McPherson, Kan. — Viega LLC is building a 204,000-square-foot manufacturing plant in McPherson, where it also will create a master distribution hub as part of a strategic plan to prepare for growth in the pipe fitting market.
The one-story facility will be constructed using Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design principles on a 127-acre campus that houses two other Viega buildings.
The project is expected to bring about 100 new jobs to the area about 58 miles north of Wichita when it is completed in mid-2019. Viega's presence in McPherson will then exceed 700,000 square feet.
The new facility will be dedicated primarily to Viega's ProPress copper line of products. The capacity expansion also is behind the need for a larger distribution center for both metal and cross-linked polyethylene products.
Viega will move its master distribution center from Atlanta to McPherson but keep a smaller satellite center in Georgia. Construction of the center in Kansas is scheduled to begin in late 2018. The plans call for automation and an upgraded warehouse management system for faster product turnaround.
"Centralizing Viega's manufacturing and distribution in McPherson is a strategic effort to prepare for future growth and continued demand of Viega products," Chief Operating Officer Robert Boots said in a March 30 announcement about the growth initiative.
Viega currently has more than 600 employees in North America at the company headquarters in Broomfield, Colo.; distribution centers in Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania; and a training facility in New Hampshire in addition to its central manufacturing and distribution centers in McPherson.