Taiwan’s Pou Chen Group, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of casual and athletic footwear for leading brands, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to invest in a manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu, India.
According to the MoU between the Tamil Nadu Government and the Pou Chen group, the latter’s company, High Glory Footwear India Private Limited will invest approximately $280 million over a 12-year period and help generate 20,000 jobs. The proposed investment will likely involve the construction of a factory in the SIPCOT industrial park, which is located in the Kallakurichi district of Tamil Nadu.
Pou Chen produces casual and athletic footwear for international brands. Customers include Adidas, Nike, Asics, Clarks, Reebok, Puma and New Balance among others. The manufacturer has facilities in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam. The proposed plant in Tamil Nadu will be the first in India.
Tamil Nadu produced nearly half of India’s footwear exports over the past five years. The local government says that many brands, including Giorgio Armani and Gucci, are based in Tamil Nadu.
