COMPANY NEWS

Newly-Formed Benada Aluminum Products Purchases FEI Assets

St. Louis-based FTL Capital LLC recently purchased the former Benada Aluminum of Florida Inc.’s (BAF) assets and formed a new company, Benada Aluminum Products LLC. The newly formed company subsequently purchased the assets of Florida Extruders International Inc. (FEI) for $8.1 million through a bankruptcy auction in June.

BAF previously was owned by Monte Friedkin, who has been in the aluminum extrusion business for more than 50 years and now will serve as president and chief executive officer of Benada Aluminum Products. He says the new company will serve the residential, commercial and industrial extrusion market.

“Really this was a simultaneous closing,” says Jake Sturdy, vice president, FTL Capital. “We were intrigued by this bankruptcy process but it only made sense if Monte and his organization were involved. We wouldn’t have done without the other.”

He adds, “We are very excited for the potential to increase market share and reduce costs by combining the assets and operations of FEI and BAF. Our extensive industry experience coupled with FTL Capital’s resources and financial and strategic leadership capabilities provides Benada with a solid foundation for profitable growth in future.”

FEI had filed for Chapter 11 in late April, citing financial difficulties stemming from a number of causes, including Chinese imports of aluminum extrusions and building code changes in Florida that company officials say have promoted a market shift toward vinyl windows. The company closed its doors in February 2011, according to court documents.

Kuiken Brothers Opens Drive-Through Lumberyard
Kuiken Brothers Co. Inc. has opened a location in Succasunna, N.J. The new retail site features a 12-acre, drive-through lumber and building materials facility that will serve builders, remodelers and homeowners. It also features an on-site door and window showroom and a window assembly shop.

This is the company’s ninth location—eight of which are located in New Jersey and one in Warwick, N.Y.

Vytex Expands with Distribution Center in Cleveland
Vytex Windows, based in Laurel, Md., has added a new distribution center in Cleveland.

Vytex’s Chuck Scalzott says that the Cleveland operation opens an entirely new market for the company, which already has an “established anchor customer” in Cleveland for which Vytex will provide measuring and installation services.

“It is a good time for expansion because the business base has already been established there,” says Scalzott. “With the age of the home stock in the Cleveland area showing about 75 percent or more homes having been built before 1978, the window replacement opportunities there are very good.”

The company is looking at further expansions into Columbus and other areas of western Ohio. Vytex currently serves the Mid-Atlantic states, North and South Carolina, and Georgia.

Universal Molding Co. Purchases International Window Parent
Downey, Calif.-based Universal Molding Co. purchased the assets of International Window’s parent company, International Architectural Products, through an auction in June for a purchase price of $8 million.

The asset purchase included the majority of the company’s assets, with the exclusion of a few items, according to court documents. Excluded items included the company’s cash, accounts receivable, tax refunds, causes of action, books and records, non-assignable permits and any and all leases. However, International’s owned property in Waxahachie, Texas, including its factory, was included in the sale, according to court documents.

International Architectural Products filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in early May (see related story in June 2011 DWM, page 20).

Quanex Building Products Posts Loss in Second Quarter
Quanex Building Products Corp. reported a diluted loss from continuing operations of $0.04 per share in its fiscal 2011 second-quarter results. The quarter included Edgetech transaction costs of $0.03 per share.

Additionally, the company reports that second-quarter earnings from continuing operations were down from a year ago primarily due to weaker results at the Engineered Products Group (EPG), which had both lower sales and higher organic growth initiative expenses.

Second-quarter revenue for EPG was $82.5 million, which included one month of Edgetech sales of $6.4 million, and was lower than a year ago as demand at that time benefitted from two housing related tax credit programs, according to the company. Operating income of $1.9 million was down from a year ago due to lower revenue and higher growth initiative costs of about $0.6 million. EPG’s income included one month’s operating loss at Edgetech of $0.9 million. Whose Edgetech results were negatively impacted by a step-up in inventory expense related to the purchase method of accounting of $0.9 million, according to Quanex.

Masonite to Acquire Marshfield to Offer Broader Range of Commercial Products
Masonite Inc. has signed an agreement to acquire Marshfield DoorSystems Inc., headquartered in Marshfield, Wis. The company says the acquisition will allow it to offer a wider range of products for the commercial market.

Marshfield, provider of doors and door components for commercial and architecturally specified applications, has manufactured doors since 1908. The company employs approximately 600 people, with a primary facility in Marshfield and two smaller locations in Greensboro, N.C., and Largo, Fla. Marshfield’s 2010 revenue exceeded $100 million, according to Masonite. No other financial details of the acquisition have been disclosed.

“The combination of Marshfield and Masonite’s Mohawk branded commercial door business provides our customers with a wider range of innovative door products for the more demanding commercial and architectural applications,” says Fred Lynch, Masonite’s president and chief executive officer (CEO). “Marshfield also provides an important additional platform of strategic growth for our company.”

“We are excited to join the Masonite team,” adds Don Bergman, Marshfield’s CEO. “Both Marshfield and Masonite have solid reputations for delivering great customer service and quality products and we look forward to partnering with Masonite to provide new opportunities for our customers, employees and suppliers.”

Bergman will remain with Masonite and will focus on expanding Masonite’s commercial and architectural door business.

STANDARDS NEWS
Public Comment Period Open for Side-Hinged Exterior Door System Standard
The Association of Millwork Distributors (AMD) has announced that the public comment period for its side-hinged exterior door system (SHEDS) standard is now open.

The standard outlines a defined procedure for structurally rating a side-hinged exterior door system and substituting components in that rated system. It utilizes the ASTM E330 test method and also provides a test method for comparing door slab stiffness, according to information from AMD.

