Expansion of fabrics and industrial product production and product development facilities to cater to consumers in Asia, the United States and Europe
HONG KONG and SHENZHEN, JUNE 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. (Gore), maker of GORE-TEX® fabrics and thousands of other innovative products, today inaugurates its new Asian production and product development hub in Shenzhen, China. The site, an expansion of an existing facility, will serve as an important base for Gore's fabrics and industrial product divisions in the region.
The over 20,000-square-meters facility, dubbed "C3", is equipped with state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment, which will be instrumental in ensuring that Gore is able to maintain its global standard for the highest levels of product quality. To enhance product testing efficiency and widen product and technology innovation capabilities, Gore has dedicated an entire floor for laboratories, including advanced testing facilities for both production and product development. The high-tech facilities installed at the C3 plant will offer unique opportunities for sustained collaboration between associates from Shenzhen and product divisions across all of its global markets.
Gore's CEO Terri Kelly attributes the successful completion of the facility and the growth of Gore's footprint in China to the company's unique culture and "lattice structure", which focuses on teamwork, personal relationships and trust. She stated: "Shenzhen will become one of our most important production and product development bases in the Asia-Pacific region. Our growth in the market has been directly correlated to the initiative and collaboration of our growing number of associates here, whose belief in innovation, quality and ethics has created a bottom-up blueprint for our development."
Gore currently has plants in the United States, Europe, Japan and China. The capabilities anchored in Shenzhen will span the entire innovation and manufacturing value chain, in areas such as new product and process development and testing. Product development and production activities will be focused on meeting growing customer demand in Asia, the United States and Europe.
Terri added: "We're proud that Shenzhen has developed into such an important base for both our regional and global operations. Our Shenzhen buildings are clustered in a campus-like setting, providing ample space for associates to get together and benefit from Gore's unique team-oriented environment, yet still access the broad resources and know-how that exist throughout the facility. Our culture has played a critical role in spurring innovation for Gore globally and I am confident that we will develop important new technologies and drive global innovations from Shenzhen, ultimately touching the lives of millions of customers around the world."
About W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc.
Gore is a technology-driven company focused on discovery and product innovation. Well known for waterproof, breathable GORE-TEX® fabric, the company's portfolio includes everything from high-performance fabrics and implantable medical devices to industrial manufacturing components and aerospace electronics. Founded in 1958 and headquartered in the United States, Gore posts annual sales of more than $3 billion and employs approximately 10,000 associates with manufacturing facilities in the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, Japan and China, and sales offices around the world. In Asia, Gore has a presence in Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Taipei, Seoul, Singapore, Mumbai, Sydney, Tokyo and Okayama. Gore is one of a select few companies to appear on all of the U.S. "100 Best Companies to Work For" lists since the rankings debuted in 1984. The company has also earned recognition as a top workplace in Korea, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden and the U.K. Learn more at gore.com.
