Apple Valley's Largest Manufacturer Growing Once Again

Apple Valley's largest manufacturer, Uponor, is growing once again.

The company, which makes piping and tubing, plans to add 17,500 square feet to its Apple Valley manufacturing facility—a project that will allow the company to expand production to meet forecasted growth.

The expansion, which will likely be compete by October 2013, is the fifth addition made to the company's North American headquarters and manufacturing center, located along 148th St. W. Once the add-on is complete, the building will cover roughly 230,000 square feet, according to Uponor Real Estate Manager Dan Hughes.

The company, Hughes said, is projecting substantial growth in both its residential and commercial markets over the next several years. The extra space will be used to house additional manufacturing bays and enlarged employee facilities, Hughes added. The company's cross-linked polyethylene products are used in plumbing, fire sprinkler, and radiant heating and cooling systems for residential and commercial developments.

"Simply put, what drives the need for expansion is forecasted demand, so our forecast is that we’ll need more equipment on the ground to produce enough product," Hughes said. "We always have a desire to ensure that we never miss an opportunity to sell product. The last thing you want is to have an order and not be able to produce or ship it."

Uponor opened a 60,000-square-foot headquarters facility in Apple Valley in 1990. The company added onto that building in 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2005—and built local distribution centers in Burnsville and Lakeville during that time. Uponor currently employees 436 people, but will likely add employees as apart of the expansion, according to Uponor spokesperson Kim Bliss.

The upcoming expansion isn't the only significant recent development for the company. Earlier this spring, Uponor was honored with a "2013 Manufacturer of the Year" award from the Manufacturer's Alliance, a training, education and resource provider for Midwest manufacturers.

"To the employees of Uponor, this award stands for staying the course," Uponor Director of Operations Rusty Callier wrote in a statement. "It stands for determination and persistence. It stands for what can be accomplished when people with a common goal come together and do the small things to move their company forward and adopt a mindset of never settling for good enough."