When asked how many fenestration profiles FlexiForce offers, GM Chris Acker replied, “Lots!”

His reply is right on the money as FlexiForce carries over 500 profile families in-house. If your existing profile needs to be 10 thousandths of an inch longer on one leg in order to work in a window or patio door system, or you need a profile designed from scratch – FlexiForce has the resources to accommodate your request.

A wholly owned subsidiary of ASSA ABLOY Group, a global leader in access solutions, FlexiForce  specializes in the design, procurement, production and distribution of both garage door hardware and window or patio door profiles for the fenestration industry.

The company operates out of two North American plants, with the main plant located in Abbotsford, British Columbia (an hour east of Vancouver near the U.S. border) and the other in Peachtree City, GA.

Unique cut-to-size program for manufacturing customers

Window and door profiles are made of either aluminum or steel and are extruded or roll formed. To meet the tailored needs of their customers, FlexiForce specializes in roll formed steel profiles through a customized cut-to-size program.

“We realized many of our larger customers requested specific size lengths every week,” says Dan Wakelyn, Account Manager for FlexiForce. “We were making weekly runs with the steel on flatbed trucks. With the sheer volume of material being shipped, we had built a comprehensive network of shipping runs across Canada and the United States.”

With this knowledge, the company created its unique cut-to-size program. Window and door customers with larger volume orders receive their material each week – similar to a weekly milk run – with steel lengths cut-to-size.

Along with the cut-to-size program, FlexiForce will also send out 10’ or 20’ lengths of steel profile that is then cut to size by window manufacturers. Unused space on the truck is then filled with orders from smaller volume customers located within the “milk run” radius.

“We were able to provide cost-effective shipping plus allow our customers to be more agile and faster to market,” says Wakelyn.

Steel profiles offer the right flexibility for any size of window. As window designs continue to increase in size, FlexiForce’s heavier duty galvanized steel profiles allow manufacturers to meet changing building codes.

Steel reinforcements outperform aluminum reinforcements in cost, strength and durability; they’re also less thermally conductive than aluminum.

Start with prime commercial quality galvanized steel

FlexiForce manufactures only steel roll form profiles made from prime commercial quality steel coil, which the company buys direct from steel mills versus on the secondary market. Buying direct allows for quality control, as well as building trusted relationships with suppliers.

“We purchase between two and five million pounds of steel a month,” says Acker. “The majority is domestic, although we do have global suppliers. We don’t purchase anything on the secondary market or any galvannealed steel.”

Galvanized steel and galvannealed steel are two different products. While both are treated for rust inhibition, their respective coating processes result in different material properties. FlexiForce purchases only flat galvanized steel stock.

Prime steel is material that passes all manufacturing inspection tests and is available on the primary raw materials market. Steel mills use prime to produce steel sheets, pile, beams, coil, and more. Secondary or excess steel is its own market and requires some savvy to navigate.

Along with window reinforcement profiles, FlexiForce also manufactures stainless steel patio door track covers with many custom options available.

Create tooling in-house

While other roll forming companies outsource their tooling, FlexiForce manufactures their own – with about 450 current tooling designs available for use. “We can cut to size, pre-punch, or create an entirely new profile,” says Acker. “Everything is done in-house; nothing is outsourced.”

According to Acker, the in-house tooling capability is huge value pillar. “We have five engineers on staff and can take a design from a customer, roll out a plan, and then get it production very quickly.”

And, with a plant on the east coast and one on the west coast, FlexiForce can offer duplicate tooling at each plant for customers with multiple locations – creating additional efficiencies while reducing shipping costs.

FlexiForce also offers stocking programs where they can maintain inventory for customers and ensure business runs as efficiently as possible.

To meet customer demand, FlexiForce has invested in 25 PLC roll forming lines, with eleven lines dedicated to window reinforcements. Their machines enable one-step, seamless manufacture of profiles.  

Contact FlexiForce or your ISC representative to learn more about the company’s products and capabilities.