Flokser Regroups; Closes Down Former Microfibres Operations in USA Moves Flock Equipment to Turkey

March 15, 2018

GREENSBORO, North Carolina ­— In less than six months, Flokser of Turkey, a major flock producer in China and Turkey opened and then partially closed the former Microfibres flock operation in Pawtucket, RI and Winston Salem. Some of the Microfibers flock manufacturing equipment has been moved to Turkey because Flokser decided to not manufacture anything in Winston-Salem. They felt like they could make the same items in Turkey. Part of the space in Winston-Salem will be utilized but there will be further consolidation in the next six to eight months it was learned. Flokser will stock flock goods for the furniture manufacturers in the USA that are made in China and by Suedser division of Flokser in Turkey. This will be a sales and distribution arrangement as opposed to manufacturing in the USA. HP Fabrics, the Flokser U.S. holding company plans to liquidate all of the real estate it inherited in Pawtucket, RI when it bought the Microfibres operation in a bankruptcy sale. They should be able to recoup their entire investment with the real estate sale, industry observers say. The last remaining flock producer in the USA is Spectro Coating Corp, Leominster, MA and owner Hemendrah Shah explains his main business today is automotive and industrial—not furniture. Although the Microfibres brand produced by Flokser introduced a new velvet line priced from $4.95 for plains and $12 for higher end wet printed velvet at Winter Showtime in December, it didn’t gain traction with the customer. Flokser thought it would export Microfibres greige goods from the USA to China for domestic consumption as basecloth for prints where there is a large appetite for flock upholstery. On second thought, they found it was better to produce the goods in Turkey and print them in China where there is a big appetite for cheap flock in the furniture industry. The US just didn’t figure in the equation. HP Fabrics, the name of Flokser’s U.S. holding company, started its local recruitment efforts in North Carolina and named Steve Trastelis, a 40-year veteran of the textile industry, as the Chief Operating Officer. His office was located in Winston-Salem. HP also appointed Mike Czarnecki as head of sales and marketing. None of these changes lasted very long as Flokser decided to cut and run. Rafet Tukek the owner of Flokser purchased Microfibres intellectual and physical property from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in March of 2016 for $5.92 million. Since making that acquisition, Flokser had moved its recently acquired flock equipment from Pawtucket, Rhode Island to its Winston-Salem, NC facility which has a wet printing line. Winsotn Salem has since been closed down.


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