India-based hose manufacturer Polyhose Inc. will soon start building its new North American headquarters in Pender Commerce Park.

The company has recently received the required building permits from Pender County officials and expects to break ground in November, with the "hopes to be ready to occupy by early May," Jonathan Pressler, the company’s senior vice president, said Thursday.

“Our plans haven’t changed. We are planning on a 52,500 sq. ft. facility for both warehousing and hose assembly," Pressler said in an email.

The firm plans to conduct some of its manufacturing in a future phase at the site.

"I want to thank once again Pender County, Wilmington Business Development and North Carolina’s Southeast for not only their assistance with Polyhose’s decision to come to North Carolina and the Wilmington area, but also for their help at a moment’s notice throughout the building permit process and in identifying local businesses and contacts to help Polyhose be successful," he added.

North Carolina, and Pender County, was in the running with Texas for the firm's North American headquarters site. The firm ultimately chose Pender Commerce Park and announced plans to developed the headquarters on a 9-acre property there last year.

The general contractor for the site is Winston-Salem-based Landmark Builders, the same firm that's building the nearly-finished spec building on lot 2 of the county-owned industrial park and will build a second planned building on lot 6.

The company plans to invest roughly $8 million and expects to create about 51 jobs, Pressler said. Those figures are for a three-year operational period. In this first phase for company headquarters, the firm expects 15 to 20 initial hires, he added. 

Polyshose had aimed to be operational by the end of the year, but the COVID-19 pandemic impacted the groundbreaking and operational timeline, Pressler said. 

“We’re coming through COVID well, and still have lots of interested new customers," Pressler said. "We’re still very optimistic about our future in the USA and at our new North Carolina headquarters. Nothing has changed regarding that."

Polyhose manufactures thermoplastic, hydraulic, PTFE and industrial hoses and tubing for large equipment companies such as Caterpillar, Boeing, Graco and Wagner SprayTech. The company was established in 1996 in Chennai, India.

"This is an extremely proud moment for us as a company," said Fatema Mohammed, president of Polyhose, in an email. "With North America being the biggest market for the hose industry, our Wilmington, NC facility is going to set Polyhose up to be a significant global player. The journey from a 7-member team in a 2,000 sq. ft office in India, to the largest expansion plan yet for Polyhose with the Wilmington facility, is nothing short of a dream."

The company manufactures its hoses in India with operations in Europe, Africa and Asia, and employs about 1,800 people.

By the third year of operation in the Pender Commerce Park, Polyhose plans to conduct some of that manufacturing in an expansion of the local facility, Pressler said.

"With the investment in the facility and putting together the best possible team, our goal is to bring the best customer experience for the North American customers," said Mohammed Millwala, vice president of operations, in an email. "The Wilmington facility will set the foundation to bring the wide range of Polyhose products to the market with local inventory and top-class engineering and service support.

"This is an exciting phase for the organization," he said, "and we couldn't have found a better location than Wilmington, NC for our US headquarters."