On the strength of the growing popularity of sustainably made products, a Triad company best known for its REPREVE brand of yarns made from recycled bottles is looking to fill more than 70 positions at two area manufacturing facilities.
To meet the demand, Greensboro-based Unifi (NYSE: UFI) is holding simultaneous hiring events Saturday, May 1, for a range of jobs at its facilitates in Yadkinville and Madison. Now in its 50th year in business, Unifi recently reached the milestone of 25 billion post-consumer plastic bottles recycled. The world’s leading recycled fiber, according to the company, REPREVE is used in products and apparel made by 117 brands including Aeropostale, Levi Strauss, Jordache, Patagonia, O’Neill, Ford Motor Company, New Balance, The North Face, Haggar and more.
Increasing demand for REPREVE yarns is in large part driving the hiring effort, according to Unifi Senior Vice President of Commercialization Jay Hertwig.
“It really is associated with a lot of growth that we're seeing, not only in demand but also in the resurgence of manufacturing after the pandemic,” Hertwig told Triad Business Journal. “For our sustainability efforts and our eco-friendly products specifically, we’re seeing that demand increasing significantly, so we definitely need more people to service the growing demand for our REPREVE branded products.”
Unifi is hiring for a variety of positions from machine operators to manufacturing floor management at both its Yadkinville polyester making facility, which is also home to its REPREVE recycling center, and at its nylon yarn plant in Madison. Starting pay is $15.46 per hour and up, depending on position and experience. Unifi is also offering a $1,000 sign-on bonus to new employees plus a full range of benefits.
“They're going to be trained in a state-of-the art facility,” Hertwig said of the new hires. “Beyond that, they're going to continue to see a shift in technology as Unifi continues to invest in the latest and greatest texturizing equipment that will make their jobs easier and improve the overall work environment. You typically associate manufacturing with loud and dirty places, but when you walk into Unifi, that's not the case.”
The company also operates a facility in Reidsville, which is a dye house for polyester, nylon and cotton yarns. Attached to that facility is its REPREVE bottle processing center, where it takes in post-consumer plastic bottles and converts them into flake, which is shipped to Yadkinville to be processed at the REPREVE recycle center.
With its headquarters in Greensboro, Unifi currently employs 1,957 in the Triad and some 2,700 globally.
A pioneer in the recycled yarns industry, Hertwig said Unifi’s emerging partnership with Waste Management (recently rebranded WM) and growing customer base from clothing makers to manufacturers ranging from footwear to automobiles is driving demand for REPREVE products. Some, like WM, are highlighting REPREVE in advertising campaigns.
“We have a great partnership with WM, which is working to change its image to a company that focuses on sustainability and promotes recycling,” Hertwig said. There is a lot of environmental activity, and as you have seen during the pandemic people are definitely focusing on the environment. REPREVE is seen as a solution provider and take those bottles and convert them into yarns that become footwear, apparel, home furnishings, automotive interiors and more. We really have been excited about the exposure that we've been able to get on with our work in partnership with WM, and there is more to come with a variety of other brands we’re working with.”
The hiring events will be held at the Yadkin County Chamber of Commerce at 205 S. Jackson St., Yadkinville and at the Yadkinville Lowes Foods at 948 S. State St,, both from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
