Chinese Textile Company Bringing Yarn Factory, 500 jobs to Lancaster  County

中國紡織企業(yè)將在蘭開斯特郡建紡織廠，帶來500工作崗位

The head of a Chinese textile company says he is bringing a new yarn factory and 500 jobs to Indian Land, S.C., part of what local officials call a growing trend of Chinese firms setting up shop in the Charlotte region.

中國紡織企業(yè)的一個負責人說他將在南卡州印第安地塊上建造一家新的紡紗廠，帶來500個工作崗位，這被當?shù)氐牟糠止賳T稱這將是中國企業(yè)在夏洛特區(qū)域范圍內(nèi)建立廠房的增長趨勢。

Shang Qing Zhu, chairman of the Keer Group, a manufacturing company about two hours from Shanghai, told the Observer in a telephone interview that he is pleased to bring his company’s first overseas operation to the area.

科爾集團是家離上海約兩小時車程的制造企業(yè)，集團董事長朱善慶在一次電話采訪中告訴“觀察者”報紙，他很高興將公司的第一家海外公司帶到該區(qū)域。

Speaking through an interpreter, he said he plans to start construction in February. He was drawn to the area for the low labor costs, particularly in Lancaster County, and the fact that he found a good parcel of land close to Charleston’s port.

通過翻譯人員傳述，他說他計劃在2月動工。他被該區(qū)域的低價勞動力成本所吸引，尤其是蘭開斯特郡的，并且他說在蘭開斯特郡找到了一個很好的地塊，離查爾斯頓港口也近。

The company will invest $218 million to construct and operate a 230,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at S.C. 160 and Old Bailes Road, according to the S.C. Department of Commerce. The industrial yarn-making operation six miles south of Ballantyne is expected to produce 501 jobs within five years.

根據(jù)南卡商務部消息，該公司將投資2.18億美金在南卡160和老貝爾斯路那邊建造和運營一個約230,000平方英尺的生產(chǎn)廠房。這個Ballantyne以南6英里處的紗線廠房預計將在5年內(nèi)創(chuàng)造501個工作崗位。

Zhu is also opening an office in uptown Charlotte to house engineering, financial and upper management functions. He said proximity to Charlotte’s financial sector bodes well for the company’s future growth in the region.

朱總還在夏洛特主區(qū)設置了一個辦公室，用于房屋工程、財務和上層管理。他說靠近夏洛特的金融區(qū)域?qū)緦碓谠搮^(qū)域的發(fā)展會比較有利。

“We are going to continue the relationship for a long time,” he said.

“我們將會有長期的合作關(guān)系?！彼f

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley joined Lancaster County officials in trumpeting the announcement as one of the largest in the county’s history. Lancaster lost thousands of textile jobs in recent decades as Springs Global downsized its operations in Lancaster and Chester counties, said Keith Tunnell, president of the Lancaster County Economic Development Corporation.

南卡州政府官員Nikki Haley和其他蘭開斯特郡的官員一起申明該公告是該郡歷史上最大的公告之一。蘭開斯特郡經(jīng)濟開發(fā)局主席Keith Tunnell說蘭開斯特郡在近幾十年損失了數(shù)以千計的紡織崗位，因為Spring Global縮減了其在蘭開斯特郡和切斯特郡的運作業(yè)務。

“This is one of the largest onshorings back to theU.S.of a textile operation in recent memory, and we are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the company,” he said.

他說：“這是近年來紡織產(chǎn)業(yè)在美國的巨大回歸之一，我們很高興能有這樣的機會與該公司合作?！?/p>

Zhu’s decision to build in Indian Land represents the latest example of a wider trend in which manufacturing jobs that left theU.S.in droves for lower-cost Chinese locations are increasingly coming back.

