Shakespeare Co. Adds China Facility
Shakespeare Co., a division of U.S.-based K2 Inc., has recently opened a new 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Guangzhou, China, to complement its U.S. and U.K. operations. The company said the Chinese operation, named Shakespeare (Hong Kong) Ltd., will allow it to continue its focus on global growth in the monofilament and specialty nylon polymers markets.“The addition of production capacity in China fits into our global growth strategies and facilitates our supply to the emergent Asian markets,” said Jim Bennett, company president.“Our manufacturing base now includes four facilities on three continents, allowing Shakespeare to be more responsive to customer needs on a worldwide basis.”The Chinese facility is the latest step in Shakespeare’s growth plans.In 1997, the company expanded its U.S. manufacturing capacity at its Columbia, South Carolina, facility to double the production of specialty nylon resins for external customers. In 2001, the company acquired the assets of BASF Conductive Fibers in Enka, North Carolina, which produces carbon suffused conductive fibers. In 2003, Shakespeare acquired the EMS-GRILTECH Grilon® polyamide monofilament production facility in Switzerland and relocated it into an expanded Shakespeare site in the United Kingdom, essentially doubling the capacity there.
May/June 2005