Vertically integrated denim fabric and garment manufacturer Artistic Milliners, with the commissioning of a new garment facility centered on Industry 4.0 concepts and sustainability measures, has taken a step closer to its objective of establishing the factory of the future.

The new plant will increase Artistic Milliners' garment production by 30% to 43.2 million pieces per year, with a planned manufacturing capacity of 600,000 pieces per month.

The factory is part of Artistic Milliners' developing ecosystem of end-to-end vertical apparel manufacturing. It marks a $60 million investment to boost Artistic Milliners' production output while also committing to gender equality in the workplace.

The plant, which Artistic Milliners claims is run under a human resources policy that promotes inclusion and equity, is part of the company's AM-4 clothing park in Karachi, which encompasses nine acres and employs over 10,000 people.

Murtaza Ahmed, Artistic Milliners’ managing director, said that the launch of this facility is an opportunity to put their vision for the future of garment production into practice. They envision this as a model factory, where the most cutting-edge technological advancements in efficiency and sustainability are combined with the greatest employment practices for women's empowerment and well-being.

The facility will be primarily female-staffed, as it is designed to be a gender-inclusive and fair workplace in accordance with the International Finance Corporation's Family-Friendly Program. Women will make up 70% of the company's employees, with half of the middle management team being female. According to Artistic Milliners, many of these individuals will be employed in non-traditional areas such as dry processing, pressing, and other departments.

Meanwhile, the new 500,000-square-foot facility is designed to achieve USGBC LEED Platinum certification and includes 850-kilowatt solar panels and advanced MBR (membrane bioreactor) water recycling technology, boosting Artistic Milliners' daily water recycling capacity to 1.5 million gallons and assisting the company in meeting its 90 percent recycling goal.

The new smart factory is also equipped with the latest in garment industry automation, which digitizes all manufacturing operations and improves throughput time, in keeping with Supply Chain 4.0 principles.

The plant, which was built to serve Artistic Milliners' top customers, is now up and running and distributing products. It is expected to be fully operational in the first quarter of 2023.