HARTSVILLE, S.C., Jan. 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Sonoco (NYSE: SON)
will open a new tube and core converting facility in Wujiang, Shengze town of
Jiangsu province, China, and has signed a ten-year supply agreement with
Jiangsu Hengli Chemical Fiber Co. Ltd., Wujiang, it was announced today by
Harris E. DeLoach, Jr., president and chief executive officer, Sonoco.
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"The new facility, currently under construction, is expected to be
operating commercially by the third quarter of 2004. While we currently supply
this area from our operation in Shanghai, by locating an operation in Wujiang
it is our intention to better serve the growing domestic textile market
developing around the Wujiang area. This area is quickly evolving from a
dyeing and weaving center to a vertically integrated textile center and may
well become one of the largest textile centers in the world," said DeLoach.
"We are particularly honored to have been named a long-term supplier by
Jiangsu Hengli, one of the larger filament producers in China," he added.
"This expansion is indicative of our commitment to China, which is
particularly important in light of the continuing movement offshore of North
American manufacturing, especially in the textile industry," stated DeLoach.
Sonoco's current operations in China include a paper mill and a tube and
core converting facility in Shanghai and another converting facility in
Kaiping.
Sonoco, founded in 1899, is a global manufacturer of industrial and
consumer products and provider of packaging services, with operations in 32
countries, serving customers in some 85 nations. For more information about
the Company, visit the Sonoco Web site at www.sonoco.com .
SOURCE Sonoco