Germany-based auto parts manufacturer REHAU is planning a major, new expansion to its Cullman operation

State, local and company officials will come together today at 11:30 a.m. to announce an expansion of REHAU, Inc. in Cullman at a private luncheon hosted at Top of the Town in downtown.

The company is eyeing a new, $2.5 million technical development center in Cullman, which will tackle everything from pioneering new processes to research and development operations. The project should also add approximately 100 jobs to Cullman in the coming years.

This project will mark the company’s first technical center outside of REHAU’s native Germany.

“Previously our technology development projects were executed out of centers in Germany, and then shared with the engineering and production teams in Cullman,” REHAU Automotive chief financial officer Reiner Leifhelm said in a prepared statement. “The new technical center, which will be located at the Cullman facility, will centralize efforts to streamline productivity, as well as keep more jobs related to REHAU’s North American automotive business in the Cullman region.”

REHAU produces more than 40,000 polymer-based solutions used in construction, automotive and other industries. The Cullman location alone employs more than 700 people.

In addition to today’s news, the company also recently completed a $119 million expansion in Cullman — which was one of the largest industrial projects in the state for 2012.

Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 220.