A Chinese plastics manufacturer will bring 75 new jobs to
the Greater Lehigh Valley when it opens its first manufacturing plant in
America in Upper Macungie Township.
Fuling Plastics USA held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at its
new location Thursday at 6690 Grant Way near Tilghman Street to mark the
beginning of its manufacturing operations in the Valley – and nation.
Fuling Plastics China’s decision to begin making plastic
products in the U.S. has resulted in the newly incorporated Fuling Plastics
USA.
The company makes plastic cutlery, cups, plates, straws and
other tableware items.
Blue Rock Construction of Fogelsville is doing the interior
fit-out for the 88,0000-square-foot-building, which has sat vacant for several
years, said Jarrett Witt, vice president of economic development for Lehigh
Valley Economic Development Corp. The company looked at several other sites,
but wanted one with rail access.
“When a business is looking to expand, they don’t need to
look any further,” said Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Jim Cawley.
The region’s cooperation with businesses and state agencies
allows for this economic growth to occur, he noted.
Yi Liu, counselor of the Economic and Commercial Office
Consulate General of China in New York, spoke about the improvement in the
business relationships between China and the U.S. as a result of bilateral trade
relations. Companies such as Fuling Plastics could bring with them Chinese
culture and friendship as they open operations in this new location, Liu said.
“You may have a better knowledge of Chinese economy and
Chinese companies,” Liu said. “Someday they will become a major supplier of
plastics tableware in the U.S.”
The company is one of the few Chinese manufacturing
companies to arrive in the region to employ Americans, said Don Cunningham,
president and CEO of LVEDC.
“This is no small relocation,” Cunningham said.
The manufacturer has been operating in China since 1992 and
has made a $20 million investment in its new Lehigh Valley location, Cunningham
said.
Fuling Plastics is also the largest American supplier of
plastics products to restaurants that include McDonald’s, Burger King and KFC,
Cunningham said. The company also supplies big retailers such as Walmart and
Target, he added.
He described the Fuling Plastics as a “very significant”
worldwide manufacturer to a growing economy across the state.
Xin Hu, CEO of Fuling Plastics, developed Taizhou Fuling
Plastics Co. Ltd. in China, starting with a small factory with 10 employees to
an enterprise of more than 1,200 employees, said Bob Chapleski, vice president
of operations for Fuling Plastics USA. Hu also owns many invention patents in
the plastic tableware industry, Chapleski said.
Hu’s wife, Guilan Jiang, is the president of Taizhou Fuling
Plastics Co.
The company exported $60 million in 2013. All of its
products are exported to the U.S., Australia and nations in Europe, South
America and the Middle East.
According to a news release, the company has three
production operations in China, along with a research and development center.
The company also uses a public warehouse in Montgomery County to receive
products from overseas and distribute them throughout the U.S.
The company decided to establish a U.S. manufacturing
operation because of the increased volume associated with its products and the
cost of exporting from China.
Source: LVB.com
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