Quaker Fabric Inks Deal with Chinese Supplier

January 23, 2006  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in on January 2006 Quaker Fabric has signed a deal with a leading Chinese fabric producer to manufacture Quaker's designs in Asia.

Under the terms of the agreement, Hangzhou Zhongwang Fabric Products Co. will also become Quaker's marketing arm for distributing the company's U.S.-made goods to the upper end of the Chinese furniture market.

"This new business relationship represents an important milestone in our ongoing efforts to reshape Quaker's strategy and market position to reflect the realities of today's global market," said Larry Liebenow, Quaker president and chief executive officer. "We have been working on this project for a considerable period of time. Our objective is to recapture that portion of the U.S. and world markets that has moved to Chinese sourcing over the past few years by offering a unique program to our worldwide customers – one that provides a differentiated product range to them that they can count on to meet U.S. and international quality standards."

Liebenow said the company plans to build a sourcing program that allows it to offer both roll goods and cut-and-sewn kits to its customers. Quaker will provide Hangzhou Zhongwang with the fabric designs along with technical and technological support in the manufacture of the product.

In addition to the partnership, Liebenow said the company will continue to manufacture a variety of fabrics in its Fall River, Mass., facilities. Products that will remain domestically produced include custom fabric for quick delivery and new fabrics for the outdoor and contract markets.