The proposed standard, AMD 100, “Structural Performance Ratings of Side-Hinged Exterior Door Systems and Procedures for Component Substitution,” previously was balloted to the “SHEDS Consensus Body” in May 2010 and underwent a public comment period, and the latest draft of the standard reflects changes made as a result of comments made during that time, according to AMD.

The public comment period runs through August 8. Comments can be submitted to AMD’s Jessica Ferris by phone at 800/786-7274, or by email to jferris@amdweb.com.
www.amdweb.com

ASSOCIATION NEWS
CWDMA Changes Name to Fenestration Canada
The Canadian Window and Door Manufacturers Association (CWDMA) unveiled its new name and logo during its annual meeting held in May in Banff, Canada.

The group now will be called Fenestration Canada.

“Our membership is highly engaged and we are active in complex standards and code work that has significance not just for our membership and our industry, but for our country,” said incoming president Yvan Houle. “As such, we felt it was important to clearly express our brand in the marketplace. The existing name and logo took us this far but we felt we could make ourselves more easily recognizable. Our new, succinct name is bilingual, as is our organization.

“‘Fenestration Canada’ is inclusive of all types of fenestration and says in two words what used to take 15,” he adds. “It’s definitely more lean.”

Executive director Richard Lipman adds that the new name will help make the association more recognizable.

“When you hear Fenestration Canada you know we are about windows and doors,” says Lipman.

Lipman says the meeting attracted the largest number of attendees in the past several years, totaling around 150. Attendees learned the latest on a range of topics including Energy Star®, codes and standards, green building and news on the fenestration installation certification program during the event.

The group also presented Harvey Dunand of Gienow with the CP Loewen Award for 2011 during the meeting. The award was designed to recognize outstanding dedication, commitment and accomplishment in the door and window industry.

Dunand has been with in Gienow since 1974, when he began as a lead hand in the mobile home bay and bow window department. In 1989, he was appointed vice president of manufacturing and in 1990 become an ownership partner of Gienow. Dunand has served in the association’s marketing and education committees for three years.

The association’s annual meeting is scheduled for June 7-9, 2012, at the Fairmont Chateau Montebello in Montebello, Quebec.

AAMA Makes Progress on Green Product Certification Program at Summer Meeting
The American Architectural Manufacturers Association’s (AAMA) Green and Sustainability Development Task Group made further progress toward its green product certification program during its recent summer conference in Minneapolis.

The group reviewed the results of the most recent ballot of the AAMA Green Certification Program criteria for R and LC class products, and addressed each of the ballot comments. The group now is working on making revisions as needed, based on the ballot comments, and plans to re-ballot the criteria prior to its fall meeting, which will be held in Palm Springs, Calif., in September. Task group chair Tracy Rogers of Edgetech said the group’s goal is to finalize the document at its September meeting.

Brent Slaton of Keymark Corp., chair of the Aluminum Materials Council Green and Sustainability Committee, also spoke during the event about the development status of the AAMA Green Certification Program criteria for CW and AW class products, while Roger LeBrun of VELUX America, chair of the team, discussed development of a version of the program for unit skylights and sloped glazed products. The program for CW and AW class products also was scheduled to undergo some revisions as a result of the most recent ballot and to be re-balloted prior to the fall conference.

According to AAMA, the skylight and sloped glazing program will not be developed until the other two programs are completed, in order to make all three consistent.

EVENT NEWS
FeneTech User Conference Focuses on Three Ds
The ninth annual FeneTech user conference was held in June at the Cleveland Hyatt at the Arcade. A theme of the conference was the “three Ds,” as identified by company president Ron Crowl—discovery, discussions and defining.

“The emphasis is on the three Ds:  discovery, finding new ways to make your business run better; participating in the discussions; and defining a plan of action,” said Crowl. “Let’s see what we can learn and apply to our businesses to make them better.”

Four seminar tracks ran consecutively during the event, providing attendees with varying levels of programs from which to choose. Sessions included scheduling, capacity planning, releasing production and remakes; price configuration for glass; price configuration for doors and windows; and purchasing and receiving. 

New at this year’s conference was a session called “FeneVision for Executives,” attended by a number of chief executive officers from door, window and glass manufacturers.

“This is a year for focusing on improvements everywhere–operations, marketing, everything involving people, processes and technology,” said one attendee, Geoff Roise, president of Lindsay Windows in North Mankato, Minn.

Roise also mentioned that his company is aiming to eliminate the use of paper as much as possible, and hopes to adopt the use of tablets on the production floor.

The purpose of the executive discussion was to determine what, if any, other data will be instrumental in helping these execs run their businesses more efficiently, explained Crowl.

Shelley MacKenzie of Home Hardware in Canada said she was attending the conference for the second time and that the major benefit for her is sharing tips with other attendees. “You get so much more information from other users who share tips with you,” she says. “It’s so much better than reading manuals.”


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360 Innovations is nearing the 4,000-user mark with its CustomBuilt360™ software, according to a recent release from the company

Montblanc Capital Corp. has acquired 4,490,880 common shares in the capital of GBO Inc. , a door and window manufacturer based in Eastern Canada. The purchase represents approximately 25.4 percent of the issued shares of the company, according to a statement from GBO

Mathews Brothers Co. has been awarded the OSHA Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) designation for its efforts in providing a safe and healthy work environment

Phantom Screens has two new distributors, Phantom of Charlotte LLC, which will represent the company in an eight-county area surrounding Charlotte, N.C., and Empire Building Products, which will distribute Phantom products in the Northeast

BW Creative Wood Industries has launched a new website, www.bwcreativewood.com.

DWM
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