Innovative Products, Jobs Added to Vacaville
By Amanda Janis/Business Editor
William Lowery, president of All Weather Insulated Panels, talks about the firm's brand new, state-of-the-art production line. (Joel Rosenbaum/The Reporter) One of Vacaville's newest employers - and latest economic development successes - kicked off sales Thursday.
Located just off Vaca Valley Parkway on Aldridge Road, All Weather Insulated Panels occupies 96,000 square feet of warehouse space and 7,000 square feet of office space, thanks largely to the Solano Economic Development Corp.
"The EDC took us around and helped us find this place," noted William Lowery, president of All Weather Insulated Panels. The location is ideal, he explained, as its access to neighboring interstates make shipping and receiving extraordinarily convenient.
It's been about a year since the Solano EDC first helped Lowery scout locations, said the group's President Michael Ammann.
"We often work on projects for years before they locate," Ammann said, noting that not every prospect chooses Solano in the end. "We're always in competition with adjoining areas, states and nations. That wasn't the case with them, but it is a global market when you're competing for investment."
Vacaville's Economic Development Manager, Mike Palombo, noted the city's appreciation for "the lead role that Solano EDC played in helping recruit this business."
And, he added, "we're delighted to have them in the community, they add to the diversity of manufacturing jobs that are available and strengthen our jobs/housing balance."
The company has invested $6.5 million in state-of-the-art equipment from Italy, allowing it to produce high-quality composite panels for commercial and residential buildings. Initially it will employ 27 workers on the production line, and as it ramps up manufacturing, could employ anywhere from 80 to 100 workers in the next two years.
The firm's urethane core-insulated product lines, explained Lowery, essentially replace traditional field assemblies for wall and roof systems, by sandwiching elements together in the factory. The result is a product that's easier to install and far more energy efficient than traditional field assemblies, he said.
These types of insulated panels, "are prevalent in the rest of the world and Europe, where energy costs have been as much as four times more than what we - up until recently - have experienced," he said. For example, Lowery said, there are 94 such manufacturing plants in Europe, but only 9 in the United States.
All Weather Insulated Panels plans to begin production in May, and expects to produce its first salable products in June. For additional information, visit www.awipanels.com.
Amanda Janis can be reached at business@thereporter.com.
