The North American headquarters of Polyhose Inc. is ready to begin operations in the Pender Commerce Park this summer, company officials said this week.

To prepare for the company's start in Pender County, the India-based hose manufacturer is currently interviewing for new positions, with plans to hire up to 12 people this year, said Jonathan Pressler, Polyhose's senior vice president.

Polyhose is hiring for positions in office support, sales, management, general warehouse, shipping and assembly.

Polyhose manufactures thermoplastic, hydraulic, PTFE and industrial hoses and tubing for large equipment companies such as Caterpillar, Boeing, Graco and Wagner SprayTech. Manufacturing of its hoses takes place in India with operations in Europe, Africa and Asia. The company has about 1,800 global employees.

“I think expanding our team and getting the right people on board is something that we have focused on quite considerably,” said Fatema Mohammed, president of Polyhose. “And having immense support from the principal team located back in India … all these factors, this is aligning and the pieces are coming together. The facility and this right mix will support our customers and help us succeed."

Polyhose has built a 52,500-square-foot facility on 9 acres in the Pender Commerce Park, a county-owned industrial park with several other tenants. The company has received its certificate of occupancy and is currently moving in, Pressler said.

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the timeline of the company's official groundbreaking and operational start, Pressler said.

The company, however, now plans to begin operations in June.

This is the initial phase of the company's start in Pender County. Polyhose looks to invest a total of $8 million into the operation and hire up to 51 employees total.

North Carolina, and Pender County, was in the running with Texas for the firm's North American headquarters site. The area's workforce availability, quality of life and support from local leaders, economic developers and the state, are what led the company to locate in the Pender Commerce Park, Pressler previously said.

The company plans to expand the facility and add manufacturing to its operations in the coming years.

There are six product lines Polyhose makes, but the company will focus on four in Wilmington, its rubber hydraulic, PTFE, thermoplastic and hydraulic couplings lines, as well as hose accessories, said Mohammed Millwala, vice president of operations.

“The opening of this facility gives us the ability to do so much more. It’s a beautiful facility. We are going to be able to consolidate, have our entire team there and be able to warehouse so much more than before, as well as value-added capabilities.

"We want to be more than a distribution center. We want to have hose assembly, some manufacturing, to bring value to our customers here locally. The combination of all these things, that is what will help us grow fast," Millwala said. "We’re excited to move in. We are looking forward to the journey and the business growth.”