朱總在印第安地塊上建廠房的決定代表了最近廣泛趨勢的一個例子，這個趨勢是因中國低成本的位置而成群離開美國的制造業(yè)的崗位正在逐漸的回歸。

With labor costs rising inChinaby 15 to 20 percent annually, experts say growing Chinese firms see less financial advantage in staying home. Low American energy costs and high-tech, highly-efficient modern plants help level the playing field.隨著中國勞動力逐年15-20%的增長，專家說越來越多的中國企業(yè)對呆在中國看到的是更少的金融優(yōu)勢。美國低價的能源成本、高科技、高效的現(xiàn)代工廠幫助創(chuàng)造了更公平的競爭環(huán)境。

“That advantageChinahas enjoyed is narrowing,” said Mike Zinser, a partner with the Boston Consulting Group who has studied the issue. “We are starting to see signs of textile manufacturers considering theUnited States. … It’s an industry we hadn’t expected to see” returning jobs toAmerica.

“中國之前有的優(yōu)勢正在逐漸變小，”Mike ZInser說，他是波士頓咨詢公司的合伙人，對這方面有研究，“我們開始看到紡織制造商開始考慮美國的跡象，

Chinese firms generally have been stepping up their presence in theU.S.in recent years, buying everything from real estate to billion-dollar corporations such as the Smithfield pork producing firm in eastern North   Carolina.

今年來，中國企業(yè)已經(jīng)普遍開始加快了他們在美國的存在，他們購買任何東西，從房地產(chǎn)到數(shù)十億美元的公司，例如在北卡東部的斯密斯菲爾德豬肉加工產(chǎn)。

Chinese companies spent a record $12.2 billion in the first nine months of this year on projects and acquisitions in theU.S., according to the Rhodium Group, a firm that tracks Chinese investments.

根據(jù)Rhodium集團，一家專門追蹤中國投資的公司說，在今年的前9個月中，中國公司花了創(chuàng)紀錄的122億美金在各種項目和收購上。

Zhu said that in his experience, most Chinese manufacturing firms looking to go outside ofChinahead to other Asian countries. His company, he said, is one of the first Chinese textile firms to come toAmerica.

朱總說跟據(jù)他的經(jīng)驗，很多的中國制造商都在尋早走出中國去其他亞洲國家發(fā)展，科爾是第一家來美國發(fā)展的中國紡織企業(yè)。

Heavy competition for firm  激烈的競爭

The firm’s announcement capped what Tunnell, the Lancaster economic developer, has described as a fierce competition between the two Carolinas and several Northeastern states.

公司的公告，蘭開斯特郡經(jīng)濟開發(fā)局的Tunnell說，是南北卡州及其他東北幾個州激烈競爭的勝出。

Eileen Cai, the Charlotte Chamber’s Mandarin-speaking corporate recruiting specialist for Asia, worked for about two years with Keer, but the company found a plant site more suitable to its needs inLancasterCounty. Tunnell said he hired a Chinese-speaking translator from a local law firm to compete.

夏洛特商會會中文的專門招收亞洲企業(yè)的專家Eileen Cai, 致力于科爾兩年，但是科爾最后在蘭開斯特郡發(fā)現(xiàn)了一塊更適合自己的廠址。 Tunnell說他專門從當?shù)芈伤钦衅噶艘粋€中文翻譯來競爭該項目。

The Charlotte Regional Partnership, an economic development agency coveringMecklenburg, Lancaster and 14 other counties, said it also supplied Keer Group with research on the area.

“夏洛特區(qū)域性合伙公司”，一家覆蓋梅克倫堡、蘭開斯特及其他14個郡的經(jīng)濟開發(fā)機構(gòu)，說他為科爾集團提供了該區(qū)域的研究報告。

LancasterCountyoffered the company a 30-year fee in lieu of property taxes agreement, as well as $7.7 million in revenue bonds to defray project costs. The South Carolina Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved a $4 million grant, as well as job development credits.

