Versatile vinyl Growth predicted in fencing, ra'i ling and decki ng

By John T. Forbis President and c.e.o. Kroy Building Products

fN THE past decade, PVC siding, windows and other Iproducts have accounted for an ever-growing share of the exterior building products market.

The next major area of growth for vinyl products appears to be fencing, railing and decks. Like vinyl siding, windows and accessories before them, these products are poised to make dramatic gains in market share over the next few years due to their longer life, ease of maintainence, and other inherent advantages.

dream up with wood or metal can now be built with vinyl.

In addition to adding aesthetic appeal, the technology can also be used to fusion-weld products such as walkway or driveway gates. This allows for structurally sound products that can stand up to virtually anything nature or man can dish out.

Another contributor to the future growth of vinyl is the introduction of new manufacturing and distribution techniques that reduce cost and improve the ability of fabricators to respond quickly to customer requirements. The basic steps involved in fabricating vinyl fencing, railing or deck products consist of extruding a blank vinyl profile, then shaping this profile into various components by routing, cutting, bending and welding. Finally, these shaped parts are assembled and installed on site.

In this instance, however, the growth is being fueled by a number of additional factors, including new extrusion and bending technologies that enable fabricators to duplicate just about any design that can be created with traditional materials such as wood.

New technologies have been developed that allow fabricators to bend vinyl into attractive, graceful shapes that were unheard of just a few years ago. As a result, manufacturers of vinyl fencing, railing and decking are able to dramatically expand their product lines, while also offering a higher value product through an array of custom designs.

This European-developed process involves the chemical softening of vinyl lineals, which are then reformed into radius shapes. Once formed, the components maintain their new shape permanently, enabling them to replicate the appearance of elaborate wood or metal fencing materials.

Several manufacturers now offer these sophisticated fabrication capabilities. The resulting products include scalloped pickets, tongue-and-groove panels, classic post caps, and gracefully curved rails and spindles, all of which give the appearance of traditional wood millwork or wrought iron. Using these technologies, almost any design you can

Traditional manufacturing processes control all these steps in a central plant, with only the final assembly and installation carried out by distributors and dealers. Our company, however, has moved as many process steps as possible "downstream" in the distribution channel. Under this model, only the basic extrusion of blank profiles is centralized. The remaining steps-including cutting, routing, shaping and assembly-are carried out by affiliated distributors and dealers. In addition to being inherently more efficient, this manufacturing and distribution model also offers greater economic advantage to dealers and distributors. With a minor investment in fabrication equipment, a distributor or dealer can dramatically increase its share of the value of installed fencing.

Other factors will also contribute to the future growth of vinyl fencing and related products. For example, the

Growth is being fueled by new

palette of available colors is growing rapidly. "Basic white" is now just one of many choices.

Beyond fencing, a whole range of other vinyl exterior landscape and building products are also available including shady arbors and pergolas that can create an eye-catching centerpiece for a suburban lawn. Naturally, these new products also benefit from the sophisticated new shaping and bending technologies.

FCodes often allow Fire Retardant Treated Wood to be used in place of noncombustibles for commercial wall and roof systems. Here's how FRTW stacks up against light gauge steel.

' Does not ignite or buckle in fire conditions, and maintains stntaurol integrity.

' No new investment is required for truss plants.

' Heats quickly, weakens at high temperatures, and buckles suddenly.

' Requires expensive new equipment and training.

For more information on meeting restrictive code requirements with Fire Retardant Treated Wood components, call l-800-TEC-WOOD FAX (706) ses-r326