APPLE VALLEY, Minn. — Uponor North America recently celebrated the grand opening of its Uponor Experience Center, located at its regional headquarters in Apple Valley, Minnesota.
Boasting 4,500 square feet of hands-on displays, full-scale residential and commercial training areas, and cutting-edge showcases, the Experience Center is a flexible education and discovery space designed to advance the technical skills of current and potential customers, Uponor said in a press release. In addition, it will help foster innovation within the plumbing and HVAC industries and provide an immersive experience for employees and visitors.
The Experience Center occupies the company’s previous customer training area, which was built in 2000 and renovated in 2010. It is at the center of the North American headquarters campus, surrounded by corporate offices, a research and design facility, and manufacturing space.
“The opening of our new Uponor Experience Center signifies the importance we place on keeping the needs of our customers, employees, and key stakeholders top of mind as we continue our mission of becoming the global leader in sustainable water and energy solutions,” said Uponor North America President Andres Caballero in the press release. “The ‘X,’ as our employees have begun to call it, is a culmination of our rich history and decades of innovation coming together to generate awareness and create enthusiasm for moving water more efficiently, effectively, and sustainably.”
The Experience Center was several years in the making. The design, which takes into consideration the company’s roots in Finland, resulted from many months of internal team collaboration, as well as feedback from customers, partners, and industry influencers.
As guests move through the front doors toward the back of the space, they first see displays depicting what Uponor is as a company, along with the customers served and the value provided to the industry. Then, there are product showcases and interactive displays for plumbing, fire safety, radiant heating and cooling, hydronic piping, and pre-insulated piping system solutions for residential and commercial markets.
Finally, there is a training area where professionals will learn hands-on installation techniques as well as how Uponor’s emphasis on problem-solving and productivity deliver results for their businesses.
“We wanted the Uponor Experience Center to extend beyond simply training customers on our products and systems,” said Matt Bahr, vice president of sales. “As a result, we’ve created a holistic experience that spans a broad spectrum of who we are as a company, showcasing the depth and breadth of our product portfolio and sustainable solutions as well as providing access to the best trainers in the industry.”
The Experience Center was designed and constructed in cooperation with exhibit specialists at Freeman and will officially open for tours and training in October.
