Tongfang, the Chinese manufacturer of televisions, is to open its European manufacturing headquarters in Port Talbot. The company, which has received £600,000 of finance from the Welsh Assembly, said that it expects to create 70 jobs by October.
Tongfang is investing £1.6 million in its new assembly facility on Kenfig Industrial Estate. The company, which has its headquarters in Hong Kong, also has manufacturing facilities in Shengyang (employing 1,200 people), the USA and Malaysia.
It makes flat-screen TVs, digital TVs and LED back-light modules. Tongfang will make the next generation of 4K Ultra HD TVs at its Port Talbot site.
First Minister Carwyn Jones (pictured) said: “China is a major market with massive inward investment potential — a market that Wales has been targeting diligently through business and cultural visits, trade missions, business links and trading agreements. I am delighted to welcome Tongfang to Wales and congratulate the company on its excellent progress to date.”
Enterprise Minister Edwina Hart said: “Tongfang was considering another location in Europe for this investment, so I am particularly pleased that support and funding from the Welsh Assembly helped to secure the project for Wales.”
Philip Jones, director of Tongfang UK, said: “Tongfang already supplies a number of key retailers in the UK from China, and having this facility in Wales means we can offer our customers a much better service with shorter lead times.
“We have ambitious plans to ‘grow’ the business; we will initially target the UK retail market before supplying Europe, although we have received our first order from France.”