Chelsea Building Products Inc. plans to open a manufacturing facility in Greenville, Texas, and add capacity in Oakmont, Pa., which has been its headquarters and sole site for operations since 1985.
The company says the growth is driven by increased demand for its vinyl and PVC composite window systems, composite cellular foam mouldings, railing, shutters and Everlast composite siding made from a proprietary blend of resin and granulated stone.
The Texas operation will serve U.S. customers in the South and West from a renovated 126,000-square-foot plant that previously housed an extrusion business. The customers include leading fabricators and window manufacturers.
Chelsea Building Products officials said the company's second plant is set up for 15 extrusion lines, which should allow for a fast startup. They have ordered extrusion equipment expected to arrive in the fourth quarter of 2018, with operations to begin in January 2019.
"We knew at some point in time, the demand for our products would necessitate a second production facility," CEO and President Peter Dewil said in a news release. "We expect to continue to make significant investments over the next three years in capacity expansion between the Pennsylvania and Texas plants."
Founded in 1975 as Poly-Tex Co., the building products maker introduced itself to the housing market with what it says was the first all-vinyl, double-hung tilt replacement window system available in the U.S. The company now designs and manufactures the critical parts of vinyl and PVC composite window systems as well as doors, gutters, composite flooring and more. The window and door products come standard, meeting requirements for thermal performance and impact resistance. The moulding products can be customized with unique profiles.
Chelsea's building products are sold to manufacturers, fabricators and distributors in North America for residential, commercial and manufactured housing.
In March 2017, the engineered profile extruder was acquired by a family owned Aluplast GmbH, headquartered in Germany.
"We acquired Chelsea Building Products as a cornerstone of our global strategy, building a strong platform for substantial growth," Aluplast Chairman Dirk Seitz said in the news release. "The investments that the aluplast group continues to make, in the expansion of Chelsea's capacity both in Pennsylvania and now Texas, demonstrate our commitment to the North American market."
After past investments in infrastructure and equipment, the Oakmont facility has grown to more than 50 extrusion lines running 24/7 to produce millions of feet of lineal extrusions annually.
The Chelsea site in Greenville has space to accommodate an expansion if needed.