FORT WAYNE, Ind., and LIBERTY CORNER, N.J. - WFI Industries and Fedders Corporation have entered into a strategic alliance to build water-source heat pumps in China. Fedders will produce the units in China for sale by WFI Industries Ltd. in China and Korea under the WaterFurnace brand.

The products will be manufactured at Fedders Xinle Co. Ltd., in Ningbo, China, which is one of seven Fedders China factories.

Said Bruce Ritchey, CEO of WFI Industries, "This venture will give us the cost structure and critical mass to allow us to design and build products specifically for the emerging geothermal markets in China and Korea. This is good news for Fort Wayne. It means we will see an immediate increase in work for our engineering, manufacturing, and training support people. It does not send local manufacturing jobs to China."

Publication date: 01/19/2004