One of Rhea County’s biggest manufacturing employers is expanding its apparel mill and distribution complex in Dayton, Tennessee, and adding 91 more jobs.
Robinson Manufacturing, a 94-year-old family-owned textile firm, announced Tuesday that it is investing $15 million to increase its manufacturing and warehousing facilities in Rhea County to meet increased demand for its products. The company has added a new distribution center at its existing location at 1140 Broadway St. in Dayton and has begun hiring more workers to staff its facilities.
“Our deep roots in the generations of the people of Rhea County is the foundation of our success,” said Patrick Robinson, president of Robinson Manufacturing Company. “We certainly look forward to our future as well as continuing to provide jobs for our great community.”
Robinson Manufacturing manufactures, decorates, warehouses and distributes apparel for customers around the world. Since it start in 1927, the company has manufactured apparel for a wide range of distribution, including nearly 90 percent of its production on World War II efforts in the 1940s.
At its peak, Robinson Manufacturing employed more than 1,200 workers at nine plants in Tennessee and Alabama. With the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, Robinson shifted more of its production overseas and closed most of its U.S. plants. But Robinson has continued to make and decorate specialty apparel in Dayton, where it continues to employ nearly 400 workers.