Producer of structural safety components for the safety shoe industry, Esjot Group, part of the UK-based Texon International, is to open a new factory in Foshan in October, to meet the increasing requirement for high quality steel toecaps locally, which is set to grow by over 60% in 2006 and over 75% by 2007. The company stated that it decided to establish a facility in China as a result of the new legislation in Chinese industry demanding stricter safety controls and implementation of new quality standard requirements, which as a result has increased the demand for personal protective equipment, such as safety boots.

The new factory will open alongside Texon’s existing manufacturing facilities in Foshan, which have been established for over 14-years. The organisation employs a local workforce, including local management, and says it has strong relationships with local government.

The plant will also utilise the knowledge, resources, and equipment of Esjot’s European facilities and will introduce experienced European technicians to provide training in China and ensure that European standards are maintained.

In addition, European machinery is being shipped to the Chinese factory, to allow the site to produce toecaps from a much larger coil of steel.