Andersen invests $40M in composite windows

Bayport, Minn.-based Andersen Corp. has started a $40 million expansion at its headquarters campus to produce more Fibrex brand material for one of its fastest growing window lines.

The privately held company is adding 60,000 square feet of manufacturing, 40 jobs, and extrusion capabilities to meet demand for composite windows in its Andersen 100 series of budget friendly products.

The composite windows are made from Fibrex, which is a blend of wood fiber mostly reclaimed from Andersen manufacturing processes, and vinyl, some of which is also reclaimed. Andersen says Fibrex is twice as strong as vinyl and low maintenance compared to wood.

Used in both Andersen and Renewal-by-Andersen brand products, Fibrex is associated with more than 25 U.S. patents.

"By further investing in our Fibrex material extrusion capabilities, we are investing in our ability to deliver the high-performing, dependable and energy-efficient products our consumers expect long into the future," Andersen Chairman and CEO Jay Lund said in a news release.

Founded in 1903, Andersen has 12,000 employees at window and door manufacturing sites in North America and Europe. The company selected Bayport to produce more of its proprietary material because it is near the Andersen 100 series assembly operation and land is available at the headquarters.

The machinery and equipment will come from "repurposing much of our North Branch, Minn., extrusion plant to support the growth of Renewal by Andersen," Lund said. In 2015, the company had invested $7 million into the 13-year-old North Branch facility, which makes Fibrex and decorative trim lineal pieces for the Andersen 100 series and the Renewal replacement windows.

A year earlier, in 2014, the company had expanded the Bayport plant and added 100 workers for the Andersen 100 series products. Construction for the latest expansion is expected to wrap up in the second quarter of 2019.

Andersen also donated $10,000 to the St. Croix River Association at the May 24 ground-breaking event for the expansion. The donation will support ecological and cultural project related to the St. Croix National Scenic Riverway.

In addition, the company said it would invest in an infiltration basin for stormwater management and native plantings to help improve the river's water quality.

Andersen and its subsidiaries also manufacture windows and doors sold under the Silver Line, American Craftsman, Emco, Weiland, MQ and Heritage brands.