Gossen Corp., a Glendale-based manufacturer of extruded vinyl materials for interior and exterior residential building and remodeling, will soon release its second line of cellular vinyl decking.
In January, Gossen Corp. will begin shipments of its Passport decking line, a new high-end line of vinyl decking with a wood grain texture, achieved through a triple extruding process.
In mid October, the company unveiled its WeatherReady line of cellular vinyl decking. The company spent about two years in research and development of the product, after it saw a niche in the marketplace, said Bob Simon, executive vice president of the firm.
Simon said decking made of wood composites was inferior to the Gossen’s new PVC decking, which does not include any wood pulp.
“Our customers were saying there were problems with it (the wood composites) – it grows mold and stains easily. They talked us into developing a cellular PVC decking with no fillers," he said.
Gossen’s vinyl decking products also have received higher flame spread ratings than similar products, Simon said, giving the company a leg up in states that have more wild fires, such as California and Colorado.
“We did just receive our California wildfire debris testing, so we can sell product there,” he said. “And we’ve passed all of our snow load testing.”
Although Gossen missed the deck-building season this year, the company has received certification to sell its vinyl decking products all over the country. It now has distribution arrangements for the northeastern United States, Canada and Florida, Gossen said. By March, the company expects to have distribution throughout the rest of the country, including California and other western states.
Gossen has about 300 employees, with manufacturing facilities in Wisconsin and Georgia. Because its sales are about 20 percent down this year, it laid off some workers in Georgia earlier this year, but some of those workers have been called back already.
“We’re starting to bring some of those people back in because we’re gearing up for the new Passport line,” Simon said. “This is a new innovation in decking. It’s a different process than anyone else is doing.”
