Skip to main content
Sister Publication Links
  • Sustainable Plastics
  • Rubber News
Subscribe
  • Login
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • News
    • Processor News
    • Suppliers
    • More News
    • Digital Edition
    • End Markets
    • Special Reports
    • Newsletters
    • Resin pricing news
    • Videos
    • Injection Molding
    • Blow Molding
    • Film & Sheet
    • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
    • Rotomolding
    • Thermoforming
    • Recycling
    • Machinery
    • Materials
    • Molds/Tooling
    • Product news
    • Design
    • Mergers & Acquisitions
    • Sustainability
    • Public Policy
    • Material Insights Videos
    • Numbers that Matter
    • Automotive
    • Packaging
    • Medical
    • Consumer Products
    • Construction
    • CEO Issue
    • Diversity
    • Best Places to Work
      • 2022 winners
    • Processor of the Year
    • Rising Stars
    • Women Breaking the Mold
  • Opinion
    • The Plastics Blog
    • Kickstart
    • One Good Resin
    • BRICS and Plastics
    • All Things Data
    • Viewpoint
    • From Pillar to Post
    • Perspective
    • Mailbag
    • Fake Plastic Trees
  • Shop Floor
    • Blending
    • Compounding
    • Drying
    • Injection Molding
    • Purging
    • Robotics
    • Size Reduction
    • Structural Foam
    • Tooling
    • Training
  • Events
    • K Show Livestream
    • Plastics News Events
    • Industry Events
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Livestreams/Webinars
    • Editorial Livestreams
    • Ask the Expert
    • Plastics News Events Library
    • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Plastics News Executive Forum
    • Injection Molding & Design Expo
    • Plastics News Caps & Closures
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
    • Plastics in Automotive
    • Reuters Responsible Business Europe 2022
    • Reifenhäuser Technologies Livestreams
    • Polymer Points Live
    • Numbers that Matter Live
    • Plastics in Politics Live
    • Sustainable Plastics Live
    • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
    • Plastics in Healthcare Library
    • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
  • Resin Prices
    • All Resins
    • Commodity TPs
    • High Temp TPs
    • ETPs
    • Thermosets
    • Recycled Plastics
    • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
    • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
    • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
    • Historic Thermosets
    • Historic Recycled Plastics
  • Rankings & Data
    • Injection Molders
    • Blow Molders
    • Film Sheet
    • Thermoformers
    • Pipe Profile Tubing
    • Rotomolders
    • Mold/Toolmakers
    • LSR Processors
    • Recyclers
    • Compounders - List
    • Association - List
    • Plastic Lumber - List
    • All
  • Directory
  • Custom
    • Sponsored Content
    • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
    • Conair Sponsored Content
    • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
    • ENGEL Sponsored Content
    • White Papers
    • Classifieds
    • Place an Ad
    • Sign up for Early Classified
MENU
Breadcrumb
  1. Home
  2. News
March 22, 1999 01:00 AM

ARE SMALL WINDOW EXTRUDERS A DYING BREED?

Shannon Ledson PLASTICS NEWS STAFF
  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Share
  • Email
  • More
    Print

    ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Could it be the end of the hometown, family-owned window extruder, fabricator and dealer?

    With retail and industry giants buying out mom-and-pop factories, some consultants believe the end looms as close as 2002.

    Following numerous acquisitions in recent years by window extruders such as Royal Group Technologies Ltd. of Woodbridge, Ontario; CertainTeed Corp. of Valley Forge, Pa.; and Kent, Washington-based Mikron Industries Inc., the number of players in the vinyl window industry continues to dwindle.

    Several large, pending acquisitions expected in the coming year will prove the theory that corporate America continues to grow while the little guy disappears into its shadow, said Norman McKibbin and Norman Silberdick of Aspen International Group Inc.

    Aspen International, which assists window companies in acquisitions and mergers, was at RemodelAmerica, held March 4-6 in Atlantic City. The show was organized by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

    Entrepreneurs are feeling the pinch from several directions.

    ``As families get older, kids don't want to [go into the family business] anymore,'' McKibbin said, adding that owners are forced to sell their businesses so they can retire.

    Large corporations are waiting for such opportunities to arise and often seek out small companies to convince them to sell, he said.

    Families also are feeling the crunch as large window fabricators are buying their own extruders or acquiring extrusion companies. In-house manufacturing enables big companies to slash prices, Silberdick said.

    Those cheaper windows are becoming more popular in the do-it-yourself market, as corporations invade the retail market by acquiring parts of the ``Big Box'' chain stores such as DIY and Home Depot. Consolidation also squeezes out the middle man, he said.

    And it's not just the small-business world being affected.

    Many consumers don't realize most windows sold at do-it-yourself stores are of lesser quality, McKibbin said. Professional marketers offer more-expensive products, plus features such as custom-made windows, thicker profiles and glass, and a choice of colors and styles, he said.

    ``At places such as Home Depot, what you see is what you get. A plain, white vinyl window,'' McKibbin said.

    However, the homeowner sees only the huge difference in price. As a result, the small dealer folds or is sold, he said.

    Within three to five years, the family-owned window extruder, fabricator and dealer will be phased out, McKibbin predicts.

    John Lombardo, president of JSM Vinyl Products Inc. of Inwood, N.Y., said when family-owned businesses can't compete, they sell.

    ``I call this the land of the giants,'' he said. ``Everybody is buying everybody so there's nobody left.''

    Some big competitors land accounts by giving customers new equipment as an incentive, Lombardo said in a March 9 telephone interview. That kind of deal is hard to compete with for JSM, an extruder in the window and door industry whose 1997 sales topped off at $2.2 million.

