Truth's Acquisition by Tyman Plc Featured in DWM Magazine
By Matt Kottke on September 18, 2013

From DWM Magazine, September 2013:

Tyman Plc, the parent company of Amesbury, completed the acquisition of Truth Hardware of Owatonna, Minn., from Melrose Industries Plc on July 15. The two former competitors and industry leading hardware companies will now be under the same corporate ownership. What does this mean for its customers, employees and the industry as a whole? Jonathan Petromelis, president and CEO Amesbury and Jeff Graby, president at Truth, spoke to DWM magazine to offer some of the details behind the big news.

The two executives are members of a steering group that will lead the integration of the two companies, along with Louis Eperjesi, CEO of Tyman and Tyman CFO James Brotherton.

Petromelis says Truth will be integrated under Amesbury but is quick to point out that the Truth name isn't going away.

"As a combined business we need to combine ourselves," he says. "But it's far too early to know other details as we just finished our last site visit. What we have told everyone is this will be a 12-month process and that still stands."

Graby jokes that the few decisions that have been made aren't very interesting ones.

"The integration is early on every front," adds Graby. "The big ones wouldn't interest anyone as they are about our 401K plan," and adds that the companies have to address everything from healthcare to finance to logos and presence at trade shows.

"I am extraordinarily pleased with the initial discussions so far and all the face to face meetings," adds Graby. "The direction of our committee is to solicit feedback from sales teams, etc., and listen to the customer and find out where things can be improved."

It turns out the two companies are almost a perfect fit for one another in terms of products offered and the company culture.

"We are finding that we are very aligned in our thinking," says Petromelis. "We are both engineered, value-added manufacturing businesses and that's what aligns us."

"The first thing that comes to mind is we are both very keen on the safety of employees," adds Graby. "I have seen every agenda item open with safety. Much of what we are working on is trying to instill this philosophy as well. More from the market side, we are all about making a great experience for the customer. This is geared around the value proposition of on time delivery and a good quality product. We both want to enhance the customer brand experience, so we are very aligned in our thinking."

Corporate philosophies aside, both companies also have complementary products that are enticing to those on both sides. In fact, Truth's position as the "industry leader in the casement window market" is one of the things that made them so attractive, says Petromelis.

"Truth has been entrenched in the casement window market for 50 years," he says. "They are the longtime leaders in the casement hardware side."

Graby adds that the acquisition combines individual strengths into a much more integrated company.

"They are great at sliding windows, balances, sealing solutions, etc.," he says. "Together we have a much more comprehensive portfolio and a better engineered solution whether it's a balance, sealing solution, or casement hardware. And we both are in the patio door market so together we can bring new products to the marketplace."

Graby adds that he, along with many Truth employees, are glad to be owned by a company that specializes in the fenestration market as that has never been the case until now.

"We share the same customers, the same fundamental interests and quite frankly we are very excited," he says.

There is no doubt that strategic plans are in the thoughts of top executives.

"When I look at our strategic plans it will be to continue to expand in residential but we also have a focus to expand commercially and we will do that with Truth," says Petromelis. "Truth actually has a higher penetration in the commercial market, so combined it will give us a good base for expansion."

While putting these big plans in place they won't forget about the most important part of the equation.

"The big thing for us is to always focus on the customer," says Petromelis. "That is always the focus for us and that will continue."

You can view the original article on DWM Magazine's website, http://www.dwmmag.com/.

2013 Door Hardware Forecast
By David Johnson on February 1, 2013

Truth Hardware Sentry Bi-Fold Door Hardware System

The future of the door industry is an exciting one in that there are many new features and styles of hardware coming out in the marketplace designed to benefit the manufacturer, door jobber/pre-hangers and homeowners themselves. When we attended the Association of Millwork Distributors (AMD) Convention in Louisville in October 2012, we had numerous discussions with millwork dealers and pre-hangers who are looking for better quality, multi-point door hardware systems. Many of the systems that have been on the market had design and reliability issues that caused a lot of installation and service issues. The market for multi-point hardware systems is increasing and these manufacturers cannot afford to jeopardize their own brand image with hardware systems that are unreliable nor have all the design features they require. The increase in multi-point door hardware is not confined to simply the French or terrace doors as we are also seeing a trend toward this robust and dependable hardware being considered for entry doors as well—security is one of the main drivers. The same is true for multi-point door hardware usage on different “levels” of doors. Where once these systems were just considered for upscale wood or wood-clad doors, there is an increasing desire to incorporate this type of hardware into a company’s standard door offering, no matter what the material make-up.

One interesting expansion of this hardware usage has been to operable sidelites. Homeowners are now seeing the advantages of the multi-point locking system on these companion doors and are searching for systems that will not only provide the security, but also offer an aesthetic look that is complementary to the system on the entry or patio door.

While multi-point hardware, with three to five locking points, has become the new benchmark for customers looking to enhance the security of the door as well as improve the overall integrity, there are certain elements that help distinguish one system from another. Homeowners are looking for styles they are accustomed to using, such as the preferred, North American designed deadbolt configuration where the locking mechanism is located above the handle making it easy to see and access. To help optimize the security of the door, shoot bolts at both the top and bottom of the door are becoming specified increasingly by manufacturers.

For sliding door systems, manufacturers are offering rollers with precision bearings designed to provide a smooth, effortless movement of the door panel. Engineered to carry the load of much heavier door panels due to triple-pane glass, these roller systems produce new opportunities for door manufacturers to extend their product offering.

While stainless steel hardware is now considered more of a standard than an option for the purpose of optimizing the corrosion resistance of the hardware, there are also certain decorative finishes which have risen to the top of people’s lists. Brushed finishes in chrome and nickel are more popular than they once were and those that resemble an oil-rubbed bronze look remain extremely sought after.

(This article was originally printed in the January/February 2013 issue of Door & Window Market Magazine)