Carole Sloan — Furniture Today
Hangzhou plant’s products to include jacquards, velvets

TYNGSBORO, Mass. — Joan Fabrics has entered into a joint venture with the Hangzhou Yongsheng Textile Group to build a textile manufacturing complex in Hangzhou, China.

The new facility will do jacquard weaving, velvet weaving, finishing and cut and sew.
 
“As we looked at our strategic options in China, it has become apparent that we must provide to our customers not only a broad array of textile products but a total package of textile solutions to meet the competitive challenges our industry now faces,” said Joan Chairman Elkin McCallum.

The Yongsheng Group also has a dyeing and finishing facility for the manufacture of suede and other piece-dyed products, and this capability will be available to the new joint venture.

Construction will begin this summer and production will start early next year.

McCallum had announced a China joint venture in 2003, with the Cha Textile Group, but it fell through. Joan also has manufacturing facilities in Mexico.