Window and Door March/April 2012 : Page 58
➤ SPECIAL FEATURE —Top 100 Manufacturers 2012 SERIOUS ENERGY* Headquarters: Sunnyvale, Calif. Employees: 400 Website: www.seriousenergy.com Product lines: High performance fiberglass and vinyl windows for residential and commercial ap-plications. High performance insulating glass incorporating suspended film technology. General information: Serious Materials changed its name to Serious Energy in 2011, and focused efforts on developing programs and products to upgrade the energy efficiency of existing office, commercial and institutional buildings. With both retrofit glazing prod-ucts for commercial applications and energy manage-ment software systems, Serious also launched Serious Capital to finance such projects and eliminate upfront costs for building owners. The company first rose to prominence in 2009, acquiring two recently-closed window operations—Kensington Windows in Vanderg-rift, Pa., and Republic Windows & Doors in Chicago. In addition to its former Republic and Kensington plants, Serious operates facilities in Newark and Sunnyvale, Calif., and Longmont, Colo. Serious also owns Omniglass Ltd., the Manitoba-based fiberglass pultruder that sup-plies components to numerous window manufacturers and has licensed its pultrusion technology to others. SOFT-LITE LLC Headquarters: Streetsboro, Ohio Employees: 250 Website: www.soft-lite.com Product lines: Vinyl windows, including garden, bay, bow and specialty shapes. Patio doors in-cluding sliding, French and atrium models. Fiber-glass entry systems and welded storm doors. General information: Soft-Lite made big news recently with the acquisition of the assets of Gorell Windows & Doors. Previously a Top 100 Manufacturer in its own right, Gorell entered receivership in February 2012 with Soft-Lite moving to acquire the assets shortly thereafter. The addition will expand Soft-Lite’s product line and dealer base. Soft-Lite officials have not made a final decision whether Soft-Lite operates a 200,000-square-foot it will continue to plant in Ohio. operate Gorell’s 58 | Window & Door | March/April 2012 Indiana, Pa. plant, but production continues there while the company officials assess their options. Founded in 1934, Soft-Lite continues to operate its own award-winning 200,000-square-foot plant featuring advanced robotic manufacturing equipment, AAMA test lab and office facility. The company operates distribution centers in Baltimore, Md., and Charlotte, N.C. Executives point out that Soft-Lite is a debt-free window and door manufacturer that continues to re-invest profits back into the business. In the past two years Soft-Lite has added three paint lines with superior curing stations, a second lamination line, automated packaging systems, and additional robotics to improve quality and increase capacity. It also has invested in customer programs, including training videos and materials, product literature, how-to pamphlets, sample kits, display samples and stands, signage, a continually updated website, and sales support. The manufacturer is also working with its customer base on services such as Improveit! 360 and GuildQuality to enhance their growth and profitability, officials note. In addition to supporting its dealer and distributor customer base, Soft-Lite continues to expand its turnkey installation service that enables the manufacturer to capitalize on new geographic market areas where dealers may not have adequate infrastructure to manage the logistics of installing numerous product lines after the initial sale. Recent product line expansion into fiberglass entry door systems, all welded storm doors, new woodgrain laminates, and new paint colors continues, with the company planning several new additions, including a maple woodgrain laminate, as well as a new sliding patio door line VINYLMAX LLC* Headquarters: Hamilton, Ohio Employees: 170 Website: www.vinylmax.com Product lines: Vinyl windows for replacement and new construction. Vinyl patio doors General information: With a 150,000-square-foot Vinylmax opened its 150,000-square-foot vinyl window plant in 2008. *Sales information not confirmed by company
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