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About Wilsonart |
Wilsonart
International was founded as a producer of high pressure decorative laminate in
1956 in Temple, Texas, by Ralph Wilson, Sr., a retired laminate industry
executive. Wilson's intent was never to build a major competitor - the field in
those days included 12 domestic competitors - but rather to fill his free time.
Throughout the 1960s, Wilson's
"hobby" grew dramatically through a formula comprising a dedicated
local work force, high-quality products and an old-fashioned commitment to
customer service.
Distribution
The company, then known as Ralph Wilson Plastics Company, was founded on the
promise to deliver "laminate anywhere in the United States in 10 days or
less." To ensure this, the company purchased and still maintains its own
fleet of delivery trucks in North America.
A warehouse system, now
comprising 16 facilities in North America, was put in place to respond to
diverse market conditions and maintain a vast inventory of laminate close to
every customer.
The mid-1970s brought the real
push to establish what has become the world's finest network of independent
wholesale distributors of building materials. These distributors today number
more than 200 across the globe and serve as the personification of Wilsonart
International, marketing with the same ideals and service philosophy on which
Wilsonart was founded.
Manufacturing
By the end of the 1970s, Wilsonart® Laminate had become one of the nation's
leading brands of decorative laminate. A new plant, located in Fletcher, North
Carolina, was added in 1979 to meet increasing demand for product. Less than
eight years later, a third plant - the world's most highly efficient,
state-of-the-art laminate production facility - came on line in Temple, three
miles from the company headquarters. This facility has since doubled in size and
is over 500,000 square feet.
Wilsonart International
also produces and distributes its own brand of Wilsonart® Adhesives.
Manufacturing facilities in Temple, Texas produce a wide range of adhesive
products for ever-changing market needs.
Products
The 1980s marked the beginning of product diversification for Wilsonart
International. Design Group IT (now The Standards), the company's line of
readily available solid colors and patterns, was instituted and has become, in
large part, an industry standard for design direction. Wilsonart® Decorative
Metals joined the line-up in the mid-'80s.
By the 1990s, Wilsonart
International's product diversification sped up to meet new market
opportunities.
- Wilsonart® Custom Edges make it easier to
fabricate profiled edges in solid surfacing for countertops, furniture
and other work surfaces;
- Wilsonart® Gibraltar® and EarthstoneT
Solid Surfacing answer the demand for a solid surfacing materials that
offer maximum design flexibility whatever the budget;
- Wilsonart® Gibraltar® Kitchen Sinks
and Vanity Bowls may be bonded to sheet goods creating integral bowl
and countertop looks.
- Wilsonart® Custom Laminate allows designers
to create one-of-a-kind laminate surfaces through exclusive "seamless
inlay" or screen printing processes;
- Wilsonart® Performance Laminates, meeting
a wide range of specialized needs, include Wilsonart® Chemsurf® Chemical-Resistant
Laminate, available in the full range of Wilsonart Laminate designs,
and
- Wilsonart® Flooring, high pressure laminate
flooring for high traffic residential areas like kitchens, great rooms,
kids' rooms, and light-to-medium commercial installations.
Total Quality
Wilsonart International also has adopted what President Bill Reeb calls the
company's most important priority: the Total Quality Process. Every facet of the
company's products, processes and people is continually evaluated and explored
for opportunities to improve and make more effective the assets that have
elevated the company to a leadership position in the industry. To this end,
ISO-9001 compliance has been certified for two manufacturing facilities. Both of
these facilities are now registered under one Corporate Registration.
Corporate Standing
Wilsonart International is a business unit of Illinois Tool Works Inc
(NYSE: ITW), Glenview, Illinois, a $10 billion diversified manufacturer of
highly engineered components and industrial systems.
Outlook
The future for Wilsonart International, based on the company's market position,
customer relationships, product mix and improving business climate, is bright.
International expansion became
an important new focus for the company in the 1990's. By the year 2000,
Wilsonart had established a global network through major off-shore investments
in acquisitions and Greenfield operations.
In Asia, Wilsonart
International has established manufacturing facilities in Shanghai, China, with
distribution centers in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shen-Zhen, and
Hong Kong. A second Asia manufacturing plant, in Bangkok, Thailand provides
access to the growing ASEAN markets of Southeast Asia.
In Europe, Wilsonart acquired
Resopal GmbH, a leading decorative laminate brand in Germany, and this provides
an excellent platform for growth on the continent. Separately, Wilsonart
acquired the U. K. producer of residential worktops. This high volume
application of decorative laminate provides a platform to expand our sales into
the U. K. commercial markets.
Rounding out our international
network is the acquisition of the Arborite Company in Canada, and strong market
positions in Australia, South Africa, and South/Central/Latin America.
In this global economy, and as
our major customers expand internationally, we are becoming increasingly
successful in developing international business with our customers.
Research and development will
continue to be an important component of Wilsonart International's future. Our
research is focused on improving the performance and aesthetic characteristics
of decorative laminate itself, as well as the creation of new surfacing products
with a wide range of end-user performance benefits.
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