Uponor North America hosted a ribbon-cutting and plant tour on Oct. 11 to celebrate the grand opening of its newest expansion, a 237,000-square-foot facility located in Hutchinson, Minnesota.

The plant was completed earlier this year, six months ahead of schedule, and has already produced more than 30 million feet of PEX tubing, while adding more than 40 jobs in the community.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony took place from 9 to 11 a.m., while the tour of the Center for Technical Excellence immediately followed. The ribbon-cutting ceremony featured speakers including Bill Gray, president of Uponor North America; Jon Sillerud, vice president of operations; Paul Jossart, senior manager of operations at Hutchinson; and Gary Forcier, mayor of Hutchinson.

“While this is our latest expansion, it is certainly not our last. We are grateful to Hutchinson and community leaders for their support," Gray said. "We look forward to remaining part of the community for years to come.”

Uponor North America first announced the $6.35 million investment in Hutchinson in July 2017 to support the company’s growing U.S. manufacturing operations. Hutchinson was an attractive location as it provided access to a large manufacturing workforce and the community showed strong support for Uponor.

At Hutchinson High School, guests toured the newly completed Center for Technical Excellence . The CTE is part of TigerPath, a skilled-workforce training program funded by 28 community partners, including Uponor.