Wet-wipes maker to expand, add jobs

Wal-Mart supplier to shift line to U.S.

Rockline Industries, a manufacturer of wet wipes and coffee filters, announced Thursday that it will add 50 jobs in Arkansas as the company expands its capacity in Springdale and Russellville to supply Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

The Wisconsin-based company is bringing to the U.S. a line of facial wipes now manufactured in Italy and Germany, said Randy Rudolph, president of Rockline Industries.

Rockline recently expanded its wet-wipe production by purchasing a 240,000-square-foot plant in Russellville. Rudolph said that expansion allowed the company to accommodate the new facial-wipe line in Springdale.

The company currently has more than 800 hourly employees in the state.

"Wal-Mart has been a great partner for many years and we're pleased to be working with them to bring jobs back to the U.S.," Rudolph said. "Rockline has always been dedicated to helping the communities in which we operate and we're confident this move will create a beneficial impact throughout the state of Arkansas."

Cindi Marsiglio, vice president of U.S. sourcing and manufacturing at Wal-Mart, said the new line of facial wipes will be on the shelves of Wal-Mart stores before the end of the year.

"Congratulations to Rockline Industries for bringing jobs and manufacturing back to the U.S.," she said. "Our customers have told us that second to price, where products are made influences their purchase decisions."

The move is part of a 20-year, $250 billion Wal-Mart pledge made in 2013 to support manufacturing in the country. The "Made in the USA" initiative involves targeting current suppliers that can return some of their production to domestic manufacturing.

"It adds up across the country," she said. "We are exceeding where we thought we would be."

Marsiglio said Wal-Mart is dependent on partnerships with its suppliers to accomplish the goals of the "Made in the USA" pledge.

Business on 10/02/2015

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