Therma-Tru to Close Fredericksburg, Virginia, Facility

Therma-Tru Corp. announced plans on October 2 to phase down and ultimately close its Fredericksburg, Virginia, manufacturing facility effective July 31, 2009.

The plant currently manufactures steel-edge doors and frames and assembles door systems. Production of these products will be transferred to Therma-Tru facilities in Butler, Indiana or Roland, Oklahoma, outsourced or discontinued.

"We sincerely regret having to make this decision. In response to the continued downturn in the U.S. housing market, we are forced to align our capacity with marketplace conditions. We truly appreciate the hard work and dedication of our associates in Fredericksburg," says Bob Keller, vice president of manufacturing for Therma-Tru.

The company will offer transitional assistance and job search training for all associates. The plant currently employs about 200 people.

DWM's Visit to the Facility

Therma-Tru's Fredericksburg facility typically hasn't opened its doors to the press but allowed DWM magazine to visit its Virginia plant recently so readers could learn about the intricacies of its door operations. Sadly, before the article was set to be published
the company announced the news of its closing.

The news comes approximately six months after the company closed its Houston plant at the end of March and the company moved those operations to Fredericksburg.

A majority of the plant is devoted to supplying Lowe's stores. "This is our biggest business by far," said Ernest Hinegardner, plant manager. "We ship to all Lowe's stores in North America. We make stock and special order doors for Lowe's." At the time of the visit, Keller said it didn't make sense to keep the Houston operation going, mostly due to its location.

"Houston was the base of operations for the pre-hanging operation," said Keller. "We were shipping across the country to all Lowe's stores. Most of these were East of the Mississippi, and we realized we already had a facility there [in Fredericksburg] so we decided to capitalize on that," says Keller. "Virginia is strategically located [in proximity] to our Lowe's stores."

The company sells its doors to Lowe's stories in Canada as well. Therma-Tru manufactures a wide variety of doors for these customers.

"Every special order door is different," says Hinegardner. "The mix is in the thousands."

For example we offer different jamb colors and finishes, double doors, quad-patio units, 12 and 14-inch sidelites, custom paint for different colors, [and] different colors for different sides of the door. The list goes on."

Stay tuned to dwmmag.com for further developments on this story.

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