HPFABRICS Plans $1.1 Million Investment to Return Former Textiles Plant to Productive Use
By Ford Porter, NC Governor’s Office
HPFABRICS, Inc., a manufacturer of raw fabrics, has selected Forsyth County for a new production and product development facility, creating 260 jobs over three years, Governor Roy Cooper announced on June 19, 2017. The company plans to invest $1.1 million over the next 2 years in a plant in Winston-Salem that formerly housed Microfibres, a company no longer operating in the city.
“North Carolina offers the skilled workforce companies need to succeed,” Governor Cooper said. “The specialized experience our workers bring to the table is known around the world, and that stellar reputation played an important role in the company’s decision to come to our state.”
HPFABRICS is a subsidiary of Tukek Holdings, A.S., headquartered in Istanbul, Turkey. The holding company maintains manufacturing outposts around the world.
The Winston-Salem facility will play an important connecting role in the Tukek global production network while producing raw fabrics for a variety of commercial and consumer goods, including upholstery. The company expects to create additional jobs and investment at the facility over a five-year period.
“It’s a pleasure to see an idle facility come to life again, opening new opportunities for North Carolina’s talented workers,” said North Carolina Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland. NC Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of NC were instrumental in supporting the company’s investment decision.
The new positions in Forsyth County will provide a payroll impact of more than $8.2 million annually to the local economy.
“This investment will help Tukek to strengthen its global position in the flocking industry while bringing the lost jobs back and creating much more than what Microfibres had to offer at its best years,” said Rafet Tukek, the president of HPFABRICS and Tukek Holding, A.S. “This investment will also strengthen trade between Turkey and the United States of America and will be one of the first manufacturing-related direct investments made by a Turkish company into the United States economy.”
A performance-based grant of $250,000 from the One North Carolina Fund will help facilitate HPFABRICS’ location to Forsyth County. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance to local governments to help attract economic investment and to create jobs. Companies receive no money upfront and must meet job creation and capital investment targets to qualify for payment. All One NC grants require a matching grant from local governments and any award is contingent upon that condition being met.
In addition to North Carolina Commerce and the Economic Partnership of North Carolina, other key partners in the project include the North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, Forsyth County, the City of Winston-Salem, and Winston-Salem Business, Inc.
Ed. Notes:
According to a Winston-Salem Journal article article published June 15, 2017, public hearings were scheduled for today and next week to address HPFABRICS’ request for public funds as incentives for doing business in NC.
See also the May 2017 story in The Valley Breeze regarding a textile facility HPFABRICS recently purchased in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
