A sprawling manufacturing facility in the Chinese city of Nantong was recently completed by Kinedyne Corporation for the manufacturing and distribution of tie-downs and other equipment utilized to secure cargo during transport.
Located in Jiangsu province, approximately 100 miles from Shanghai, the new facility will be a key component in the company’s ongoing growth plan. And when the production lines begin to roll in earnest this autumn, the company’s capacity to address specific customer needs will take a huge leap forward.
“I’m sure many people – including our competitors – wonder about the wisdom of investing in such a world-class factory in the midst of one of the worst economic downturns we’ve ever seen,” comments James Klausmann, II, Kinedyne’s executive vice president. “But business cycles come and go – and at Kinedyne, we’re planning for the long term.”
In a market where there are more choices than ever before, Klausmann – the son of the company’s founder – notes that customer service was the prime motivation for this major investment decision, which was to expand operations in China, where the company has owned and operated a smaller facility for five years.
“We’ve invested in the Nantong plant to upgrade our manufacturing capacity and overall production capabilities, taking a giant step toward vertical integration,” he says. “The end result will be an increase in the overall value we provide to customers in our core market, the heavy-duty trucking sector. We’ll also be better able to service the cargo-securement needs of our customers in the retail, aviation, and maritime segments.”
Klausmann said the new Nantong facility is the perfect complement to Kindeyne’s existing manufacturing capacity in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
“We will now be in a position to successfully couple our ability to competitively manufacture products to our high standards with an extensive sales, service, and support network established as a result of our efforts in North and South America,” he says. “Additionally, the Nantong facility will enable us to better serve the European and Asian markets.”