B&C Technologies in Florida is an industry leader in commercial and industrial laundry equipment. B&C imports laundry equipment, particularly parts, from Thailand under GSP and sent one of the more memorable photos for the 2014 GSP expiration survey report: the facility they bought to expand U.S. manufacturing but could not finish because of the financial harm caused by GSP expiration.
As B&C President Bengt Bruce noted at the time:
“We made a commitment to manufacture in America, but right now distributors are turning away from us in favor of suppliers from China and the Czech Republic that are not impacted by GSP expiration. Retroactive GSP renewal would help us finish the new plant and expand our American workforce.”
The retroactive renewal allowed B&C to follow through on those plans. It moved into and updated the new plant. The company has started to develop a new line of washing machines, including hiring 3 new technical drafters. It hopes to hire 5 additional workers soon, which would represent a nearly 40 percent increase in employment since the depths of GSP expiration.
Like many GSP program users, B&C is not just an exporter. The company exports commercial laundry equipment and parts from its home in Florida to nearly all countries throughout the Western Hemisphere. Continued GSP benefits will help the company to grow its U.S. exports as well.
Our B&C profile page has more details about the importance of continued GSP benefits to the company (also available as a one-page PDF here or below).
B&C is one of the GSP importers sharing how GSP allows its businesses and workers to thrive on our Company Profiles page.
