Hong Kong-based global apparel major Epic Group on Wednesday opened its first manufacturing unit in India at Kalibeti industrial estate in Odisha’s Khurda district.
The Trimetro manufacturing campus, developed with an estimated investment of $100 million, commenced production within a record 15 months of its foundation stone being laid.
Billed as the country’s first fully net-zero carbon and net-zero water garment production facility, it is expected to generate around 10,000 jobs in phases, with nearly 80 per cent of the workforce likely to be women.
Spread over 40 acres, the state-of-the-art campus has been developed as one of India’s most advanced apparel manufacturing hubs, combining large-scale export-oriented production with climate-resilient infrastructure. With 32 production lines housed in two complexes, it is the company’s single largest production unit in the country.
Epic Group chairman Ranjan Mahtani said the company’s Odisha facility is set to become a major centre of attraction, with the Trimetro campus designed to manufacture 20 million garments annually for leading international brands. He said the project would position Odisha as an emerging destination in the global textile and apparel supply chain.
“Food, shelter and clothing define human life. We are here to create jobs for the people of Odisha, with a strong focus on women-led employment generation. We will train local workers and equip them with world-class skills to compete globally,” Mahtani said.
Describing the project as a benchmark for responsible industrialisation, he said the Odisha facility is a model of how manufacturing can grow sustainably. “It is more than a factory and a blueprint for the future of global manufacturing. This is just a humble beginning. We have a lot more in the pipeline,” he added.
The garment manufacturing unit has been developed with a combination of onsite and offsite solar power, sustainable biomass energy, battery storage systems, and high-efficiency machinery to minimise carbon emissions. Epic’s another unit is coming up in a joint venture with Creative Group in Umargam, Gujarat.
Anu Arora, director of Epic Group, said production has already commenced at Trimetro’s first complex, which has 16 production lines, while operations at the second complex are set to begin shortly. “This is the most advanced apparel manufacturing unit in the country. From fabric cutting to finished products, branding and packaging, everything is being carried out under one roof. Most of the garments produced here will be exported,” she said.
The facility was inaugurated by Minister for Industries, Skill Development and Technical Education Sampad Chandra Swain in the presence of the company’s promoters, senior executives, government officials, and industry representatives.
Speaking at the event, Swain said it was the first major industrial project in the state for which the foundation stone had been laid by the new government and that had been completed and inaugurated in record time.
“This apparel unit is a powerful example of women-led development. When industries empower women, they contribute not only to economic growth but also to stronger families, more resilient communities, and a more inclusive society,” he said.
Beginning as a textile trading house decades ago, Epic Group evolved into a major global manufacturing enterprise with over 400 production lines in 17 manufacturing facilities across Asia, Africa, the UAE, the United Kingdom, Jordan, and the United States. The company employs over 40,000 people worldwide.
The Odisha project has received funding support from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. In 2024, IFC extended a $100 million debt financing package to Epic Group, comprising a sustainability-linked loan and a green loan with sustainability-linked features, for the Trimetro campus along with Epic’s broader regional expansion plans, including operations in Bangladesh.
Industry estimates place Epic Group among the significant exporters in the global apparel supply chain, with annual business turnover running into billions of dollars through diversified sourcing, manufacturing, and design operations across continents.
With a strong presence in the US, Europe, and Japanese markets, its operational model spans fabric sourcing, product development, design innovation, manufacturing, quality assurance, and logistics, enabling integrated supply solutions for global apparel retailers and brands, including Walmart, Uniqlo, Levi’s (Levi Strauss & Co), Tesco, C&A, and Sainsbury’s.
Women employees busy in stitching garments inside the Trimetro manufacturing campus of Epic Group in Khurda
