| Type | Public limited company |
|---|---|
| Industry | Consumer and intermediate goods |
| Founded | 1755 |
| Headquarters | Uxbridge, Middlesex (UK) |
| Key people | Gary Weiss, Chairman Paul Forman, CEO Roger Bevan, CFO |
| Products | Textile arts related |
| Revenue | $1,408m (2009) |
| Employees | 20,603 |
| Website | www.coats.com |
Coats PLC is a sewing thread and needlecraft with operations throughout the World.
Contents |
In 1755 James and Patrick Clark began a loom equipment and silk thread business in Paisley, Scotland.[1] In 1806 Patrick Clark invented a way of twisting cotton threads together to substitute for silk threads which were unavailable due to France's blockade of Great Britain and opened the first plant for manufacturing the cotton thread in 1812.[2]
In 1802 James Coats set up a weaving business, also in Paisley. In 1826 he opened a cotton mill at Ferguslie to produce his own thread[3] and, when he retired in 1830, his sons, James & Peter, took up the business under the name of J. & P. Coats.[2] The firm expanded internationally, particularly to the USA. In 1890 Coats listed on the London Stock Exchange,[1] with a capital base of £5.7M.[3]
In 1952 J. & P. Coats and the Clark Thread Co. merged.[2] In 1961 a merger with Patons and Baldwins created Coats Patons.[1] In 1986 a merger with Vantona Viyella created Coats Viyella.[1] In 2003 the Guinness Peat Group took over Coats Ltd and it is now registered as "Coats plc".[1]
Coats began selling its thread in the United States by the 1830s. It set up a network of agencies to sell its own Coats brand and, in 1869, began local manufacture of thread in Rhode Island. In 1864 the Clark family began manufacturing in Newark, New Jersey as the Clark Thread Co.[1] Thanks to its well-timed direct investments and the development of a flexible managerial structure, Coats came to dominate the American cotton thread market.[4]
Coats plc does business under different names in different countries but most variations include "Coats". For example, in the U.S., it does business as "Coats & Clark, Inc." (consumer) and "Coats American, Inc." (industrial). In the UK and Ireland, it does business as "Coats (UK) Ltd", in Canada as "Coats Canada Inc" (and has an industrial subsidiary "Coats Bell"), and as "Coats Australian Pty Ltd" in Australia. Coats in Egypt does business as "Coats Egypt".
Coats makes and sells thread, zips, yarn, speciality textiles and related goods.
Coats sells items catering to the needs of industries such as footwear, mattresses, quilting, automotive, outdoor and camping goods and furniture. Their operational units are accredited with TS16949, ISO9001, Ford Q1 Mark, SATRA Quality Mark and others.[5]
Coats produces zips for industrial applications in the apparel and speciality sectors, as well as for craft and home sewing usage.[6]
Coats make products suitable for a variety of needlecrafts such as knitting, crochet, embroidery and quilting.[7]