Middletown, Del.-based DelStar Technologies Inc. has opened a wholly owned manufacturing plant in Suzhou, China.
DelStar announced July 1 that the new facility, DelStar Technologies (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., will begin shipping and warehousing products this month.
The 25,000-square-foot plant is starting with two lines operating 24 hours a day, with a third on the way. The plant has 20 employees, and is likely to add more. The plant is equipped to produce extruded netting used in filtration, medical and industrial applications, serving customers and distributors in the Pacific Rim.
Kelly Huang, sales manager of DelStar's Shanghai office since its opening in 1996, said Suzhou is a strategic location.
``It's close to our sales office, our important customers and the ports,'' she said in a July 7 telephone interview. ``Our customers will benefit from shorter lead times and reduced freight expenses.''
The facility is less than two hours from Shanghai.
``DelStar's business in China has made rapid progress since 2000,'' said Huang. The Shanghai office will continue to operate and serve the customer base in China.
``China [and the Pacific Rim] is reaching the double-digit percentage of DelStar's global sales figure,'' said marketing manager Marjorie Wilcox.
Mark Abraham, DelStar president and chief executive officer, said the company is continuing to expand its U.S. manufacturing operations, and the opening of a plant in China is ``in addition to the U.S. program.''
DelStar has manufacturing operations in Middletown; Austin, Texas; Richland, Pa.; and El Cajon, Calif. The Suzhou subsidiary is the only overseas production site. DelStar's other international sales office is in Bristol, England.
