APEL Extrusions — a 45-year-old company with extrusion operations in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and Coburg, Oregon — is expanding its manufacturing capacity to Phoenix, Arizona. The company has purchased 22.6 acres of land from Becknell Industrial, which will serve as the developer for the new facility.
“We are excited to be investing in a major aluminum extrusion facility in Phoenix to serve the industries in the Southwest who need a quality product, including finishing and anodizing, with short lead times and at competitive prices,” said Gerry Price, CEO of APEL Extrusions.
The Phoenix location will be the site of a new 323,782 sq ft manufacturing facility and headquarters. Designed and constructed by Becknell Industrial, the new facility will feature 12 drive-in doors, three dock doors, 30 ft clear height, and two crane bays.
APEL is investing in the most modern and capable extrusion, anodizing, wet paint, powder coat, and fabrication equipment available in the industry. The company believes this will be the most modern extrusion finishing facility in North America. It will enable the company to produce aluminum extrusions for a variety of applications, including: consumer goods, HVAC systems, furniture, public transportation, recreational vehicles, residential and commercial construction, solar, and truck bodies.
The Phoenix facility was strategically selected to help APEL better serve its West Coast U.S. customers. It also opens the possibility of new customers and markets in the Southwest and points further East that the extruder has not been able to be efficiently reach up to now.
“With our expansion to Phoenix, APEL will have the ability to serve every West Coast city in two days or less by truck and further compress our already industry leading lead times,” says Mike Flynn, president and COO of APEL Extrusions. “By installing the most advanced extrusion and finishing equipment in the North American industry, APEL will become the benchmark for those customers seeking the best in product quality, service, and on-time performance from their extrusion supplier.”
The project is also receiving support from the Arizona and local government bodies. “Arizona is thrilled to welcome APEL Extrusion’s high-performance manufacturing facility to our state — the company’s second location outside of Canada,” said Doug Ducey, governor of Arizona. “With our growing supply of skilled talent, low cost of doing business and strategic location, no state in the country is better suited to meet the needs of advanced manufacturers. My thanks go out to the Arizona Commerce Authority, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, City of Phoenix and all the partners involved in this exciting announcement, as well as to the team at APEL Extrusions for choosing our state. We look forward to partnering in their success for decades to come.”
APEL plans to begin construction this spring with operations expected to commence at the end of 2022. The move of the company’s headquarters to the site will follow soon after. The company intends to hire approximately 200 employees at the new location and will begin recruiting for management, administrative, engineering, technical services, and labor positions in mid-year 2022.