Shaw Industries broke ground on a 20,000-square meter carpet tile plant set to open in one year. Following on the heels of the May opening of Shaw Contract Group’s third showroom in Asia, in Beijing, the new manufacturing facility will afford customers quicker access to a wider range of completely recyclable, PVC-free products. The new facility marks a major investment for the company, and will employ the latest manufacturing technology. The plant is located 100 kilometers from Shanghai, close to highways and ports with access to other markets in Asia.
Shaw anticipates producing more than a million square meters of carpet tile in the first year of operating the new Nantong facility designed to ultimately produce five million square meters annually. As the first Cradle to Cradle flooring manufacturing facility in China – in a LEED-certified building – it will minimize the environmental impact of products that would otherwise be shipped from the U.S. to China. The plant will employ 75-100 associates in the first year and 200-250 at full capacity.
The Nantong facility will manufacture carpet tile for the Asia market, and Shaw’s production of carpet fiber in Cartersville, Georgia will increase to support the new facility’s operations.
