Baxter, Tenn.—Portobello America has officially brought its nearly 1 million-square-foot manufacturing facility, located here, online. The years-in-the-making milestone was celebrated this week with a grand opening event held at the facility, which drew the company’s Brazilian and U.S. customers and partners.
“It’s a dream for us to be here,” said Cesar Gomes, Portobello Group CEO. “Even though we have been here for a long time, working in the U.S., selling in the U.S., we have built a strong distribution channel here in the past, we knew that to be an American company, we needed to manufacture in United States. We needed to have this facility here.”
The 44-year-old company, based in Brazil, is a leader in tile, exporting to more than 60 countries. The global powerhouse has had a presence in the U.S. as Portobello America for decades now; however, this is its first production facility in the states.
The facility was developed to meet the needs of Portobello America’s distribution partners in mind. “We have built a factory here not for mass production,” Gomes explained. “We have built a factory for flexibility, to attain the market with the right service. Service is the key for success.”
The facility was also built in cooperation with the state of Tennessee and boasts several initiatives meant to bring economic prosperity to the county. The facility has already hired 200 local residents, for example, and brought new housing opportunities as well.
(For more on this story, see the Oct. 30 issue of FCNews.)