Vicwest and All Weather Insulated Panels Announce Plans For Third Insulated Metal Panel Plant
Oakville, Ontario, Canada - Vicwest Building Products, a division of Vicwest Inc. (TSX: VIC, VIC.DB), and All Weather Insulated Panels have jointly announced the expansion of their existing insulated metal panel manufacturing operations with the addition of a third facility to be opened near Little Rock, Arkansas in 2012.
All Weather and Vicwest are two of North America’s leading producers of insulated metal panels (IMP) for industrial, commercial and cold storage applications with two existing 90,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facilities located in Vacaville, California and Hamilton, Ontario. The two companies combined their IMP operations in 2010 and have recently completed a technology and best practice transfer to standardize their IMP product offering across North America.
The new 100,000 square foot facility will be located in Maumelle, Arkansas, a suburb of Little Rock, and is scheduled to begin production in the third quarter of 2012. This facility will initially produce a complete line of insulated wall and roof panels that match the existing All Weather / Vicwest offering, utilizing a state-of-the-art continuous line manufacturing process and a temperature controlled building to ensure process control and product quality.
“The opening of the new facility represents an important early step in expanding our geographic coverage and growing our product line” said Emile Mabro, Vice President of Vicwest. “It capitalizes on the solid foundation already built between All Weather and Vicwest and, with the existing two plants, provides the footing to enable us to increase our IMP market penetration throughout all major segments of the construction industry.”
“The location of the facility in Little Rock offers tremendous strategic customer service opportunities for All Weather and Vicwest by providing better access to the southern, mid-west and grain belt states” added Bill Lowery, President of All Weather. “Our new state-of-the-art facility and dedicated technical team confirms the commitment of both companies to producing the highest quality IMPs on the market by utilizing the most up-to-date technology, precision processing and the highest quality materials.”
About Insulated Metal Panels
Insulated metal panels are manufactured composites comprising rigid steel facings and an insulating core. They offer superior thermal resistance, structural integrity and one-step installation compared with field-assembled building insulation systems. IMP is a dominant building material in Europe and other overseas markets, and is gaining rapid acceptance in North America by displacing more traditional building materials and processes due to their Green Building properties offering unsurpassed insulation capacity using environmentally friendly and recyclable materials.
About All Weather
Headquartered in Vacaville, California, All Weather Insulated Panels is an innovator in the design, construction and advancement of insulated metal panels to meet the growing challenges facing the building industry. With over 90 years of combined industry experience among its founders and more than 40 employees, All Weather Insulated Panels provides its customers with a broad line of insulated wall and roof panels and a full range of complementary trims and accessories. For more information, visit www.awipanels.com.
About Vicwest
Headquartered in Oakville, Ontario, Vicwest is one of North America’s leading manufacturers and distributors of exterior building products, including metal roofing, siding, decking, insulated metal panels and architectural panels. Founded in 1905, Vicwest offers a wide and trusted range of products for the residential, industrial, commercial, institutional and agricultural construction markets. Vicwest has 13 manufacturing facilities with more than 800,000 square feet of operations strategically located throughout Canada and approximately 700 dedicated employees committed to providing quality products and excellent service to its North American customers. For more information, visit www.vicwest.com.