Textiles

WestPoint Home to expand facility

Al Zayani and WestPoint Home officials at the inauguration of the Bahrain facility

WestPoint Home (WPH), a global marketer and manufacturer of home textiles, plans to invest $2 to $3 million this year for further expansion of its manufacturing complex in Bahrain.

The company’s Bahrain chief operating officer Steve Burns told the GDN, our sister publication that the additional investment is aimed at capitalising on growth opportunities in the GCC and European markets in addition to the US.

WestPoint owns four large manufacturing units in Bahrain comprising spinning, weaving, finishing and fabrication facilities.

It manufactures and sells products globally to leading retail and hospitality customers under brands including Martex, Vellux, Grand Patrician, Patrician, Luxor, Utica, Modern Living and Nostalgia.

Since the inception of the Bahrain operation in 2006, WestPoint Home has invested more than $165 million in the kingdom, including about $16 million over the last two years for spinning capacity expansion, a second bleaching line, a state-of-the-art digital printing setup and other support equipment.

Burns said its 1,750 strong workforce includes 175 skilled Bahraini employees.

The company generates nearly $200m annual revenues globally, with greater than 50 per cent of that as duty-free imports to the US thanks to the US-Bahrain Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

On average, WestPoint benefits from an 8pc duty benefit on those US imports, added Burns.

Since the establishment of WestPoint Home Bahrain, the company has contributed about $1 billion to Bahraini exports.

According to Burns, the investments, however, would not have been possible without the support received over the years from various ministries and semi-government organisations.

“This includes Tamkeen, who has recently provided us with a $1.1million grant helping to fund our bleaching line and digital printing expansion,” he added.

“The Bahrain-US Free Trade Agreement and the continued close working relationships with the government and other organisations in the kingdom have been critical to our success and competitiveness in the global marketplace.”

Burns spoke to the GDN at WestPoint Home’s premises on the sidelines of the launch of Discover America Week by Industry, Commerce and Tourism Minister Zayed Al Zayani and US Ambassador Justin Siberell.

Al Zayani said: “The ministry was given the responsibility of the implementation of the FTA as of 2008 and has seen growing and tangible results from the agreement in the forms of a high volume of trade and various joint ventures, in addition to a number of success stories, one of which is WestPoint Home. The FTA contributed positively to the rise in bilateral trade volume, which has nearly doubled.

“Bahrain over the past few years has carried out a thorough updating and revising of all commercial, industrial and tourism laws with the view to eliminating obstacles and easing the process of setting up businesses in the country,” said the minister.

Ambassador Siberell said: “We chose WestPoint Home to launch our Discover America Week because it is a really good example of co-operation between our two countries, in manufacturing. It is also a terrific example of a company that is benefiting from the FTA.”

American Chamber of Commerce Bahrain president Qays Zubi, and other US and Bahraini government officials were also present at the launch.

The week-long series of activities aims to highlight the strong economic relations between the US and Bahrain as well promote world-class American businesses and brands in the kingdom.