Unox, a global leader in professional cooking solutions, has officially celebrated the grand opening of its first United States manufacturing facility. Located in Denver, North Carolina (within the Charlotte metropolitan region), the $20 million plant marks a significant milestone in the company's North American expansion strategy.
Crucially for the commercial foodservice equipment sector, the opening establishes Unox as the only commercial oven manufacturer to produce combi ovens domestically within the United States.
Securing the Supply Chain: Nearshoring Production
Production at the new facility officially commenced in late 2025. For foodservice dealers, distributors, and end-users, this localisation of manufacturing addresses persistent supply chain vulnerabilities that have historically plagued heavy equipment procurement.
By shifting production from Europe to the U.S. for its North American market, Unox is structurally positioned to:
Drastically reduce lead times for U.S. customers.
Expand production capabilities to meet localised demand surges.
Improve service and parts availability, minimising equipment downtime for commercial kitchens.
A Platform for Growth
The grand opening event served as an immersive showcase for foodservice dealers and manufacturers' representatives, designed to demonstrate the operational scale of the new hub.
Derrick Richardson, Unox President of North America, framed the facility as the culmination of years of regional investment, dating back to the company's initial entry into the Charlotte area in 2017.
"We've been building toward this moment in Charlotte for a long time," Richardson stated. "This facility is a milestone and a platform for everything that comes next. Bringing our partners here to experience that firsthand felt like exactly the right way to open this chapter."
Global Strategy Context
While the North Carolina plant localises the North American supply chain, it operates as part of a broader, highly integrated global strategy.
Nicola Michelon, Unox Group CEO, emphasised this alignment: "The U.S. facility is a key element of a global strategy bringing Unox closer to the customers we serve every day. We're invested for the long term. We are building something that will serve the American foodservice industry for years to come."
The U.S. expansion runs parallel to the company's ongoing development of Unox City, its state-of-the-art global headquarters and innovation centre located in Padua, Italy. Together, these infrastructure investments signal Unox's aggressive intent to capture further market share in the global combi and speed oven categories.
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