Harrisburg, Pa.-based Miter Brands, a vinyl and aluminum window and door manufacturer, announced an organizational realignment that will cut some jobs as part of its ongoing integration with PGT Innovations (PGTI).
Miter acquired Venice, Fla.-based competitor PGTI Inc. in January 2024 in a deal valued at $3.1 billion.
A year later, Miter officials say "certain roles across the business" were eliminated after careful consideration of current market conditions and the company's long-term strategic objectives.
"This decision was not made lightly, and we are deeply grateful for the contributions of all team members affected," Chief Human Resource Officer Eric Rothermel said in a news release. "We are committed to supporting them during this transition."
The realignment reflects Miter Brand's commitment to manufacturing the finest products, the release also says.
The resulting layoffs account for less than 0.5 percent of the national workforce, a company spokesman said in an email to Plastics News.
"We expect no impact to our on-time, accurate and complete fulfillment of vinyl extrusions or vinyl windows and doors," the spokesman also said.
In 2022, PGTI generated record sales of $1.49 billion for its vinyl and aluminum doors and windows, which were produced by about 5,000 employees at eight manufacturing sites in Florida — in Venice, Hialeah, Miami, Tampa, Medley and Fort Myers — as well as Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Clovis, Calif.
Layoffs are occurring, however, at a Miter Brands subsidiary called NewSouth Window Solutions in Tampa. The layoffs began Jan. 18 and will affect 225 employees.
Founded in 2010, NewSouth Windows are made of vinyl and uPVC, according to the company website.
Another round of layoffs in Florida happened in November 2024 in Venice, according to ABC7.
In a statement to the Florida television station, Miter said the move followed "our close monitoring of current economic conditions," and adjusting production and employment as needed.
Housing affordability challenges and high mortgage rates will persist in 2025, hindering sales of new and existing houses that need building products like new windows and doors for construction and remodeling projects, industry watchers note.
Earlier in January, FannieMae, a mortgage lending partner, reported that mortgage rates remain a strong headwind.
"We now project the 30-year mortgage rate to end 2025 and 2026 near 6.5 percent and 6.3 percent, respectively," it noted. "This is approximately 20 and 40 basis points up from our December outlook, respectively.
"We have therefore trimmed our total home sales forecast for 2025 to 4.89 million (previously 5 million) and for 2026 to 5.25 million (previously 5.47 million)," FannieMae announced.
In 2024, total housing starts for single- and multi-family units came in at 1.36 million, a 3.9 percent decline from the 1.42 million total from 2023, according to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Single-family starts were up 6.5 percent to 1.01 million units, but multi-family starts were down 25 percent from 2023.