Uponor Corp. was invited to New York City to close trading at the Nasdaq stock market in Times Square on Monday, Aug. 20. Broadcast live on a billboard at 43^rd Street and Broadway, this closing-bell ceremony commemorated the 100^th anniversary of Uponor, an international systems and solutions provider for safe drinking-water delivery, energy-efficient radiant heating and cooling, and reliable infrastructure.

To honor the anniversary year, Uponor President and CEO Jyri Luomakoski celebrated the historic moment at the Nasdaq stock market with Bill Gray, president of Uponor North America, and a group of valued customers and partners.

“Uponor’s global growth has been fueled by the construction industry’s demand for plastic piping solutions — and the safe, sustainable and efficient heating, cooling and plumbing solutions they create,” Luomakoski said. “We are confident that our focus on growing strategic partnerships, investing in technology, and expanding for the future have positioned us well to remain the industry leader for the next 100 years.”

First furniture, then PEX

On Aug. 13, 1918, Aukusti Asko-Avonius signed the papers to establish a carpentry workshop in Lahti, Finland, marking the humble beginnings of the Uponor story. That small workshop quickly grew into the largest furniture supplier in the Nordic countries of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark.

In the late 1960s, the company expanded its business further into the international plastics industry, becoming the first to market with crosslinked polyethylene (PEX) piping for under-floor radiant heating and, eventually, plumbing and fire sprinkler applications — first residential and then commercial. Uponor began marketing PEX piping in North America in 1984 and commenced manufacturing operations in Apple Valley, Minnesota, in 1990.

Expanded 10 times over the past three decades, the North American headquarters production facility was honored with the Minnesota Manufacturers Alliance Manufacturer of the Year Award in both 2013 and 2018. In May, Uponor North America opened a second manufacturing facility in Hutchinson, Minnesota. The 237,000-square-foot facility was renovated and received regulatory approval in less than one year after Uponor had purchased it.

The 100^th anniversary is being celebrated at many Uponor locations and events throughout 2018. To learn more, please visit: uponor.com/company/history.