China-based recycled polyester staple fiber products manufacturer JN Fibers Inc. will invest $45 million to set up a manufacturing facility in Richburg, S.C., to recycle used polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles into polyester staple fiber for use in automotive, furniture, home textiles and upholstery products. The project is expected to create 318 jobs.
Plans call for upfitting and expanding an existing building located at 1247 Frederick Drive in Richburg, with operations expected to begin in the third quarter of 2014. The company will operate the facility and market products manufactured there under its subsidiary Sun Fibers LLC.
"South Carolina is the perfect fit for our business needs," said Mark Bachner, senior vice president of operations, JN Fibers. "With an excellent business environment and access to markets, as well as top-notch workforce talent, we look foward to getting our operations in Richburg up and running. We appreciate all the support we've received from state and local officials."
The project contributes to what S.C. Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt calls "South Carolina's manufacturing renaissance." According to the Department of Commerce, the state has garnered more than $9 billion in capital investments and has seen the addition of more than 26,000 manufacturing jobs since January 2011.
