Trex says fire will not impact production

At a time when the building products supply chain has been stretched as builders and contractors they are having trouble obtaining materials, composite decking manufacturer Trex reported that its Winchester, Va. facility suffered an electrical fire.

Based on projected production loss, Trex CEO President and CEO Bryan Fairbanks said that the company expects first quarter revenue to be on the lower end of approximately $235 million. The volume lost is expected to be recovered in the second quarter.

Trex did not disclose how much product was destroyed during the blaze. No injuries were reported.

“We are grateful to everyone who contributed to quickly extinguishing the fire and ensuring safety,” Fairbanks said.

Damage to the building’s electrical systems are expected to be repaired by the end of March. Production will continue as normal at the company’s other manufacturing facilities in both Virginia and Nevada. 

Additionally, the company’s capacity expansion continues to advance at its Virginia site where Trex recently opened a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility dedicated to producing Trex decking.

“Our success with the startup of lines in our new building is providing incremental capacity faster than planned, enabling us to make up the lost production,” Fairbanks said. “All of the lines in the new building are expected to be fully operational approximately 30 days ahead of our announced end of second quarter target.”

Fairbanks also noted that demand for Trex products continues to be “robust.”

Along with the opening of the new Virginia facility, the Winchester-based company has also made significant production improvements to its Nevada facility. 

Combined, the company will have four independent decking production facilities that will increase production capacity by approximately 70% compared to 2019 levels. Trex is the largest U.S. manufacturer of composite and wood-alternative decking, railing and accessories.