Providing Aluminum Solutions Since 1960

profile custom Extrusions Providing Aluminum Solutions

Since 1960

With growth and expansion on the horizon, Profile Custom Extrusions celebrated six decades of extruding aluminum last year and most of our population are unaware of how many of their products touch everyday living.

With growth and expansion on the horizon, Profile Custom Extrusion celebrated six decades of extruding aluminum last year and most of our population are unaware of how many of their products touch everyday living.

The company, located at 100 Anderson Road, supplies extrusions that are used for everything from new window and door frames to hurricane shutters, aluminum floor grating, ladder trays and conduit for electrical lines. The product line is constantly changing, and President David Newby says that all he can see in the future is growth, growth, and more growth.

One of the primary reasons for his assessment is the sale of the company during the last week in June from Dallas, Texasbased Highlander Partners to KPS Capital Partners. The KPS portfolio of businesses includes TaylorMade golf equipment and Briggs & Stratton engines.

“Our industry has been booming, and last year was the best in our 60-year history,” Newby said. “We’ve been running at capacity, and we can’t grow without more capacity, which means buying additional equipment. We’re talking $15 million-plus in investments to do that.”

KPS purchased Profile to expand the footprint of the aluminum extrusion industry in North America. In May, it was revealed a definitive agreement had been signed to acquire Metra Holding S.P.A., an Italian-based global manufacturer of extruded aluminum.

Newby and Profile take great pride in being a serviceoriented company, a relationship company, not a transactional supplier. He believes the agreement moves Profile into a new era with the focus of the division purely on opportunity for growth while maintaining small town service and support.

Profile opened in Rome in 1960 as part of the V.E. Anderson Manufacturing operations. They sold the plant in Rome to Alcan which spun it off to a private entrepreneur, Jim Phillips in 1994. Phillips sold it to Highlander Partners in 2014. After Phillips sold, the name was altered slightly from Profile Extrusion Company to Profile Custom Extrusions which more accurately reflects the growth and expansion of the product line over the years.

The production capacity at the Rome plant is maxed out at present, a challenge also faced by several competitors, because the recession of a decade ago resulted in the closing of many of Profile’s competitors.

Newby explained that a large part of that is the result of punitive tariffs placed on China which was dumping aluminum in the U.S. The Chinese government was subsiding its manufacturers to tap into the U.S. market and gain greater access to U.S. dollars. “A lot of extruders went under during this time,” Newby said.

The plant survived and thrived because Phillips chose to expand and purchase a modern aluminum press in 2006. Profile was able to keep up with demand and in 2012, a second new press was added. Newby shares he has never seen anything like the growth Profile has experienced over the last decade.

Employment at Profile has climbed by close to 50% from pre-recession levels. As the company expands under the new ownership, employment is expected to continue to rise, as well as capital investments. Another new press is on the horizon. The current question remains whether to replace the oldest original press or expand the building and add capacity. Either option will allow for employment opportunities.

Newby is excited for the growth opportunities a new press will provide for current customers as well as increasing capacity to allow new customers to see the quality and service Profile provides.