Chinese foam-products company settles in Tennessee

A Chinese manufacturer of foam products will create 350 new jobs in the Nashville, Tennessee, area with a $28 million investment for its first plant in the US.

Shenzhen-based Sinomax Group, which has its US headquarters in Houston, will renovate a site that was owned by home appliance maker Whirlpool Corp in the city of La Vergne, about 20 miles south of Nashville.

The 505,000 square-foot plant will make such foam products as mattresses, mattress pads and pillows. It will also be a distribution hub for Sinomax's imported products. The company made the announcement at a press conference on Nov 10.

Sinomax's decision is the second major investment in the state by a Chinese company this month, according to Randy Boyd, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development.

On Nov 3, the Wonderful Group, a Chinese tile maker based in Guangdong province, announced plans to invest $150 million in the city of Lebanon. The move, which Boyd said was the largest capital investment in Tennessee's history, will create 220 new jobs.

Frank Chen, president and CEO of Sinomax USA, told the Nashville Business Journal that Tennessee was chosen from a list of eight states, beating out Arkansas for final consideration. "We chose the Nashville area for its pro-business environment, its talented workforce and its welcoming spirit," he said in a statement.

He said the company will begin hiring in January 2016, with full-scale operation starting in June 2016.

Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam told the Business Journal that the 350 jobs that Sinomax has pledged to create is the most that a Chinese-owned company has committed to Tennessee.