Swedish refrigeration systems company Dometic Group AB said Tuesday it will open a new production facility in Suzhou near Shanghai to build a line of automatic mini-bars for use in China's hotel industry.

The company said it decided to open the plant in China to capitalize on the expected demand for new hotel rooms ahead of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

We need a production facility in China to be able to meet the very rapidly growing local demand, said Rutger Wachtmeister, the company's executive vice president for marketing and sales.

The Suzhou plant will ultimately employ some 200 workers and make China the 11th country where Dometic has operations.