COLUMBUS, OH — Franklin Intl, a manufacturer of glues, adhesives and sealants, has launched a new operation in China — Franklin (Guangzhou) Adhesives Co. Ltd. — to be in closer proximity to the increasing number of customers in the wood assembly and construction markets in China and the Pacific Rim.

Franklin Guangzhou formally opened April 9 in a newly constructed 8,900-square-meter plant in the Guangzhou Economic and Technological Development District, near Hong Kong in southeast China. Production began at the new plant in early April and the company plans to begin distributing product by May 1. Franklin Intl planned the new facility to handle long-term growth in China. The plant will initially employ nine.