Abstract:

  Vinyl window and door fabricator Atrium Cos. Inc. plans to open a vinyl profile extrusion plant in Greenville, Texas.

  The Dallas-based company announced Sept. 1 that it has signed a lease on a 120,000-square-foot plant, which will start operations in December.

  The plant will start with 20 employees, and future expansion is likely as volume demands increase, said Bob Burns, executive vice president and chief operating officer.

  When the plant is fully operational, the company will internally supply most of its vinyl extrusion needs, Atrium said in a Sept. 1 news release.

  “Having a state of the art facility, centrally located in the United States, allows Atrium to increase the level of in-sourced vinyl extrusion availability at our manufacturing locations throughout the U.S.,” Kevin O’Meara, chairman and CEO, in the release. “This will allow us to maximize our responsiveness to our customers’ needs and ensure we offer state-of-the-art products as the market for energy sensitive windows and patio doors evolves.”

  While the U.S. construction sector has been weak for several years, vinyl windows have been a bright spot for some manufacturers. Homeowners have continued to buy new windows, often with a goal of saving energy -- and most recently with the promise of federal tax breaks of up to $1,500.

  Atrium currently operates three vinyl extrusion plants. The company ranked No. 57 on Plastics News' recent survey of North American pipe, profile and tubing extruders, with extrusion-related sales of $40 million. The company has 28 extrusion lines and annual resin throughput of 36 million pounds.

  Early this year, Atrium filed for Chapter 11 protection as part of a pre-negotiated financial restructuring, which the company said was necessary to put it in a stronger financial position.