Werner Co. is a privately owned company involved with the manufacturing and distribution of aluminum and fiberglass

ladders A ladder is a vertical or inclined set of rungs or steps used for climbing or descending. There are two types: rigid ladders that are self-supporting or that may be leaned against a vertical surface such as a wall, and rollable ladders, such ...

, light duty construction equipment, fall protection equipment, and similar products. Werner Co. is headquartered in

Itasca, Illinois Itasca is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 9,543. Located approximately 25 miles northwest of downtown Chicago, Itasca is close to O'Hare International Airport, major expressways and ra ...

. Werner's customer care division is located in

Greenville, Pennsylvania Greenville is a borough with home rule status in northwestern Mercer County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located along the Shenango River, it lies roughly 80 miles from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. It is 1.89 square miles in area, and had a ...

History

Werner Co. was founded in 1922 by Richard D. Werner as "R. D. Werner Co., Inc.," which specialized in

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

moldings. R. D. Werner Co., Inc. became a leader in

plastics extrusion Plastics extrusion is a high-volume manufacturing process in which raw plastic is melted and formed into a continuous profile. Extrusion produces items such as pipe/tubing, weatherstripping, fencing, deck railings, window frames, plastic film ...

during the World War II restrictions on civilian metal usage. After the war, Werner started working with

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 has ...

and developed an emphasis on producing aluminum ladders. Werner began production of fiberglass ladders in 1963. In 1997, the company restructured, and sold a majority holding to the international investment group Investcorp S.A. In December 2005, the Extruded Products Division (formerly WXP, Inc.) was sold to HIG Capital. Werner reported audited net sales of $472.3 million for the year ending Dec. 31, 2005. As of March 31, 2006, Werner reported assets of $201 million and liabilities of $473.4 million. Werner Co. filed for

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...

protection under the

bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

code in

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

on June 12, 2006, primarily due to excessive leverage, significant increases in raw material costs, and the loss of one of its largest customers. On June 8, 2007, a new company was formed by the major creditors to purchase substantially all the assets of the old company. Werner Co. operates as an international subsidiary of New Werner Holding Co., Inc. with manufacturing, warehousing, sales, and distribution facilities in the United States, Australia, Canada, China, Mexico, Vietnam and the United Kingdom.

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

Corporate Site

Werner Ladders Site

Green Bull Site

Keller Site

KNAACK Site

WEATHER GUARD Site
Manufacturing companies based in Pennsylvania American companies established in 1922 Privately held companies based in Pennsylvania Manufacturing companies established in 1922 1922 establishments in Pennsylvania American companies established in 2007 Manufacturing companies established in 2007 2007 establishments in Pennsylvania Tool manufacturing companies of the United States