Despite the global economic downturn, the world's top profile maker, Dalian Shide Plastic Industry Co. Ltd., continues to expand. The Dalian, Liaoning-based company has signed an investment agreement to build a large-scale profile manufacturing facility in Anyi County, Jiangxi province.

Total investment for the new, three-phase project is 1.2 billion yuan ($176 million). Phase one aims to build profile extrusion lines with annual capacity at 80,000 metric tons (176 million pounds), which will be doubled during phase two. The firm will add plastic board and sheet extrusion lines during the last phase.

The Anyi government said its preferential policies encourage investment from outside of the province. Beijing-based China Plastics Processing Industry Association has recognized Anyi as an "exemplary production base of plastic-alloy profile." So far this year, 18 construction product manufacturers have decided to open factories in Anyi.