, opening additional facilities in Yadkinville{{cite news| last = Romoser| first = James| title = Unifi, Yadkin cope with end of 'glory days'| newspaper = Winston-Salem Journal| pages = A1, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-unifi-history-part/124633970/ A8] | date = December 18, 2005| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-unifi-history/124633956/}} establishing a fabric dyeing and finishing plant in Rocky Mount later that year to process its products from Yadkin.{{cite news| last = Williams| first = Bob| title = Gov. Scott Due To Attend Plant Dedication Ceremony| newspaper = The Evening Telegram| pages = 1-A, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/rocky-mount-telegram/124654532/ 5-A]| date = November 18, 1971| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/rocky-mount-telegram/124654451/}} With additional growth throughout North Carolina and internationally, by the late 1980s and early 1990s, Unifi was one of the United States' largest textile companies. It acquired nylon production through its merger with Macfield in 1991.{{cite news| last = Ryan| first = Christopher| title = Predictions of Success Have Largely Come True| newspaper = Winston-Salem Journal | pages = 13, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal/124756342/ 19]| date = November 23, 1992| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-macfield-unifi-mer/124756264/}} In 1993 the company began acquiring cotton yarn producers. By 1996, it operated 20 mills, and that year Fortune listed Unifi as the best American textile company.{{cite news| last = Hopkins| first = Stella M.| title = Unifi's Cotton Campaign| newspaper = The Charlotte Observer| pages = 1D, [https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer/124663152/ 7D]| date = May 12, 1996| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-charlotte-observer/124662709/}}
In the 1990s the American textile industry faced rapidly growing competition from Asian companies' cheaper products. Many American fabric-weaving companies which Unifi sold its yarns to went bankrupt. The company reacted by cutting costs, leading to layoffs and plant closures. Between 2000 and 2005, Unifi shrank from 5,126 American workers to 3,431. In August 2007, the board of directors removed the company's chief executive officer and five board members resigned,{{cite news| last = Craver| first = Richard| title = Unifi shake-up a surprise| newspaper = Winston-Salem Journal| pages = D1–[https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal/124657289/ D2]| date = August 3, 2007| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal-unifi-leadership-s/124657158/}} causing consternation among economic analysts about Unifi's future viability. The company rebounded with a return to profitability in 2010, largely aided by its embrace of a niche market for polyester yarns made from recycled plastics.{{cite news| last = Craver| first = Richard| title = From the Brink: Unifi has managed to survive the brutal world of textile manufacturing| newspaper = Winston-Salem Journal | pages = C1-[https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal/124657654/ C2] | date = August 8, 2010| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/winston-salem-journal/124657582/}}
Operations
File:Unifi textile plant in Reidsville.jpg]]
Unifi is headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina.{{cite web| url = https://unifi.com/global-supply-chain/north-america| title = Our Operations in North America| publisher = Unifi| access-date = May 14, 2023}} As of June 30, 2024 it had 2,900 employees and operations in the United States, Colombia, El Salvador, and Brazil. Of its workforce, about 1,600 employees worked in North Carolina. The company is publicly traded and in February 2025 had a market capitalization of $114.5 million.
Unifi specializes in synthetic textile products from plastic bottles and textile waste. It processes collected recyclable PET plastic at its facility in Reidsville into chips. The plastic chips are processed into Unifi's proprietary REPREVE yarn at a plant in Yadkinville and then are returned to the Reidsville facility and dyed before being sold to apparel makers and other companies.{{cite news| last = Cataudella| first = Kimberly| title = We tracked Raleigh's recycling process : Unifi Turns Plastic From Raleigh Into Yarn| newspaper = The News & Observer| page = 4A | date = March 26, 2023| url = https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-news-and-observer-unifis-plastic-re/124665490/}} Unifi is the largest private employer in Yadkin County.{{cite news| last = Craver| first = Richard| title = Apparel slump at retail sends Unifi to first-quarter 2023 loss; share price closes down 24.2%| newspaper = Winston Salem Journal| date = November 4, 2022| url = https://journalnow.com/business/local/apparel-slump-at-retail-sends-unifi-to-first-quarter-2023-loss-share-price-closes-down/article_a131d0ac-5b9c-11ed-91ba-e7ecac9ca408.html| access-date = January 12, 2023}} It also maintains a yarn manufacturing facility in Madison which it plans to close in September 2025.{{cite web| url = https://businessnc.com/unifi-now-says-250-will-lose-jobs-when-rockingham-county-textile-plant-closes/| title = Unifi now says 250 will lose jobs when Rockingham County textile plant closes| last = Ellis
| first = Kevin| date = February 5, 2025| website = Business North Carolina| access-date = February 7, 2025}}