Norafin Industries, North American Manufacturing

Headquartered in Germany, Norafin Industries chose Mills River, NC as the home of its first North American manufacturing facility in late 2016. The international textile manufacturer specializes in high-performance non-woven, fabrics and roll-goods for a variety of safety markets, including filtration, apparel, industrial, medical, automotive, and roofing.

As their first entry into North America, Norafin’s new facility was planned to quickly expand market penetration and capture new territory. To accomplish this, a cost-effect and flexible design was required. At 74,300 SF, the facility carefully balances the blend of 45,000 SF of manufacturing space, 23,000 SF of storage areas, and 6,500 SF of office and administrative support space.

Insulated metal panels were chosen as the exterior envelope material due to their quickness of installation, as well as their thermal and sound isolating characteristics. Large windows in the production area along with dozens of skylight tubes flood the interior with natural light. The facility is designed to expand to the north, nearly doubling the production and warehouse areas.