Milliken & Co.

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Milliken & Company, one of the largest, privately held textile manufacturers in the world is a FORTUNE magazine “Best Company to Work For” and one of Ethisphere magazine’s “World’s Most Ethical Companies.” The current Chairman of the Board is Roger Milliken, whose grandfather, Seth Milliken, founded the company in 1865^[1]. Since Milliken is a private company, its business operations and financial records are not available to the public; however, it is generally accepted that the company has more than 10,000 associates with manufacturing operations located in South Carolina, the Southeastern United States, and 7 countries worldwide. Founded in Portland, Maine, Milliken has been based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, since 1958. Of the top U.S. textile companies operating in the later half of the 1900s, it is the only one that has not undergone substantial reorganization or bankruptcy. During this period of instability for the textile industry, and the trend by others to shift to off-shore manufacturing, Milliken & Company has maintained its manufacturing base in the United States while expanding operations into new territories. Milliken serves a variety of industries to include automotive fabrics, interior furnishings, apparel fabrics, industrial products and specialty chemicals. Home to the world’s largest textile research facility, the Company is perhaps best known for its focus on research and development through which it has received Textile Industries Magazine Award for Innovation. Milliken has accumulated over 2000 patents and is ranked #1 in U.S. patents for U.S. companies worldwide. Among its numerous other awards and recognition are honors such as the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the European Quality Award, the British Quality Award, the Canadian Quality Prize, and over 50 JIPM/TPM prizes. In 1996, Milliken was the first company to receive the U.S. General Services Administration’s coveted Evergreen Award for its Earth Square renewable carpet program and commitment to sustainability. Occupational Hazards magazine named Milliken one of “The 17 Safest Companies in America,” and as one of the top 4 companies in the Nation for OSHA Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) STAR sites, all of Milliken’s U.S. manufacturing operations are OSHA STAR certified.