Indera Mills Thermals

History

Indera Mills was incorporated in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in 1914. Francis Henry Fries, the Company's founder, was a successful entrepreneur. He also started Washington Mills, Arista Mills and served as the first president of Wachovia Bank & Trust Co. Mr. Fries named the Company after an attractive Indian princess named Indera whom he met while on vacation with his family in Egypt in 1907.

From the beginning Indera Mills was a vertically integrated apparel manufacturer, specializing in circular knitted underwear garments. Early products included knitted slips and vests, union suits, knee warmers, and bathing suits. Over time the company refined its product offerings and today focuses primarily on winterweight products. The Indera Mills mission is to be the premier thermal underwear supplier in the U.S. by offering the best product value: style and quality at a very competitive price.

Operations

Indera Mills is one of the three largest suppliers of thermal underwear products in the U.S. They are unique in that they only produce and distribute thermal underwear and winterweight thermal products. As such, the Company is completely focused year-round on fulfilling the needs of its customers to ensure their success and profitability. What distinguishes Indera most from its competition is its ability to "turn on a dime", shipping most customers orders within 24 to 48 hours from time of order receipt.

Indera's products of thermal underwear and winterweight rib underwear are available in various colors and styles for men, women, boys, and girls. The diverse product line ensures those using the product will be comfortable in virtually any climate or weather condition. While the end-users of Indera Mills' products are individuals, the Company's direct customers range from national retailers, sporting goods chains, along with regional and local retailers. In addition to its recognized brand "Indera", the Company specializes in private brands to fulfill the needs of the larger retailers.

Most of the manufacturing process and control is carried out from the Company facilities in Yadkinville, North Carolina, where design, knitting, cutting, distribution, and administrative duties are handled. In 1997 Indera Mills began outsourcing the sewing function to a facility in Monterrey, Mexico. Today nearly 90% of the sewing and packaging is done from this plant. Lower labor costs in the Mexico plant allow the Company to offer the most competitive pricing in the market.

Indera Mills uses an automated inventory management system to ensure the most efficient run, low-cost operation possible. The Company invests aggressively in the latest information technology to ensure that all of its customer needs are met in a timely, correct manner. The Company is completely edi (electronic data interchange) capable.

The Indera Mills business strategy is to maintain its position as a low-cost, high-quality supplier of thermal underwear by emphasizing attentiveness and responsiveness in our customer relationships.