CFL Holding Ltd., a China-based manufacturer of luxury vinyl tile, laminates and other flooring, will invest $70 million in Calhoun, Ga., and hire 300 people as it prepares to open its fourth production site.
The company, which goes by Creative Flooring Solutions, says it is the largest exporter of flooring from Asia. The firm is moving into a newly constructed 252,000-square-foot facility in Georgia and plans to expand it by an additional 250,000 square feet.
"This marks a next step in our plan to become a global company, producing closer to where our goods are being sold," CFL co-owner and President Thomas Baert, said in a news release.
Founded by Europeans in 2004, the Jiaxing-based company started by producing laminate and wood flooring with 20 employees and quickly expanded. The company added luxury vinyl products in 2011and wood-plastic composite flooring with rigid-core vinyl in 2014.
To expand production outside of China, CFL built new plants in Taiwan and Vietnam — the website says in a record six months — and started shipping water-resistant laminate products and stone-composite flooring from those sites in 2019. The two plants increased CFL's capacity. Products made there were not subjected to U.S. tariffs imposed on goods from China.
The U.S. plant will help CFL address tariff and logistical challenges, according to CFL co-owner and CEO Tom Van Poyer.
"The CFL factory and showrooms in Calhoun will drastically increase convenience of working with our partners and distributors," Van Poyer said. "Being able to supply products produced in the United States will allow us not only to sustain our leadership position in product design and product innovation but also create a platform allowing second-to-none service through reduced delivery times."
The 300 positions that CFL is looking to fill are for managers, skilled craftsmen, operators and laborers. The company currently employs 3,500 at its three factories and multiple offices and distribution centers around the world.