Frontier Spinning Mills Inc.,
Sanford, N.C., and Cheraw, S.C.-based Cheraw Yarn Mills have merged their businesses. Cheraw now
operates as a division of Frontier, retaining its name and management team, according to Bill
Malloy, Cheraw’s vice president.
“We’re pretty excited about the merger,” Malloy said, adding that the two companies are a “
good fit” for each other. He explained that Cheraw spins open-end cotton, polyester/cotton and
polyester yarns for specialized, niche applications, while Frontier — which spins cotton and
cotton/blend yarns using open-end, air-jet and vortex machinery — is more volume-oriented.
Cheraw will retain all of its employees, who number approximately 165, and also plans to
install new equipment, Malloy added.
Frontier operates seven other plants in various locations in North Carolina and Alabama, and
employs approximately 1,500 people, not including those at Cheraw.
The merger with Cheraw comes on the heels of Frontier’s acquisition of the Columbus,
Ga.-based denim spinning operation of Swift Galey, an Atlanta-based apparel, home and hospitality
textiles manufacturer. Frontier will move the machinery from that operation to plants in North
Carolina, and will spin yarn for Swift Galey’s denim fabrics.
May/June 2006
