Uponor North America beat its construction deadline by six months and recently began manufacturing plastic pipe in its newly pruchased Hutchinson plant.
The 237,000-square-foot building became operational six months ahead of the original 2019 schedule. The Hutchinson facility was purchased, renovated and received regulatory approval in less than a year's time, which allowed production to start sooner, Uponor officials said.
More than 64 employees and crew leaders spent 23,000 hours bringing the project to fruition.
Uponor North America, which is headquartered in Apple Valley, announced its $6.35 million investment in the Hutchinson in July 2017.
Officials said that orders for its PEX piping were growing so quickly that they needed additional manufacturing space and that the new Hutchinson facility would help meet capacity demands.
With construction upgrades completed, Uponor recently began making pipes at the Hutchinson site that will be used in plumbing, fire sprinkler, radiant heating and cooling systems.
The factory opening marks Uponor's 11th expansion since 1990. The previous 10 occurred on the North American headquarters campus in Apple Valley.
