In the 1950s, Macintosh produced clothing for the Dutch market, with relatively low wage costs and high productivity. In the early 1960s, production was extended to Belgium due to the shortage of labour and increasing wage costs in the Netherlands. Contract finishing was also used extensively, particularly in Eastern Europe. A further rise in wage costs in the Benelux led to the establishment or acquisition of production companies in Portugal, Tunisia and Brazil in the late sixties and early seventies. Macintosh had become the biggest clothing manufacturer in Europe under the dynamic leadership of Mr J.P. Beijer.