Zhongwang Pulls Plug on European Division;
February 20, 2018
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM--After four months on the market, Z-Wovens Europe has ceased operations under Guy Parmentier due to the high cost of developing new designs for the European market in the face of disappointing orders.
The first collection was launched in Brussels at the MoOD 2017 exhibition in September. Z-Wovens Europe has a substantial stand at this fair.
Z-Wovens Europe, is a subsidiary of Zhongwang Holding Group of Hangzhou China. It originally established itself in Europe under the direction of Guy Parmentier, a well-known export specialist and consultant based in Europe but this relationship has ended. It is understood that initial sales were in the $160,000 range with more to come according to Parmentier.
Based on the successful concept of Z-Wovens USA, the European version of Z-Wovens initially targeted the major Europe based importers, distributors as well as some large manufacturers offering woven collections with European style handwriting, ZW principals thought it could build a European version of the US operation.
Zhongwang (ZW) is one of the larger upholstery mills in China with sales in excess of $25 million under the ownership and leadership of principal Yang Lin Shan and his daughter Rena. Rena did not comment on the status of the Z-Wovens Europe project.
In 2006, Yang Lin Shan adopted the finishing and weaving techniques of Quaker Fabrics in a Hangzhou finishing plant when the two companies were working together in a joint venture. Zhongwang prospered and started a US division in 2010 and established Z-Wovens Europe this past March.
While Quaker ultimately went bankrupt, Zhongwang has thrived and is an important resource today for many American upholstery manufacturers and counterpart companies based in China. ZW is a mill that specializes in woven residential upholstery fabrics mainly with polyester and acrylic yarns.