P.M. to open clothing factory

Press, 21 May 1981, Page 6

P.M. to open clothing factory

A new womenswear factory, employing more than 100 workers, will be opened by the Prime Minister (Mr Muldoon) for the Lane, Walker, Rudkin Industries group in Aranui tomorrow. At present, 46 machinists are working at the factorymaking women’s nightwear, underwear, and T-shirts, which are included in the Snugtops and Pickaberry ranges. • • .? According to Mr M. F. Young, the managing director of L.W.R. Womenswear, Ltd, the new name for . the division, the factory has the capacity to house 120 machinists, when fully functional, and ' L.W.R. Womenswear would be working gradually towards this goal. However, in the next 12 months the objective was to be able to employ about 80 machinists, Mr Young said.

- About 50 per cent of the [ machinists employed at I present had come from the • Lane, Walker, Rudkin parent , factory in Sydenham: The ;• remainder, most of them experienced machinists, had ; come from .the Aranui dis- \ trict,: and all: had been , trained in the production of , the < women’s" clothing, he • said.'' : ' Mr Young, said the factory would be working a single . shift, 40-hour week. • ' ??’ The factory, in Helerica , Avenue, Aranui, is a modern ; building previously owned by : Dominion Yarns and Fabrics, • which closed its Christchurch ■ branchlastyear. .; Lane, Walker, Rudkin’s de-. • ■' cisidn• to open. the new fac- ; tory was based on the Government’s .; decision to ! restrict clothing imports to >lO per. cent of the total i : market -volume for at. least ? the.next.five years. ' \ -■