WINNIPEG, MANITOBA -- A revived fiberglass pultrusion business destroyed by fire a year ago is ramping up production in Winnipeg.
Omniglass SCT Inc. has three pultrusion lines running in its new location and has three more ready to go as demand warrants it, said Omniglass SCT general manager Leroy Dankochik in a telephone interview.
"We started production in October to meet customer orders," Dankochik said. Omniglass makes pultruded frames and components for windows and doors.
The former business, Omniglass (2010) Inc., was shut down after a fire on Jan. 2, 2012, destroyed the company's plant. Some equipment was salvageable but the former owners did not want to restart the business so they sold it to Dankochik and John Zadro, president of Structural Composite Technologies Ltd. The sale was finalized Nov. 22 and included assets, patents and processes. Cause of the fire was not determined.
Omniglass SCT is located in the same Winnipeg plant as Structural Composite. The former Omniglass (2010) was owned by a California-based private equity fund.
Dankochik, who also was general manager of the predecessor Omniglass (2010), estimated the predecessor had annual sales of more than C$10 million (US$10 million). Its markets extended throughout North America and into Europe and Saudi Arabia. Because the pultruded profiles are dense, long-distance shipping costs are not prohibitive.
Dankochik and Zadro have hired 10 former Omniglass (2010) employees, including founder and former CEO Laurie Davies to bolster the sales and development staff.
"We are bringing back a respected name in fiberglass to the North American window and door industry," noted Zadro in a Jan. 14 news release.
Structural Composite is a privately owned firm established in 1961. It makes a range of custom fiberglass equipment for mining, chemical, utilities, wind energy, construction and other industries in North America. Dankochik said its technologies include filament winding, hand layup, chopper guns and resin transfer molding. Its annual sales exceed C$10 million (US$10 million).
Omniglass SCT claims fiberglass windows and doors are gaining popularity because of their structural strength, thermal resistance and paintability. In commercial applications they gain from potential to receive environmental certification while in residential construction they offer quality, durability and aesthetics.
