March - April 2003

What’sNew

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS
CertainTeed Acquires Marshall Vinyl Windows

CertainTeed Corp. of Valley Forge, Pa., recently announced the acquisition of Marshall Vinyl Windows Inc. of Corona, Calif. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

Founded in 1954, Marshall Vinyl Windows Inc. manufactures vinyl windows and doors for distribution throughout California, Arizona and Nevada. Since 1992, Marshall has been an independent window fabricator for CertainTeed, taking vinyl components manufactured by CertainTeed, then assembling and selling the finished product under CertainTeed’s brand name. 

With this acquisition, CertainTeed now owns and operates four window manufacturing facilities. The others are located in Auburn, Wash., Richmond, Va., and Nesquehoning, Pa. An additional facility, currently under construction in Lebanon, Ind., will begin production this year. CertainTeed also owns a vinyl component extrusion plant in Hagerstown, Md.

Bystronic Acquires Armatec
Bystronic Inc. of Hauppauge, N.Y., recently announced the acquisition of Armatec Vierhaus GmbH, located in Gunzenhausen, Germany, effective January 1, 2003. The acquisition of Armatec, which specializes in laminated safety glass and handling systems, ideally complements the Bystronic portfolio, a global supplier of system solutions for the fabricating and processing of architectural and automotive glass, according to the company.

Ulrich Vierhaus, managing director of Armatec, will continue to manage the affairs of the company until his successor is appointed. Commenting on the move, Vierhaus said, “With the help of Bystronic’s global distribution network, Armatec will be able to expand its own international market presence.” 

Laminated safety glass is an expanding market, driven by higher safety requirements and the relevant safety regulations, as well as a trend toward the diversified use of glass in modern architecture, according to Bystronic. Due to these factors, Bystronic chief executive officer Rolf Honegger believes there will be no job cuts. 

“On the contrary for us, the acquisition of the a company as renowned as Armatec is an important step toward market leadership,” said Honegger.

Armatec, founded in 1983, has 40 employees. 2001 sales were approximately 7 million.

KUDOS
Self-Cleaning Glass Makes History
What does Pilkington’s Activ™ self-cleaning glass have in common with making fire, the alphabet, paper, the zipper, post-it notes and the World Wide Web?

They are all in 1000 Inventions & Discoveries, a book published in August 2002 by DK Publishing. The book showcases “every significant human invention and discovery,” beginning with stone tools in circa 3 million B.C. and ending with self-cleaning glass in 2001.

The author, Roger Bridgman, wrote the book in conjunction with the assistance of the Smithsonian Institute. Bridgman said he first heard of Pilkington Activ™ self-cleaning glass on a television news report in England. 

“I included it [in my book] because it seems like an idea that is both simple to explain and of great potential impact on the way buildings are designed and maintained,” he said.

TruSeal Recognized by Ohio Governor
TruSeal of Beachwood, Ohio, has been recognized by the state of Ohio in partnership with the Association of Ohio Commodores with a Governor’s Excellence in Exporting Award. TruSeal won the award for having contributed to Ohio’s exporting endeavors by distributing warm-edge spacer systems for windows to 53 countries worldwide. 

Exports have helped position Ohio as an integral part of the global business community. Currently, Ohio ranks second in the nation in number of manufacturing jobs tied to exporting, according to a company press release. 

Truseal CEO Gus Coppola (left) receives the Excellence in Exporting Award from Ohio’s Governor Bob Taft (right).

PARTNERSHIPS
Norfield and Vega Form Alliance
Norfield Industries of Chico, Calif., recently announced the formation of a strategic alliance with Vega Automation of Toronto to market door and window machinery in the United States, Canada and internationally. This alliance, according to Norfield, marks a new direction for both companies, combining the design and manufacturing agility of Vega with the sales and marketing strength of Norfield.

“We have several new products to bring to the pre-hung door industry,” said Mike Bevens, director of sales and marketing at Norfield. “This alliance means that we can reduce the time it takes for both of our companies to go from concept and design to putting a functional machine into the hands of our customers.”

COMPANY NEWS
G-U Hardware Dedicates New Headquarters
G-U Hardware of Newport News, Va., dedicated its new distribution center and assembly facility on October 27, 2002. The event also celebrated the company’s 15th anniversary in the window and door hardware industry.

Master of ceremonies for the event was Allen Jones Jr., chairperson of the Newport News Industrial Development Authority, who praised the company as a model corporate citizen and employer.

Kevin McDaniel, managing director of G-U, pointed out that the move into the new headquarters had nearly doubled their workspace. McDaniel personally recognized his team of employees, vendors and marketers and thanked them for their untiring efforts on behalf of the company. Representatives from the corporate headquarters of Gretsch-Unitas (G-U) of Germany were present earlier in the month for the ribbon cutting and “christening” of the building.

Further remarks were made by the honorable Charles Allen, vice mayor of the city of Newport News, Mark Kilduff, executive director of the Virginia Economic Development Partnership, and Joe Ritchie, president of Ritchie-Curbow Construction Co. Inc.

R.K. Haskew Changes Name
R.K. Haskew and Co. Inc. of Chattanooga, Tenn., changed its name to Hasko, effective January 1, 2003. The company says it made the change to affirm its dedication to its new Hasko heavy-built machinery manufacturing, to standardize the alphabetizing of its name in various directories and journals and to make it easier to remember.

Alcoa Announces New Company Name
Alcoa Building Products Inc., a manufacturer of siding products and accessories for the residential remodeling and new construction market, announced a name change to Alcoa Home Exteriors Inc., which became effective in December 2002. 

The company says the new name reflects its identity and focus as it advances its vision of being a color and design solution provider for the home exteriors marketplace.

PRODUCT EXPANSIONS
ThermoView Industries Unveils Alter-Lite Windows 
Thermo-Lite™, an electronic “smart” window that darkens with the turn of a dial, became available to California homeowners and to Internet buyers in July through ThermoView Industries Inc. of Louisville, Ky.

“We’ve already seen a lot of interest in Alter-Lite,” said president and chief executive officer Charles L. Smith. “We’re finding that people don’t want to cover their window with blinds or drapes, yet they still want a solution to control sun exposure.”

Smith says he expects the windows to be popular with homeowners who want to control intense early-morning or late-afternoon exposures; need to protect valuable artwork, carpets and furniture; or do not want to obstruct scenic views with draperies or blinds.

FINANCIAL
Third Quarter Results Announced
Royal Group Technologies Ltd. of Woodbridge, Ontario, announced financial results for the third quarter of fiscal 2002, which ended June 30, 2002. Net sales for the quarter were $579 million, up 14 percent from $507 million recorded during the same period in 2001. Organic sales during the quarter was 6 percent, with the remaining growth attributable to the acquisition of Marley Mouldings of Marion, Va. 

Net earnings were $56 million or 60 cents per share fully diluted. In fiscal 2001, Royal reported third-quarter earnings of $50 million or 54 cents per share fully diluted.

According to an article in Plastics News, “Royal Group Technologies Ltd. is counting on injection-molded-plastic window components and other new products to help it reach $3 billion C.N.D. ($1.98 billion U.S.D.) in annual sales by 2005.”

DWM
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