Saturday, December 16, 2023
REHAU recently inaugurated a new North American edge covering plant to spread its reach. The company celebrated the grand opening of the Celaya 3 Plant, a large and modern facility, capable of ensuring the company’s position as the main North American supplier of edgebanding for decades. The new plant is located in central Mexico, next to the other two existing REHAU plants in the municipality of Apaseo el Grande, Gto. With an investment of $25 million, the plant adds 172,000 square feet (16,000 square meters) of manufacturing and warehouse space and is projected to create 300 new jobs when it reaches full production during 2024.
Among the guests at the ceremony were: Diego Sinhue, governor of the State of Guanajuato; José Luis Oliveros Usabiaga, municipal president of Apaseo el Grande; the regional board of directors of REHAU Americas and furniture manufacturers from Canada, Mexico and the United States. Company executives who participated in the ceremony, including the President of the REHAU Group, Dr. Veit Wagner, and the General Director for the Americas, Dr. Thomas Troeger, highlighted the importance of this expansion for the furniture industry in North America and the communities around Celaya.
Edgecover is a narrow strip of polymeric material that is printed and finished to match the industry’s leading HPL and melamine brands. The range of materials, profile widths and thicknesses, colors and decorative finishes gives rise to a complex manufacturing process with more than 10,000 references.
“REHAU is known throughout the furniture industry for our superior ability to produce edges that perfectly match the laminate surface,” says Dr. Thomas Troeger, CEO of REHAU Americas. “This patented technology is labor intensive and requires significant skill. Once again, we turn to central Mexico to find the exceptional skilled workforce we need to support our clients in growing their businesses.”
“The production of edge covers is one of our most complex processes,” said Steven John, director of the Celaya 3 Plant, who moved from Canada to continue leading the company’s edge cover manufacturing processes. “As a result, international team spirit was critical to the success of the plant opening we celebrate today. Colleagues from Brazil, Germany, Spain and, above all, Canada spent weeks, even months, working side by side with our team in Mexico. Our extensive global experience in the manufacture of edge covers, continually perfected since the 70s, now resides in Celaya.”
“We are proud to bring more jobs to the municipalities of Celaya, Apaseo el Alto and Apaseo el Grande,” said Dr. Veit Wagner, president of the REHAU Group. “With this expansion, we will have almost 1,000 employees in Mexico, most of them on this campus, making Mexico the second largest country in terms of personnel within our REHAU Industries subgroup.”We are proud to bring more jobs to the municipalities of Celaya, Apaseo el Alto and Apaseo el Grande,” said Dr. Veit Wagner, president of the REHAU Group. “With this expansion, we will have almost 1,000 employees in Mexico, most of them on this campus, making Mexico the second largest country in terms of personnel within our REHAU Industries subgroup.”
Supporting the success of the new plant is a robust supply chain, including dedicated REHAU trucks that will circulate daily between Celaya and the company’s new warehouse in Dallas, and a more integrated supply chain management (SCM) team. for all of America.
The celebration lasted all day and had multiple stages : the official opening and tours of the plant were followed by a reception with traditional Mexican food and folk music. When welcoming the 1,200 guests and employees who attended the reception, Gaspar Sierra, director of REHAU Celaya and manager of the Celaya 1 plant, declared: “We have a lot to celebrate: The inauguration of the Celaya 3 Plant, on the 30th anniversary of REHAU Mexico and Central America and the 75th anniversary of the founding of REHAU by Mr. Helmut Wagner.”
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Tags: edge covering plant, Mexico, rehau, wood, wood and panel, woodworking, woodworking USA
