A file photo of an employee working in the factory of Xinyuan Silk Group in Nantong. [Photo by Zhang Jian/jschina.com.cn]

A total of 12 Nantong-based companies made the 2020 list of the top 50 garment companies in Jiangsu province, which was recently published by the provincial garment association.

The list comprised three categories based on revenue, profit and profit margin. Eleven Nantong companies made the top 50 list for revenue, and 12 made both the profit and profit margin categories.

Xinyuan Silk Group, based in Hai'an, a county-level city in Nantong, topped Nantong companies and was ranked eighth in both revenue and profit categories.

Nantong was ranked second among cities in Jiangsu in terms of the number of entries, following Suzhou with 21 entries.

Textile and garments have been an essential part of Nantong's manufacturing industry.

In recent years, the local government has been working to promote the scientific and technological research and development of local leading garment businesses led by Xinyuan Silk, with the aim of enhancing their competitiveness in domestic and overseas markets.

During the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020, many Nantong-based garment companies proactively fulfilled their social and industrial responsibilities to produce anti-epidemic materials such as protective clothing and masks to ensure sufficient supplies on the frontline.

These companies had also maintained stable growth through livestreaming, social media and cross-border e-commerce.