    Lombardo said his secret to staying in the extrusion game is to provide excellent products and customer service.

    ``You have to be 100-plus percent effective: no waste, streamlined. Maximize everything. You keep your head above water that way,'' he said.

    Some small extruders, such as Omega Plastics Corp. of Clinton, Tenn., disagree with McKibbin's prediction.

    ``We don't see that it's any worse today than it was 20 years ago. Of course, the players are different,'' President Stephen Redwine said.

    Omega reported sales of $7 million in 1997. Though the company loses some customers to large corporations every year, it also gains clients, canceling out the losses, Redwine said.

    RECOMMENDED FOR YOU
    Hillenbrand cites recycling as 'strategic growth' area with Herbold acquisition
    Letter
    to the
    Editor

    Do you have an opinion about this story? Do you have some thoughts you'd like to share with our readers? Plastics News would love to hear from you. Email your letter to Editor at [email protected]

    Most Popular
    1
    Hillenbrand makes another deal in plastics machinery
    2
    California passes strictest plastics law in US, with EPR and recycling targets
    3
    Hillenbrand cites recycling as 'strategic growth' area with Herbold acquisition
    4
    Eastman Chemical looking to build another major plastics recycling facility
    5
    Newell Rubbermaid buys New Zealand-based Sistema Plastics
    SIGN UP FOR TO RECEIVE THESE EMAILS AND ENEWSLETTERS
    EMAIL ADDRESS

    Please enter a valid email address.

    Please enter your email address.

    Please verify captcha.

    Please select at least one newsletter to subscribe.

    Get our newsletters

    Staying current is easy with Plastics News delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge.

    Subscribe today

    Subscribe to Plastics News

    Subscribe now
    Connect with Us
    • LinkedIn
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram

    Plastics News covers the business of the global plastics industry. We report news, gather data and deliver timely information that provides our readers with a competitive advantage.

    Contact Us

    1155 Gratiot Avenue
    Detroit MI 48207-2997

    Customer Service:
    877-320-1723

    Resources
    • About
    • Staff
    • Editorial Calendar
    • Media Kit
    • Data Store
    • Digital Edition
    • Custom Content
    • People
    • Contact
    • Careers
    • Sitemap
    Related Crain Publications
    • Sustainable Plastics
    • Rubber News
    • Urethanes Technology
    • European Rubber Journal
    • Tire Business
    Legal
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Request
    Copyright © 1996-2022. Crain Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
    • News
      • Processor News
        • Injection Molding
        • Blow Molding
        • Film & Sheet
        • Pipe/Profile/Tubing
        • Rotomolding
        • Thermoforming
        • Recycling
      • Suppliers
        • Machinery
        • Materials
        • Molds/Tooling
        • Product news
        • Design
      • More News
        • Mergers & Acquisitions
        • Sustainability
        • Public Policy
        • Material Insights Videos
        • Numbers that Matter
      • Digital Edition
      • End Markets
        • Automotive
        • Packaging
        • Medical
        • Consumer Products
        • Construction
      • Special Reports
        • CEO Issue
        • Diversity
        • Best Places to Work
          • 2022 winners
        • Processor of the Year
        • Rising Stars
        • Women Breaking the Mold
      • Newsletters
      • Resin pricing news
      • Videos
    • Opinion
      • The Plastics Blog
      • Kickstart
      • One Good Resin
      • BRICS and Plastics
      • All Things Data
      • Viewpoint
      • From Pillar to Post
      • Perspective
      • Mailbag
      • Fake Plastic Trees
    • Shop Floor
      • Blending
      • Compounding
      • Drying
      • Injection Molding
      • Purging
      • Robotics
      • Size Reduction
      • Structural Foam
      • Tooling
      • Training
    • Events
      • K Show Livestream
      • Plastics News Events
        • Plastics News Executive Forum
        • Injection Molding & Design Expo
        • Plastics News Caps & Closures
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum
        • Plastics in Automotive
      • Industry Events
      • Injection Molding & Design Expo
      • Livestreams/Webinars
        • Reuters Responsible Business Europe 2022
        • Reifenhäuser Technologies Livestreams
      • Editorial Livestreams
        • Polymer Points Live
        • Numbers that Matter Live
        • Plastics in Politics Live
        • Sustainable Plastics Live
      • Ask the Expert
      • Plastics News Events Library
        • Plastics Caps & Closures Library
        • Plastics in Healthcare Library
        • Women Breaking the Mold Networking Forum Library
      • Processor of the Year submissions
    • Resin Prices
      • All Resins
      • Commodity TPs
        • Historic Commodity Thermoplastics
      • High Temp TPs
        • Historic High Temp Thermoplastics
      • ETPs
        • Historic Engineering Thermoplastics
      • Thermosets
        • Historic Thermosets
      • Recycled Plastics
        • Historic Recycled Plastics
    • Rankings & Data
      • Injection Molders
      • Blow Molders
      • Film Sheet
      • Thermoformers
      • Pipe Profile Tubing
      • Rotomolders
      • Mold/Toolmakers
      • LSR Processors
      • Recyclers
      • Compounders - List
      • Association - List
      • Plastic Lumber - List
      • All
    • Directory
    • Custom
      • Sponsored Content
      • LS Mtron Sponsored Content
      • Conair Sponsored Content
      • KraussMaffei Sponsored Content
      • ENGEL Sponsored Content
      • White Papers
      • Classifieds
        • Place an Ad
        • Sign up for Early Classified