Fibertex Personal Care, a Danish textile company, is placing its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Asheboro, North Carolina, where it will create 145 jobs and invest $115 million in a state-of-the art plant focused on producing nonwoven fabrics with prints.

“Fibertex Personal Care could go anywhere in the world, but they chose North Carolina,” said state Gov. Roy Cooper. “Our state’s workforce and leadership in manufacturing and textiles brought this company here.”

Fibertex Personal Care manufactures nonwoven materials for different applications in the personal care industry, including diapers, feminine hygiene and incontinence care products. The company also delivers printed nonwoven products – through the Innowo Print brand – from its facilities in Germany and Malaysia. Fibertex Personal Care, headquartered in Denmark, currently has 600 employees at facilities in Denmark, Malaysia and Germany.

Through its German subsidiary Innowo Print, Fibertex Personal Care possesses a unique technology that enables printing colors and images directly on nonwoven materials versus designs being rendered on a thin film. “The large global producers of diapers, sanitary napkins and incontinence products are increasingly demanding print directly on nonwoven materials,” Mikael Staal Axelsen, Group CEO of Fibertex Personal Care, said in a company news release.

“The print production in Germany and Malaysia is to cover the European and the Asian markets, respectively,” he added, “while the coming factory in the U.S. is to cover the markets in North and South America. We expect strong growth rates within this niche in the coming years and, therefore, the American factory has to be operational by the end of 2018.”

In a recent announcement of the new plant, North Carolina Commerce Secretary Anthony M. Copeland said: “Fibertex Personal Care joins the growing number of global manufacturing companies selecting our state. Randolph County and Asheboro, with choice sites, strong business and education environments and stellar quality of life, made a winning combination for the company.”

The North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) led the state’s support for the company’s expansion.

The new jobs being created will include administrative personnel and technical workers. The average salary is expected to exceed $40,000 once all positions are filled. The average pay in Randolph County is $33,974.

The project is supported by a state Job Development Investment Grant. Over the five-year term of this grant, the project will grow the state’s economy by an estimated $327 million. Using a formula that considers the new tax revenues generated by the new jobs, the JDIG will reimburse the company up to $1,966,500 spread over 12 years, if the company meets its job creation and investment targets.

Because Fibertex Personal Care chose to locate in Randolph County, the company’s JDIG agreement also calls for moving as much as $218,500 into the state’s Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account. The Utility Account helps rural communities finance necessary infrastructure upgrades to attract future business.

EDPNC Business Recruitment Manager Colin Kiser supported this project in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Commerce, North Carolina General Assembly, the North Carolina Community College System, the North Carolina Railroad Company, the City of Asheboro, Randolph County, the Randolph County Economic Development Corporation, Duke Energy and Norfolk Southern.