Ten Cate starts jv for safety fabrics

Ten Cate Union Protective Fabrics Asia will have registered capital of Bt385 million, and Ten Cate will hold the majority stake.

A factory covering 11,000 square metres in Samut Prakan province will start operations next month with about 200 employees.

"This is the first activity of a non-Asian company in protective fabrics in the emerging Asian market," the company said in a statement.

"As the global market leader in this field, Ten Cate intends to be actively involved in the latest developments in the Asian market. The joint venture will have no implications for the employment situation at Ten Cate in the Netherlands and America."

Ten Cate has plants in the United States and the Netherlands and is a world market leader in safety fabrics for military and industrial applications. As many of its customers have production facilities in Asia, local supply through the joint venture will bring cost benefits and logistic advantages, the company said.

"Ten Cate aims to expand its production base locally, in order to optimally serve the growing Asian market for added-value functional materials. The Asian market is of growing importance. Expanding its production locally fits into the strategic goal of global market leadership in its core markets: protective fabrics, aerospace and armour composites, geotextiles and synthetic turf," the statement said.

The joint venture is formed upon a long-standing commercial relationship between the companies.