The Lycra Company, manufacturer of fiber solutions for the apparel and personal care industries, has opened its largest spandex production plant — the Lycra fiber (Yinchuan) plant — in Ningxia Province, China, and its largest investment in the Chinese market.
With a total investment of over RMB 800 million, the Yinchuan facility is being developed in partnership with The Lyra Company and Yinchuan Financial Capital Investment Group. In its initial phase, the plant will add 30,000 tons of spandex production capacity, generating an annual output of over RMB 1 billion and creating approximately 500 jobs. Looking ahead, capacity is expected to expand to 120,000 tons annually, addressing the growing demand for spandex across China and the Asia-Pacific region, while enabling faster, more flexible supply chain solutions.
As The Lycra Company’s second production site in China, the Yinchuan facility brings together the company’s management teams and global R&D capabilities to establish an “automated, intelligent production ecosystem,” stated the company in a media release. Production at the Yinchuan facility will align with the company’s sustainability framework, “driving energy savings, reducing emissions, and advancing manufacturing processes.”
“China is strategically important, representing over 50 percent of the global apparel production market, and this partnership enables us to optimize our product mix more broadly while meeting the increase in demand for quality spandex,” said Gary Smith, CEO of The Lycra Company. “I would like to express my gratitude to the local authorities and all our partners for their support and commitment.”
The Lycra Company, headquartered in Wilmington, DE, owns the Lycra, Lycra HyFit, Lycra T400, CoolMax, Thermolite, Elaspan, Supplex, and Tactel brands.
