Textile Company Announces 50 New Jobs To Gaffney

Suminoe Textile of America

By: STAFF REPORTS | News Channel 7
Published: January 21, 2010

Fifty new jobs are expected to be created after a textile company announced Thursday that it will expand its Cherokee County operations.

Suminoe Textile of America and the South Carolina Department of Commerce announced that it will expand its operations by building a new manufacturing facility in Gaffney. The $6.5 million investment is expected to house the company's new Automotive Materials Division, as well as shipping and receiving operations.

"We are excited about this expansion," said Satoru Kuninaka, President of Suminoe Textile of America Inc. "Cherokee County has provided an excellent business environment for us, so we are pleased to continue growing our operations here."

The facility will allow Suminoe Textile of America to add capacity and meet growing demand from its customers and clients, company officials say.

"Our company will work hard to make a contribution to the U.S., more specifically to Cherokee County's economy through our efforts in the automotive industry," Kuninaka said.

Suminoe Textile of America isd a subsidiary of Suminoe Textile Ltd., which has been in business for over 125 years. The company is a leading supplier of textile products for the North America automotive market.

They began operations in 2003 in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Gaffney. That facility will open a new Needle Punch Carpet Division.

"Suminoe has seen the benefit of doing business in Cherokee County," said Sen. Harvey Peeler, South Carolina Senate Majority Leader. "And their expansion gives our area another reason to believe that our economy is on the mend. In the Upstate, the automotive industry and its suppliers have found one of the most welcoming business climates around, and Suminoe's new investment is a prime example."

Suminoe Textile of America expects to begin hiring for the positions in late February and into March. Anyone interested in opportunities should contact the Cherokee County Employment Commission/Gaffney Workforce Center at (864) 489-3112 or visit their offices at 133 Wilmac Road in Gaffney.