Yuma glass plant shattering all expectations

  When Northwest Industries built a glass fabrication plant in Yuma in 2005, it had expansions in mind. The company just hadn't expected to need the extra space so quickly.

  If there is an economic slowdown, you can't tell it at the plant that began operations in December 2005. Production is at full speed, with three shifts working around the clock.

  That still isn't enough to keep up with demand for the commercial glass the company custom fabricates, said Darrell Aldrich, vice president and general manager for the Seattle-based company.

  Plans have been submitted to the city of Yuma for a project that will add 20,000 square feet to the 78,000-square-foot building at 7595 E. 30th St. in the Yuma Commerce Center. It represents a $4  million capital investment.

  "This is our first phase," Aldrich said. "It's ahead of schedule. This expansion will add capacity. We're looking at doubling our sales output of the plant."

  With the additional space, the plant will be able to add a second tempering furnace and another production line for insulating glass, Aldrich said. "Those are key elements."

  Tempering heats the glass next to the melting point, then cools it quickly, explained John Butler, manager of the Yuma plant. "That makes it strong."

  The new furnace will be twice as long as the existing furnace and twice as fast, he said. That will greatly increase capacity, as will the additional production line for insulating glass.

  While the expansion will add floor space and new equipment, it is but the latest in what has been continuous improvements to the plant in the last 2-1/2 years, Butler said.

  "We've never stopped upgrading and expanding. Just last week we hired two more managers."

  He started with five employees and one shift. Original employees were sent to Seattle for training as none of them had worked with glass before. Meanwhile, construction of the Yuma plant had been delayed because of building supply disruptions caused by Hurricane Katrina.

  Since then, the plant has steadily added and trained employees, Butler said. Now at 95 employees, the expansion will create another 20 jobs.

  The plant is dedicated to fabricating custom-ordered glass for commercial projects, Butler said. It receives about 10 truckloads a week of glass sheets, he said. The most common size sheet is 130-by-204 inches and weighing 600 pounds. The sheets are moved by an automated system to the cutting machine, perhaps painted either for reflective or aesthetic reasons, tempered, inspected and loaded for shipping.

  From the plant, the glass is shipped around the Southwest, for such projects as schools, hotels, restaurants and office buildings.

  Some of the glass has even been used on local projects, said Butler, as close as other buildings down the street from the plant in Yuma Commerce Center and for the new City Hall.

  "We've been successful in a tough market," said Aldrich. And that's just a beginning, he added. "We've just now started penetrating the Southwest market."

  The plant has been a significant addition to Yuma's developing manufacturing culture, said Chris Camacho, head of Greater Yuma Economic Development Corp., which helped bring the company to the community.

  "It is one of the major projects that catapulted the manufacturing growth in Yuma," Camacho continued. "And we're looking to it for continued growth and remaining a good neighbor."

  The plant also has served as a showcase for the manufacturing industry, with its visibility off Interstate 8 in Yuma Commerce Park, he said. "It's a beautiful park and a beautiful plant that represents Yuma's industrial growth very well."

  As for the expansion, Aldrich said more glass will be used for it. "Since we're in the glass business, we'll show of what we do."

  And thanks to the new advances in insulated glass, it will be very cool.

---

Joyce Lobeck can be reached at
jlobeck@yumasun.com or 539-6853.