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South Korea-based manufacturer Hansae has been working with Gap Inc. since 1991, producing a wide range of apparel for its house of iconic brands, including Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta.
The two companies recently celebrated their longstanding ties during a ceremony at Gap Inc.’s San Francisco headquarters, where Hansae was awarded the group’s “2024 Supplier of the Year” award by Gap Inc. president and CEO Richard Dickson and chief supply chain officer Sally Gilligan. Hansae CEO K. Kim attended in person to accept the award at Gap Inc.’s first Supplier Summit since the pandemic.
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“In 20 years of collaboration, Hansae has continuously inspired and grown with us to become our largest sourcing partner,” Dickson said.
Hansae started working with Gap in 1991 as a subcontractor. Since then, the relationship has grown and today the parties have a direct, strategic collaboration. “This marks the significant milestone to be recognized by Hansae’s number one buyer as a true strategic partner,” said Richard Cha, senior vice president, division manager of Gap Inc. sales at Hansae.
Gap Inc. is Hansae’s largest customer, leveraging the breadth of its production capabilities across Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta.
To expedite the millions of units produced annually for each brand, Hansae has 87 global employees dedicated to Gap Inc.’s business across its facilities, producing a range of apparel including knits, wovens and performance products for all ages and genders.
In presenting the award, Dickson spotlighted Hansae’s investment in automation and sustainability.
As part of its digital transformation, Hansae introduced its smart factory solution Hansae Advanced Manufacturing System (HAMS), which monitors production in real-time. Integrating digitalization at all points in the process, HAMS shares data on production efficiency, machine status and more.
Hansae’s sustainability efforts include the use of biomass fuel sources and energy efficiency programs, reducing water consumption and establishing social responsibility initiatives to improve the lives of its workers. “Their overall operations have consistently achieved gold rating, and [Hansae] also set science-aligned targets, including a goal to phase out coal usage by 2025,” said Dickson.