
Kawneer is an American manufacturer of architectural
aluminum
Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It h ...
systems and products for the commercial construction industry. Headquartered in
Norcross, Georgia
Norcross is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, United States. The population as of the 2010 census was 9,116, while in 2020 the population was 17,209. It is included in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta metropolitan statistical area.
History
...
, Kawneer has offices in 13 countries in
North America,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...
,
North Africa
North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in t ...
, and
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an ...
. Kawneer is part of
Arconic
Arconic Corporation is an American industrial company specializing in lightweight metals engineering and manufacturing. Arconic's products are used worldwide in aerospace, automotive, commercial transportation, packaging, building and constructio ...
's global Building and Construction Systems (BCS) business unit.
Kawneer's architectural aluminum product range includes windows and doors, framing systems,
curtain wall systems, railings, shutters and conservatories. Kawneer products are used on high- mid- and low-rise non-residential buildings such as stadiums and sports facilities, office buildings, schools, colleges and universities, retail construction and healthcare facilities.
History
In 1906, Francis Plym, Kawneer's architect founder, invented the first metal molding for storefronts. Kawneer began as a sheet metal shop in
Kansas City, Missouri and was awarded its first patent in 1906. The first Kawneer plant in
Niles, Michigan
Niles is a city in Berrien and Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near the Indiana border city of South Bend. In 2010, the population was 11,600 according to the 2010 census. It is the larger, by population, of the two principal cities ...
opened in 1907.
During the 1920s, Kawneer became the first manufacturer to use aluminum in architectural products. By 1937, Kawneer was doing about 75 percent of its store front business in aluminum and was the largest American user of aluminum for architectural purposes. During the war years, Kawneer dedicated its resources to produce war materials including aircraft parts and made no store fronts from 1942 to 1945.
Kawneer was owned by Alumax, and subsequently became a subsidiary of Alcoa when Alcoa acquired Alumax in 1998.
References
External links
Official WebsiteArconic Official WebsiteKawneer about KawneerKawneer on SpecifiedBy
{{Alcoa
Manufacturing companies based in Georgia (U.S. state)
Alcoa
Arconic
Companies based in Gwinnett County, Georgia
Manufacturing companies established in 1906
1906 establishments in Missouri