On March 23, Uponor, a provider of radiant floor heating and cooling, plumbing, and fire-safety systems, opened a new 285,000-sq-ft distribution center in Lakeville, Minn.

The new building, which houses Uponor’s primary North American distribution operations, is applying for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and features many sustainable-building solutions including Uponor’s radiant floor heating and cooling in the office areas as well as snow and ice melting in the sidewalks and dock ramps outside.

“We are very excited for the opportunities this new facility offers us,” Anders Tollsten, executive vice president of Uponor North America, said. “The efficient design helps us continue our strategy for enhancing our distribution network serving the North American market as well as meet our goals of becoming a more green, sustainable company.”

The new facility, which is larger than Uponor’s former distribution center in Burnsville, Minn., features a more efficient design that offers 30 percent more cubic volume for greater storage space. It is also a productive layout for employees who support shipping, receiving, operations, customer service, and supply chain.

“This building is specifically designed and located to provide several benefits for our operations,” Dan Hughes, Uponor’s real estate and development manager, said. “It is more operationally efficient and offers our employees, customers and business partners convenient access from freeways as well as our corporate headquarters in Apple Valley.”

“We are so delighted to have Uponor in our city,” Lakeville Mayor Holly Dahl said. “We’re looking forward to the jobs and opportunity this new facility will bring, as well as a strong corporate partnership with a reputable company such as Uponor.”

Uponor Corporation is a supplier of plumbing, fire-safety and radiant heating and cooling systems for the residential and commercial building markets across North America and Europe, and a market leader in municipal infrastructure pipe systems in the Nordic countries. Uponor Corporation employs 3,800 people in 27 countries.