From its American headquarters in Port Washington, Albany Door Systems designs performance door systems that are installed in manufacturing, distribution, cold storage, mining and related facilities all over the country.
Albany Door’s products are designed to be used in high-volume fork truck environments that require quick door openings. From its manufacturing facility in nearby Grafton, the company builds systems with vinyl and rubber doors used for interior purposes, said Mike Weiland, general manager of the company’s Port Washington headquarters. It makes exterior doors in Norcross, Ga.
The company’s systems are designed for speed and reliability and are frequently paired with video camera sensors so that they automatically open when a fork truck approaches. Its control systems are frequently programmed to automatically close several seconds after an object passes through them.
“Cold storage is a big area for us,” Weiland said. “Beyond that, food processing is big, and so are the distribution centers. Anywhere you find a lot of fork trucks you’ll find a need for performance doors.”
The door systems made by Albany Door open at speeds between 40 inches to 100 inches per second and can open a 15-foot high door in less than 2 seconds at the highest speed. In a cold storage or freezer application, the fast-open speeds, coupled with an automatic closure several seconds later, can help lower energy costs, Weiland said.
“The shorter lead times are a growing area,” he said. “We’re seeing more and more demand for it with the LEED (certified) buildings too, (customers) are looking for better environmental factors.”
Albany Door Systems is a portfolio company of Albany International Corp., a global manufacturer of products designed for the paper industry.
Albany Door Systems’ Port Washington facility, which serves as its American headquarters and R&D facility, was formerly R-BAC Industries.
“We’re a little unique because one of our tenets is purchasing direct and leveraging our suppliers,” he said. “We only have about five people in our manufacturing facility in Grafton. Our large components come in weekly, we build them during the week and we repeat the cycle.”
All of the company’s door systems use common components, controls and pieces, Weiland said. “Our working capital is minimized and reduced. In today’s environment, no one can have enough cash,” Weiland said. “We turned inventory 22 times last year, and in an economic downturn we can push back to our vendors when orders dry up.”
After a year of record sales in 2008, Albany Door has seen sales decrease about 20 percent this year due to the sluggish economy. However, the company is now working on several new products that it expects to lift its sails as the recession eases.
“Across all of our lines, we are looking at more energy-efficient doors,” Weiland said. “The cost of energy is so huge and we’re trying to (make products that are) more energy conscious.”
Albany Door Systems
1080 Maritime Drive, Port Washington
Industry: Performance doors for the manufacturing, industrial and commercial markets
Employees: About 25 in Wisconsin, another 65 throughout the U.S.
www.albanydoors.com
