FABRICATO
Calle 51
Number 49-11
Medellin, Colombia
Tel  (011) 57-4-511-56-66
Fax (011) 57-4-513-41-66
URL antioq.grupopro.com.co

Established in 1920, the Fabricato group and its subsidiaries are a consortium of Colombian companies within the textile and clothing manufacturing business there. Companies within the Fabricato group specialize in the production of yarns, plain woven and non-woven cloth and knitted fabrics, interlinings, household dye goods, and garment manufacturing.

Fabricato's yarns are produced in 100 percent cotton, as well as polyester, and come both raw and died. Its fabrics consist of both plain and knitted weaves, raw, dyed, printed and pre-dyed, as well as 100 percent cotton and cotton-polyester blends, and synthetic fibers for garment, home, decoration and industrial uses. Fabricato's non-wovens include filtration, support and insulation products for industrial, sanitation, health, surgical and household use, including agricultural and geotextiles as well as interwoven materials for fine leather working. It uses woven and non-woven and fusible and non-fusible interlinings for manufactured garments.

Fabricato's operation began in 1923, in the Municipality of Bello, Antioquia, a region that is one of Colombia's most important industrial areas. At its start, Fabricato was devoted to the production of plain cloth, however it later expanded and began diversifying its product production to meet the demands of the market.

Companies falling under the Fabricato family are

Fabricato itself, which produces fabrics from plain cloth, such as blue and colored denim, twill, linen and poplin. Fabricato's plant employs about 5,000 employees and claims to "indirectly" employ 33,000 individuals. The plant operated 83,580 spindles, 3,768 rotors, and 1,057 looms. It consumes more than 70 tons of cotton daily, and almost four tons of other types of fibers.

The second company operating under the Fabricato group is Pantex, which is located in Bello, Antiopuia, was founded in 1944 by Fabricato along with the U.S.-based Burlington Industries. Pantex has been completely owned by Fabricato since 1974 and produces only classic and exclusive synthetic and artificial fabrics for the manufacture of trousers and shirts.

Another is Textiles La Esmeralda, which was founded in 1939, and is located very near Colombia's capital, in Santafe de Bogota. It became a subsidiary of Fabricato in 1966 and is devoted to the manufacture of lightweight fabrics of artificial fibers and synthetics mixed with natural fibers, principally directed toward the women's and children's clothing market.

Other subsidiaries include the following  Riotex, which is located in Rionegro, Antioquia and began operation under Fabricato in 1971. It produces knitted fabrics and operates 29,040 spindles and 75 looms; Notejidos, which began production in 1968 and produces non-woven and disposable fabrics, interlinings for the garment industry, geotextiles, agricultural textiles and products for industrial, household, surgical, and health and sanitation uses; Divisa-or, Diversification Industrial de San Pedro, is located in San Pedro, Antioquia, was established in 1979; Col-Chem, which began operation in 1970, with assistance from Bi-Chem (a chemical affiliate of Burlington Industries), and produces chemical additives for textiles; Cinsa, which was founded in 1981; and, lastly, Comercia, which has branches in Medellin and Santafe de Bogota, was founded in 1980 and which functions as a financial intermediary handling receipts and transmittals.

Technologically, Fabricato is self-sufficient. It works to continually upgrade its production methods and receives its water supply from its own reservoir and industrial and drinking water treatment plants. The company also generates the greater part of the energy it consumes in its hydroelectric and thermoelectric plants.

Fabricato's machinery comes from all over the globe. For its yarn production, Saco-Lowell, Hunter and Trutzchler openers are utilized, as well as Saco-Lowell carding machines. Zinser, Rieter and Saco-Lowell drawers, roving frames and spinners are utilized, as are Murata and Schlafhorst automatic cone winders. For the twisted yarns, Fabricato has Rieter, Saco-Lowell twisters and recently installed a doubler and various other Murata twisters. It has a modern rotor spinning plant with direct opening and high production cards by Trutzschler and spinning by Rieter and Schlafhorst automatic cone winders. Such equipment produces yarn for the manufacture of heavy weight fabrics such as blue denim and 100-percent cotton twill. Hacoba and McCoy warpers are used for blue denim, West Point and Sucker-Muller dyeing and sizing machines, and a Sulzer projectile weaving room are also used.

Fabricato intends to go forward in producing the variety of textiles it has been producing for the past seventy-odd years by continuing to incorporate careful selection of the raw materials it uses, constantly updating the technology used in its production plants and by continuing to hire and train experienced, professional workers.