Thanks to a sustained, healthy window market and a steadily increasing market share, the vinyl window industry has enjoyed tremendous growth over the past decade. Going forward, a number of issues raise concerns, including the maturity of the market, product saturation and ever-increasing demand for lower prices. Manufacturers and suppliers remain optimistic, however, that vinyl will continue to experience growth in both the new construction and replacement markets, pointing to new, well-differentiated vinyl products as significant opportunities.
The vinyl window market continues to grow, especially in new construction where new housing starts remain high, reports Maria McDonagh-Forde, marketing manager for CertainTeed's Window Group. “We are seeing many more big geometric shapes being used in new construction and an increase in patio door usage too.”
The vinyl window business continues to be “rock solid,” agrees Mark Gallant, senior marketing manager for Milgard Windows. Vinyl remains the “workhorse” of the West Coast manufacturer's business, and it continues to pick up market share versus aluminum in places like Arizona and southern Nevada, he reports. Like Montgomery, he also sees vinyl continuing to move into more upscale homes where homeowners may have once favored wood.
Vinyl is likely to “chip away” at aluminum further, but aluminum will continue to hold onto segments of the market, he projects. In desert homes, outside temperatures may go up to 120°F. People also like to maximize glazing areas, and aluminum is well suited to those applications, he explains.
Demand for impact resistance will contribute to vinyl growth for a number of reasons, Monroe suggests. Aluminum has traditionally dominated much of that market, but vinyl is increasingly seen as a better option because it typically offers superior properties as far as resistance to salt spray and environmental conditions in coastal applications. Vinyl impact windows incorporate insulating glass and offer better energy efficiency too, he says, and as demand for impact products moves north, that becomes more of a significant issue.
Most vinyl extruders, window manufacturers and dealers got their start by promoting vinyl as a “new and different” material. According to Sunrise's Delman, now that vinyl is the dominant framing material in the residential market, the question is: “What material is going to take away from vinyl in the future?”
Whether it's cellular vinyl, fiberglass or various wood/plastic composites, most companies in the vinyl business are keeping a close eye on potential contenders. Some are pursuing new technologies, while others are content to sit back and watch as these technologies evolve.
Milgard has been offering a fiberglass line for several years, and sales growth continues to be strong, Gallant reports, but it's still a limited market. The higher price point means vinyl remains the material of choice for most customers, he says.
The fiberglass line does help strengthen the position of Milgard and its dealers in the market, he suggests. It opens up applications where the homeowners want the look of real wood and enables the company to pursue jobs where dark colors are required. It also helps Milgard's vinyl efforts, Gallant reports. In many upscale homes, the customer wants an inswing or outswing French door.
Vinyl just doesn't meet the demands for those types of doors, he says. But the company's fiberglass doors do. The fiberglass line enables Milgard to satisfy all the needs of a higher-end project, and therefore get the vinyl window sale too.
