Polymer Group Inc. (PGI), North
Charleston, S.C., recently opened its Asian region headquarters in Suzhou, China. The newly built
facility, located in Suzhou Industrial Park, houses both administrative offices and manufacturing
operations.
“The new Asian headquarters will facilitate greater collaboration and cooperation among our
teams, and also puts the leadership for the Asian business in the same location as our newest
manufacturing site,” said Jay Cheng, vice president and general manager, PGI Asia.
The company has installed state-of-the-art spunmelt manufacturing and finishing lines at the new
facility, which are expected to be operational in the third quarter of this year, producing
high-performance engineered materials for medical and hygiene applications. The new multi-beam line
from Germany-based Reifenhäuser GmbH & Co. KG Maschinenfabrik will produce medical barrier
fabrics under PGI’s MediSoft™ brand, and the finishing line will treat the fabrics in an ultraclean
environment. According to the company, the new manufacturing operations make it the largest
spunmelt supplier in China and the only vertically integrated producer of finished medical
fabrics.
ZQ Zhan, PGI Asia’s new financial
director, will oversee all financial operations. Other functions in the Suzhou office include
information technology, sales and marketing, and administrative support.
In addition, PGI reported its Nanhai facility recently installed advanced chemical bonding
and also will serve the medical and hygiene markets.
July/August 2006