China-based company create 42 manufacturing jobs in Duplin County – Business North Carolina

Residential cabinet manufacturer, NexGen Cabinets, will create 42 jobs in Wallace by investing $6.7 million to establish an East Coast assembly and manufacturing facility in Duplin County, the state announced Thursday.

NexGen is a division of China-based Honsoar International, a manufacturer of kitchen and bathroom furniture with a production footprint in Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia. NexGen will manufacture kitchen and bathroom cabinets for multifamily residential wholesale markets in North, Central and South America. Honsoar has a U.S. headquarters in Los Angeles.

The location in Duplin County, about 42 miles north of Wilmington, will be the first manufacturing site in the southeastern United States with a 150,000-square-foot space for assembly, production, and distribution operations.

“We look forward to long term growth as we become part of the community,” said Tom Boyda, COO of NexGen Cabinets, in a release.

The average annual wage for the jobs will be $50,462. The Duplin County average is $45,722, compared with about $65,400 statewide. The new jobs could potentially create an annual payroll impact of more than $2.1 million for the region, according to the state.

A performance-based grant of $125,000 from the One North Carolina Fund awarded to NexGen Cabinets will help the company locate to Duplin County.