EDEN, N.C. — Weil-McLain announced Sept. 27 at the grand opening of its manufacturing plant and customer training facility here that it will expand operations and expects to create about 35 additional jobs.

The planned addition of sheet metal fabrication will create the new jobs, 11 of which already have been added. Weil-McLain, a unit of SPX Corp., is a leading supplier of residential and commercial boilers and related components for hydronic heating systems. Weil-McLain employs 114 full-time workers and more than 100 seasonal workers at the plant.

The Eden plant, which began production in February, produced more than 13,000 units during September, said Wayne Barksdale, Weil-McLain’s vice president/operations..

“We have recruited a highly skilled, dedicated work force in Eden,” Barksdale said. “Our production ramp-up is on schedule, and we are fully prepared to satisfy customer requirements as we enter the heating season.

“Our Eden assembly plant has been designed and set up using demand flow and lean manufacturing techniques. We look forward to showing the plant’s capabilities to our customers, suppliers and the North Carolina community.”

Weil-McLain President Steven Zeller said: “Our new Eden facility keeps Weil- McLain at the forefront of the hydronic heating industry. In addition to this new world-class manufacturing plant, we have also invested more than $1.5 million in onsite training facilities that will be extensively utilized by our customers.”

Also attending the grand opening were Thomas J. Riordan, chief operating officer of SPX Corp.; Sanford R. Jordan, state commerce director of business recruitment; state Rep. Nelson Cole; and Eden Mayor Phil Price as well as customers, suppliers, employees, and other state and local government officials.

“SPX has a strong linkage with North Carolina, which is the home of our corporate headquarters and where we employ in excess of 1,140 people,” Riordan said.

Headquartered in Michigan City, Ind., Weil-McLain will celebrate its 125th anniversary in 2006.

www.weil-mclain.com