蘭開斯特郡給科爾提供了30年財產(chǎn)稅返還， 770萬美金收益?zhèn)瘉碇С只A設施建設。南卡州經(jīng)濟開發(fā)協(xié)調(diào)委員會通過了400萬美金的撥款及崗位發(fā)展優(yōu)惠。

Tunnell said the jobs – mostly high-tech production posts paying $13-$15 an hour – will provide a welcome jolt toLancaster’s economy. Springs Global employed more than 11,000 textile workers inLancasterandChestercounties in the late 1970s and 1980s, but Tunnell said that presence has dropped to a few hundred as jobs moved toSouth America.

Tunnell說科爾的工作崗位—主要高科技生產(chǎn)崗位支付$13-$15每小時—將會給蘭開斯特的經(jīng)濟帶來受歡迎的一次震動。 Springs Global過去在1970年代和1980年代在蘭開斯特郡和切斯特郡雇用超過11,000的紡紗工人，但是現(xiàn)在僅有幾百人，大部分的工作崗位轉(zhuǎn)移到了南美洲。

Lancaster’s jobless rate rose above 18 percent during the recession but has fallen to 9.1 percent.

蘭開斯特郡的失業(yè)率在經(jīng)濟大蕭條時期升至18%，現(xiàn)在掉到9.1%

“Even though we welcome textiles,” Tunnell said, “we don’t want it to dominate again. But this is a good group of people (at Keer) to work with. We’re very excited about this.”

“盡管我們歡迎紡織企業(yè)”Tunnell說，“我們不希望紡織企業(yè)再次占據(jù)主導地位。但是科爾是一個很好的團隊，我們對他們的到來非常興奮?！?/p>

Chinese presence grows locally

Cai said even thoughCharlottedidn’t get the factory, theQueenCity’s airport and financial sector provided a strong part of the attraction for Keer officials. She said the project will help attract other Chinese companies to theCharlottearea.

Cai說，盡管夏洛特沒有贏得該公司，但是皇后機場及該區(qū)的金融業(yè)構(gòu)成了吸引科爾來此附近投資的一部分。她說該項目會吸引其他的中國企業(yè)來夏洛特區(qū)域。

“We see this as a win-win for the region,” said Cai, who interpreted for Zhu during his telephone interview with the Observer.

“這個對該區(qū)域來說是雙贏的，”Cai說，Cai在“觀察者”電話采訪中為朱總翻譯。

South Carolinaofficials said Chinese firms represent a growing part of their business community, citing research showing thePalmettoStateleads theU.S.in foreign-affiliated job recruitment per capita.

南卡官員說中國企業(yè)代表了他們商業(yè)界不斷增長的一部分，調(diào)查顯示南卡州在人均外資企業(yè)招聘崗位上一直處于領先地位。

Some 23 Chinese companies have operations inCharlotte, said Jeff Edge, senior vice president for economic development with the Charlotte Chamber.

夏洛特商會經(jīng)濟開發(fā)部副總裁Jeff Edge說，有約23家中國公司在夏洛特有運營部。

That’s fewer than Germany, which had 127 firms in Charlotte as of 2012; but this year, more potential relocation or expansion projects have come out of China than Germany.

雖然少于德國，德國到2012年為止已經(jīng)有127家公司在夏洛特，但是今年，跟德國相比，中國有更多的潛在遷移和擴張項目。

Chinese textile firms especially know the Carolinas “are famous for the textile industry,” said Cai, aShanghainative. “When they look forU.S.operations, they automatically think about this region.”

Cai說：“中國紡織企業(yè)都知道南北卡發(fā)紡織行業(yè)非常有名，當他們在美國尋找業(yè)務機會時，都會自動的想到該區(qū)域?！?/p>

The Keer Group says on its website that it employs more than 2,000 people inChinaand has total assets of 2.2 billion yuan, or $370 million.

科爾集團在其網(wǎng)站上說他在中國有2000多名員工，總資產(chǎn)22億人民幣，或3.7億美金。

Zhu said he expects to come to the area in February and hopes to someday buy a house here.

朱總說他預計2月份會過來，并且有意向在該地買房。