Knoxville, Tennessee – Mlily, part of Nantong Healthcare, has opened a US headquarters here and plans production in Winnsboro, South Carolina.
US production will enable it to sidestep a tariff increase on its imports from China to the US.
The US Department of Commerce announced that it was increasing the duty Healthcare would pay on imports of finished mattresses from China to the US. The tariff rose from 38.56% to 69.3% and applies to all goods landed in the US after 10 July 2019.
James Ni is the CEO of Healthcare. He said: ' We’re making a significant investment here to grow our business in the United States and our Knoxville location will be a pivotal part of our growth.'
'Our business model is working, and the combination of the plant and the headquarters will lead to even greater success in the US market'.
The 10,000 sq ft (929m2) Knoxville location houses sales, marketing and product development staff as well as a retail store.
The location in Winnsboro covers 650,000 sq ft (60,000 m2). Currently, it employs 25 people assembling beds from Healthcare components made in Serbia and Thailand. Foam is scheduled to be poured in the fourth quarter. At that point the plant could employ 250 people.
