Company News

YKK AP Set to Open New Branch 
in Houston in April 2008

YKK AP America Inc. in Austell, Ga., is opening a new branch in Houston to serve its commercial building industry customers in south Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. The company’s ninth branch is expected to open by April 2008 and will ultimately have 15 to 20 employees involved in sales, estimating, customer service, production and warehousing functions. The company is evaluating several sites in Houston’s northwestern suburbs.

Branches are supplied from YKK AP’s Dublin, Ga., manufacturing facility, which is being doubled in size and capacity. The Dublin plant’s third extrusion press and second paint line should be operational when the Houston branch opens. 

According to Oliver Stepe, senior vice president, the Texas market for nonresidential construction is one of the largest in the United States. “We currently have a branch in Dallas but found that, in order to increase our ability to serve the state and increase our revenue in the region, we would need to establish a location in the southern part of the state, namely Houston. Secondly, based on our market research, both customers and non-customers wanted us to open a location in the area. Further, the state of Texas is an emerging market for impact-resistant products and we will use Houston as a platform to launch our highly successful ProTek product line in to the coastal areas of Texas and also New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.” www.ykkap.com

New Laminated Glass Company Begins Production
Northeast Laminated Glass Corp. began operations in early October. The new company, based in Jessup, Pa., is owned by two former long-time AFG employees: Larry Tumminia and Tom Zaccone. 

Northeast will meet the needs of customers in both the residential and commercial markets and will target a variety of groups including door and window manufacturers, distributors and fabricators, and will offer products for the security, impact and flat automotive markets. 

According to Tumminia, he and Zaccone saw an opportunity in this market for several reasons including the increasing amount of building codes in the impact market. 

“Our mission is to be the most reliable supplier of flat laminated glass in North America,” he says. He adds that there is a definite need for an independent company offering all flat laminated products.

The company currently has 30 employees. 

Stork Twin City Testing Now Tests for Detention Glazing
Stork Twin City Testing (TCT) in Des Moines, Iowa, has expanded its capabilities to include testing for window glazing in correctional facilities and detention facilities to the standard ASTM F1915-05, “Standard Test Methods for Glazing for Detention Facilities.” “It sounds like there are not a whole lot of people who do the testing, but that’s why we took it on,” says Brian Escherich, product evaluation department manager. When one large customer requested detention facility testing, the company created, designed and built a special fixture to carry out the test methods. 

ASTM F1915-05 determines the ability of detention glazing to perform at or above minimum acceptable levels to restrict inmate passage to unauthorized areas, to confine inmates, to delay and frustrate escape attempts and to resist vandalism. 

Escherich explains that the pass/fail criteria for the test is the ability to pass a 5- by 8- by 8-inch rectangle through an opening in the glass. “It’s fairly large,” he says. “Basically, if an inmate could get his hand and arm through there they would be able to manipulate a lock or something like that.” 

The test involves impacting the products with an 80-pound impactor that simulates blunt force, as well as a sharp point to simulate a tool such as a fireman’s axe.

“The samples are also subjected to extremes of temperature to simulate possible scenarios,” Escherich says. The glass products must be able to withstand fires in addition to cold temperatures, which could potentially be lowered by discharging a fire extinguisher.  www.storksmt.com

web watch 
Arch Relaunches Green Website
Arch Aluminum & Glass in Tamarac, Fla, has re-launched its www.ArchGreen.com website. The updated site features in-depth information on green building for the glass and glazing community. In addition, Arch also updated its LEED™ matrix to show possible program users all of the areas they may be able to gain LEED credit.

“Arch was the first to have a published piece on green building in our industry and we feel this newest version of the website takes that effort to a whole new level,” says Steve Perilstein, vice president of sales. “Customers are being asked about this more than ever and we feel our site gives them a great resource.” www.archaluminum.net 

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