REHAU, a Leesburg, Va.-based manufacturer of radiant heating, snowmelt and piping systems, Oct. 17 announced it is set to open a new manufacturing and warehousing facility in Monterrey, Mexico. The Monterrey plant houses 28,000 square feet of manufacturing space in addition to a 16,000 square feet warehouse facility.

"The new Monterrey plant will provide an updated and modern manufacturing space, with the expanded capacity necessary to accommodate increasing demand in this region," Bernd Kupferer, business team manager for REHAU''s appliance group, said. "It is also conveniently located to support Whirlpool''s plants in Abodaca and Ramos Arizpe."

The new plant represents an investment of $4.5 million and will initially employ 67 people, a number that is expected to double in tandem with the significant business growth anticipated over the next two years. With the additional production capacity offered by its new plant in Monterrey, REHAU will be able to explore regional market opportunities beyond those related to refrigerator gasket manufacturing.

Constructed to accommodate a recent contract won from Whirlpool to produce magnetic refrigerator gaskets, the plant offers double the amount of gasket capacity compared to REHAU''s previous facility.