In a time when the local American-made garment industry is struggling, a Lehighton business is thriving.

Majestic Fire Apparel Inc. manufactures fire retardant hoods and accessories and apparel for electrical and welding safety and molten metal splash protection.When the business opened in 1997, it dealt primarily with the fire sector, producing the apparel needed for firefighters and military to safely do their job.Since that time, the company has grown their offerings and expanded from five to more than 30 employees.They've also outgrown the current facility and are in the process of expanding.The nondescript building in Franklin Township is filled with activity. Each product begins as a simple cone of fire-retardant thread, but by the time it ships will be capable of protecting its wearer from dangerous flame, molten metal and harmful UV rays (anti-flash)."We knit out our fire retardant materials on site, then cut and sew the products right here," said Janeane Matula, vice president of Majestic Fire Apparel. "We're making this right here. You don't see a lot of garment manufacturers, especially in our area."Fabric is knitted on-site with a knitting machine, using fire retardant thread."The fibers are inherently fire retardant," she added, noting that there are no additives or chemicals added to the thread or finished products, making the process fairly clean and environmentally friendly.The finished product, such as a firefighter's hood (worn underneath the firefighting suit), is as thin and soft as a regular cotton hoodie."When you have something that's very comfortable, people want to wear it," Matula said. "I can design anything, but if it's not comfortable people are not going to wear it."The company knits fabric four days each week. From this fabric, one person is responsible for balancing the work flow and cutting patterns as needed to meet demand. Dozens of workers are on the floor to sew individual garments.Each garment undergoes an inspection, and quality control is key.Majestic Fire Apparel is an ISO 9001:2008 registered company, and as such must meet the latest safety standards for fire retardant apparel. Every person on the floor is trained under ISO regulations.A recent addition to the business is the ability to custom-print ink designs onto products.Completed, inspected products are shipped to more than 500 distributors in the United States and 50 distributors worldwide.Because the company has no minimum order, garment makers could be working to produce one or thousands of the same item. Majestic Fire Apparel prides itself in maintaining nearly a 100 percent on-time shipment record, nearly unheard of in an industry where delays are common. Small orders can be shipped in less than 10 business days.Garment makers work as a team to complete orders and host events together throughout the year. They are a family in that sense, but often are related more literally: Several mother-daughter and sister teams are employed at Majestic Fire Apparel, as are at least one mother-daughter-granddaughter team.While Majestic Fire Apparel continues to cater to the needs of firefighters and military, they've also expanded to include products for electrical safety, welding and molten metal splash protection."When we started in 1997, we were primarily in the fire sector," Matula said. "We merged into electrical safety, and we grew into other markets."The company has been growing steadily as it sees new needs or products are requested. One of their newest lines of products is molten metal splash protection, including jackets, pants, and hoods, which protect against dangerous splashes of molten metal in a foundry. They created this product after being approached by Victaulic of Easton and asked to collaborate on the project, using Victaulic's newly designed fabric."We developed a product that's attracted a lot of attention," she added.This product, known as a BOGU coat, can replace a traditional aluminum guard garment worn by foundry workers. Aluminum guards worked well, but were heavy, uncomfortable, and tended to hold in the intense heat faced by foundry workers. The new fabric and finished product provides similar splash protection but is more comfortable to wear.Matula said that the safety industry has more regulations implemented each year. Many of these regulations are reactive, the result of a tragedy or injury in the field that could have been prevented through better protective gear.Majestic Fire Apparel attempts to stay ahead of the curve, making its products as forward thinking as possible to prevent accidents before they happen."We try to be proactive," Matula said.