Star Garments, Sri Lanka, was founded in 1978 by a US company in the first export processing zone in Katunayake with the objective of capitalizing on Sri Lanka’s shift to an open economy. Beginning with just one [01] factory and 300 employees, the company grew swiftly by 2015 to consist of six [06] factories and 5,000 employees – becoming the main exporter for major markets in the USA and Europe.
Today, it is one of the key players in the Sri Lankan apparel industry, contributing heavily to the nation’s economic growth.
Star Komar’s decades of experience backed by solid and transparent business practices make the company a partner that customers and employees’ value and trust.
As ownership changed in 2016 with Komar taking over operations, the strategy to manufacture and produce for customer specifications continued to exceed all expectations. From thereon, a major shift in the focus and strategic operations of the company began. This has led to the company offering more value-added/ value for money services to its vast clientele, thus continued the illustrious history of the newly formed Star Komar Garments in Sri Lanka.
The takeover resulted in a strategic brand and service investment to upgrade factories with innovative tech and international quality support services.
This change in management allowed for the formation of four [04] more operational bases leading to a total of ten [10] manufacturing facilities and over 8,000 employees.
2016 also paved the way for several industry-led innovations such as The Komar Digital Asset Management System (KDAM) which consists of an efficient digital archive of fabrics, prints, and trims; CAD use in print developments for textile; the addition of a marketing and design arm that aids in the professional retouching of imagery for international retail, e-commerce and product catalogs, and the addition of Product Development allowing for the easy transition of international designer styles from sketch to physical garments, ready for shipping.
2017 saw the opening of Sri Lanka’s first Passive House sustainable construct by Star Komar, which inevitably led to another year in innovative excellence (2018). The opening of their new headquarters not only signified a fresh take on sustainable growth and practices but also ushered in a new phase in pioneering innovation and technologically advanced front-end services in design and product development.
Star Komar’s success has allowed the company to consistently work to improve efficiencies within manufacturing, 3D modelling (allows for the development of samples on a 3D platform and reduces the need for physical samples to be created) and LeadTec (a unique system of product tracking, available at each operational level along the production floor – allowing for accurate assessment of efficiency).
As Star Komar continues to be at the forefront of the apparel industry in Sri
Lanka, the last two years have seen an increased focus on sustainable initiatives, upgrading tech capabilities in the pursuit of wanting to effect change in the overall industry and local business practices.
Star Komar is currently in the process of obtaining LEED certification for several plants as well as becoming a net carbon neutral Group of Companies.