Profile extruder Milgard Windows of Tacoma, Wash., is investing $36 million to build a second U.S. extrusion site, to be located in Surprise, Ariz.
Officials have secured a 44-acre parcel in Surprise, about 20 miles northwest of downtown Phoenix. The firm, owned by publicly held Masco Corp. of Taylor, Mich., plans to construct a 300,000-square-foot building on the land.
``Housing and remodeling markets continue to grow at record levels,'' Jim Sweeney, Milgard's president and chief operating officer, said in a news release. The new facility will enable the company to meet increasing demand.
``Unlike manufacturers that just assemble windows from outsourced components, we make our own parts,'' he added.
Officials were hesitant to offer time lines on the facility's construction or number of extrusion lines, because various purchase and development agreements are contingent upon satisfactory completion of due diligence.
Due diligence will include environmental and geotechnical studies and procurement of required permits, said Mark Gallant, Milgard's spokesman, in an April 27 telephone interview.
Officials said the operation will run 24 hours a day. They expect to employ 150 during the first year, with plans to grow to 300 employees by the end of the fourth year.
Milgard's other extrusion site is in Tacoma.
The firm also operates roughly 12 fabrication facilities throughout the United States, including a site in Tempe, Ariz.