Governor Perdue announced yesterday that Avgol, a leading manufacturer of ultra lightweight nonwoven fabrics, will expand its facility in Davie County. The company plans to create 42 jobs and invest $35 million during the next three years in Mocksville. The project was made possible in part by an $84,000 grant from the One North Carolina Fund.
NC Governor Bev Perdue and NC Secretary of Commerce Keith Crisco
“North Carolina is a world-leader in the nonwoven fabrics industry and these jobs are a win for North Carolina textile workers and Davie County,” said Gov. Perdue. “Creating jobs is my top priority, so it’s essential for the future of our economy to expand trade and encourage investments in our people from nations around the world.”
North Carolina Ties to Israel Strengthened by NC Department of Commerce Visit to Tel Aviv
The announcement was made the day after Commerce Secretary Keith Crisco met with Avgol CEO Shlomo Liran in Tel Aviv, Israel. The meeting was part of Secretary. Crisco’s trade mission to increase investments in North Carolina from Israel. Over the last 8 years, Israeli investments in North Carolina amount to more than $233 million with 930 new jobs created.
Non-Woven Magazine Recognizes Avgol
“Companies to Watch” from Non-Wovens Industry Magazine: “On a major growth spurt is Avgol Nonwovens. The Israeli producer is ranked 11 this year, compared to 18 last year and 29 five years ago. This chart climbing can be entirely attributed to Avgol’s aggressive spunmelt expansion initiatives including three lines in North America, a joint venture in China and, most recently, a new line in Russia. In five years, the company’s sales have exploded from $75 million to more than $229 million.
Davie County Investment Reflects Avgol’s 10 Year Winning Strategy in North America
“Our strategy is to continue to grow our business in our largest market here in the USA. Our customers continue to challenge us for more unique and innovative products that are cost effective. We have been able to meet those challenges over the past ten years. This has hastened our growth in Mocksville,” said Ronnie Batchler, COO of Avgol Nonwoven Industries. “We will continue to be challenged. We will need the cooperation of our dedicated employees, our customers, and the state and local governments to sustain our current business and to continue our aggressive growth rate.”
Avgol Stock Price for 18 Months Ending 02/15/2010
Avgol’s Flagship Mocksville Plant Accounts for Over 50% of Avgol’s Global Capacity
In June 2001, Avgol established its flagship North Carolina plant with 3 state-of-the-art 4.2-meter Reicofil 3 SMS lines to meet the growing demand of the North American market. The plant’s production capacity accounts for over 50% of Avgol’s total capacity. Investment by Avgol in a 4th production line solidifies NC and Davie County as a strategic location for Avgol.
The Company’s products are used for a range of applications, including hygiene materials for disposable baby, adult and feminine care products, various household consumer wiping products, construction materials, disposable protective garments, furniture and upholstery materials and pest protection and underlay materials for agriculture.
Norfolk Southern Rail Service in Davie County Brings Jobs
Raw material for manufacturing is delivered to the Avgol plant in Mocksville by Norfolk-Southern rail service. Rail service was critical to Avgol’s decision to locate in Davie County. Site selection professionals and Norfolk Southern Railroad will tell you that the availability of rail-served sites is crucial for some of their clients and that rail service availability leads to higher average wages for communities served by rail.
Aerial View of Mocksville Avgol Plant With Rail Service Visible
Non-Woven Fabrics
Nonwoven fabrics are engineered fabrics that may be a limited life, single-use fabric or a very durable fabric. Nonwoven fabrics provide specific functions such as absorbency, liquid repellency, resilience, stretch, softness, strength, flame-retardance, washability, cushioning, filtering, use as a bacterial barrier and sterility. These properties are often combined to create fabrics suited for specific jobs, while achieving a good balance between product use-life and cost. They can mimic the appearance, texture and strength of a woven fabric and can be as bulky as the thickest paddings. In combination with other materials they provide a spectrum of products with diverse properties, and are used alone or as components of apparel, home furnishings, health care, engineering, industrial and consumer goods.
Team Effort Brings Economic Development, Jobs and Sustainable Growth
The Avgol announcement is the result of partners working together for economic growth and job creation in Davie County and North Carolina. Through use of the One NC Fund, more than 50,000 jobs and $9 billion in investment have been created since 2001. Other partners that helped with this project include: the N.C. Department of Commerce, N.C. Community Colleges, Energy United, Davie County and the Town of Mocksville.
Additional Resources:
Avgol Industries
Non-Wovens Industry Magazine
North Carolina Department of Commerce
Norfolk Southern
One North Carolina Fund
NC Community Colleges
Energy United
Davie County North Carolina
Mocksville North Carolina
Avgol on Google Finance
Wikipedia Article on Non-Woven Fabrics
Avgol Announcement In The News
Triad Business Journal
Greensboro News and Record
Salisbury Post
Fox 8 News
ThriveNCTrade & Industry Development
