W&D Weekly - January 16, 2008 | Vol 3, Num 3
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Pella Will Close Iowa Plant

Just a year after transitioning the formerly wood producing Story City, Iowa, plant entirely to vinyl production, Pella Corp. has announced that it will close the facility in March...

Just a year after transitioning the formerly wood producing Story City, Iowa, plant entirely to vinyl production (click here to read more), Pella Corp. has announced that it will close the facility in March, eliminating more than 240 positions. The manufacturer will use the 400,000-square-foot plant for storage.

The manufacturer points to the housing crisis for the closure. “After doing everything we could to deal with the housing decline, which is deeper and more widespread than anyone predicted, we must close this facility to reduce excess manufacturing capacity,” says Denny Van Zanten, Pella’s corporate vice president.

The Story City location, opened in 1997, is the smallest of the company’s sites in Iowa, according to company officials. Kathy Krafka Harkema, spokeswoman, told the local newspaper that the company has no plans to close its other Iowa plants in Sioux Center, Carroll, Pella and Shenandoah.

Nationwide, the company employs about 9,800 workers. “Our intention is to continue operating the existing facilities given the current demand,” Krafka Harkema told the newspaper. In some instances, however, workers’ hours have been cut to adjust for sluggish demand.

Pella was among Story City’s largest employers. “We love Story City and hate to close the facility,” said Harkema. “We’ll do what we can to help our team members.”

Peachtree/SNE to Shut Down West Virginia Plant

SNE Enterprises, which manufactures Crestline and Vetter windows and doors, will close its Huntington, W. Va., plant...

SNE Enterprises, which manufactures Crestline and Vetter windows and doors and is part of the Peachtree Cos., will close its Huntington, W. Va., plant, permanently laying off 130 employees. The layoffs will begin in mid-March and continue through mid-May, when the facility will be permanently closed.

The Peachtree Cos. is owned by the Schield family of Medford, Wis.; owners of Weather Shield Windows & Doors. The Peachtree operations, which include Peachtree Door & Window and SNE Enterprises, were acquired from Nortek Inc. in 2001.

Late last year, Peachtree announced the closing of its Georgia plant, citing the downturn in the housing market. Door production at that facility is being moved to one of Weather Shield’s plants in Wisconsin. SNE continues to operate a manufacturing plant in Mosinee, Wis.

Workers were informed of the closing via letters sent to each of them from SNE Vice President Kevin Schield, who also visited the plant last week to personally convey the news, according to a local newspaper report.

“Schield told us it was because the building of houses is down, and there wasn't enough work,” worker Greta Withrow told the paper.

Still, Withrow and other employees who are losing their jobs wonder if the 2004 formation of a workers’ union may have contributed to the corporate decision.

Withrow, who is on the union committee, told the paper that the company had been in a legal battle with employees over the decision, but a late 2007 court ruling had upheld the three-year-old vote for workers at the plant to join the United Steelworkers of America.

Viwinco Launches New Product Line

Viwinco, a fabricator of CertainTeed brand windows and doors, has started production of its own line of vinyl products...

Viwinco Inc., a long-time fabricator of CertainTeed brand windows and doors, has started production of its own line of Viwinco brand vinyl products. Initially targeting its existing customer base of wholesale distributors in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, the manufacturer is now offering three replacement lines, a new construction product and an impact-resistant window.

“Our goal was to use our manufacturing experience as a licensed fabricator of window products to create new vinyl window and patio door products with the features, styling, and ratings our customers really wanted—but under our own name,” says David Barnes, Viwinco president. “We want to respond to our market more quickly while we continue to provide the service, short lead times, and best quality window and door products our customers have come to expect.”

Based in Morgantown, Pa., the company has been manufacturing vinyl windows since 1982. It has spent more than a year developing and testing the new products, Barnes points out. The company has also invested about $5 million in its plant to produce the new lines. Incorporating some of the latest in manufacturing technology, Viwinco is able to produce all five product lines—including its impact product—in mixed runs on the same equipment, he adds.

The new products include Edgemont, Strafford, and Cambridge model replacement windows as well as Viwinco Signature Series windows for the new construction market. Barnes also says that “homeowners can’t tell the difference” between its new OceanView impact-resistant window line and its regular windows, making him particularly optimistic for the impact line.

The company will focus on serving its existing customers with the new Viwinco brand products, but Barnes does see opportunities for the company to expand its customer base.

While Viwinco has discontinued production of CertainTeed brand windows, they continue to be manufactured under license by several regional fabricators, as well as MI Windows & Doors and Ply Gem Industries. CertainTeed Corp. itself has exited the vinyl window business, selling its Indiana plant as well as other assets to MI in 2006. Last year, CertainTeed sold its California window manufacturing and vinyl extrusion operations to Ply Gem.

Window & Door Adds New Managing Editor

Continuing to strengthen its industry coverage, the National Glass Association has added Ryan Self to serve as managing editor of
Window & Door...

Continuing to strengthen its industry coverage and enhance its online properties, the National Glass Association has added Ryan Self to serve as managing editor of Window & Door. He succeeds Pete Frank, who is moving into the newly created position of e-publications manager for NGA.

Self comes to the Window & Door staff after working for an electronic publisher serving the electric utility and energy fields. In his position, he is responsible for managing and editing content for Window & Door magazine, WDweekly and WindowandDoor.net, as well as reporting and writing.

“Ryan should be a valuable asset,” says John Swanson, Window & Door editor and associate publisher. “He has a solid background in energy and regulatory issues. More importantly, his experience gives him real understanding of the information needs of business executives.”

In his new role, Frank will be working to manage online content for all of NGA’s publications, including Window & Door, Glass Magazine and Auto Glass. He will also be working to upgrade NGA’s online architecture, enabling further development and expanded coverage across all the electronic platforms. “Pete was instrumental in the launch of WDweekly and expansion of Window & Door’s Web site coverage,” Swanson notes. “His skills will be put to good use and enable us to deliver even more information online going forward.”

Self can be reached via email at rself@glass.org or phone at 703/442-4890, ext. 149.

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