New facility gives focal point for Glen Raven Asia

Staff -- Casual Living, 11/1/2006 12:00:00 AM

Glen Raven Inc., a global provider of innovative performance fabric solutions, completed construction of a new facility in Suzhou, China.

The 190,000-sq.-ft. facility near Shanghai will serve as the headquarters for Glen Raven Asia, a multifaceted business center for Glen Raven's product development, marketing, sourcing and manufacturing activities in China and throughout Asia.

"China and the Asia-Pacific Rim are vitally important markets for Glen Raven and for our customers," said Allen E. Gant Jr., president of Glen Raven, Inc. "With this base of operations in China, we will be well positioned to assist our clients with their global sourcing needs, while we also develop, manufacture, market and distribute our own brands throughout Asia."

A key component of the new Glen Raven Asia facility is a vertically integrated manufacturing operation supporting Glen Raven's Sunbrella brand of performance fabrics. Weaving preparation, weaving, finishing and distribution capabilities will enable Glen Raven to support casual furniture manufacturers with operations in China.

"In creating the new manufacturing capabilities, we invested in the latest textile technology from around the world," said Steve Ellington, general manager of Glen Raven Custom Fabrics. "This commitment to innovation will not only result in high quality products, but also a quality work environment for our associates."

Glen Raven's China facility will employ more than 300, with Hua Li (Wally) serving as general manager of Glen Raven Asia. Glen Raven Asia will also support Glen Raven Technical Fabrics, a subsidiary offering a broad array of performance fabrics for automotive, protective apparel, military and outdoor markets.