Universal Forest Products, Inc. is a holding company with subsidiaries throughout
North America, Australia, Europe, and Asia that supply wood, wood composite
and other products to three primary markets: retail, industrial, and construction.
The Company is headquartered in Grand Rapids, Mich., and was founded in 1955.
For more information about Universal Forest Products, Inc., or its affiliated
operations, go to www.ufpi.com.
We design, manufacture and market wood and wood-alternative products for national
home centers and other retailers, structural lumber and other products for the
manufactured housing industry, engineered wood components for residential and
commercial construction, specialty wood packaging, components and packing materials
for various industries, and customized interior fixtures used in a variety of
retail stores, commercial and other structures. Each of our markets, Retail,
Industrial and Construction, are discussed in the paragraphs which follow. Our
locations generally serve customers representing multiple markets.
We currently supply customers in this market from many of our locations. These
regional facilities are able to supply mixed truckloads of products which can
be delivered to customers with rapid turnaround from receipt of an order. Freight
costs are a factor in the ability to competitively service this market, especially
with treated wood products because of their heavier weight. The close proximity
of our regional facilities to the various outlets of these customers is a factor
when negotiating annual sales programs.
The products offered to customers in this market include dimensional lumber
(both preserved and unpreserved) and various "value-added products,"
some of which are sold under our trademarks. In addition to our conventional
lumber products, we offer a large portfolio of outdoor living products, including
wood composite decking and decorative lawn and garden products. We also sell
engineered wood components to this market, which include roof trusses, wall
panels and engineered floor systems.
We are not aware of any competitor that currently manufactures, treats and
distributes a full line of both value-added and commodity products on a national
basis. We face competition on individual products from several different producers,
but the majority of these competitors tend to be regional in their efforts and/or
do not offer a full line of outdoor lumber products. We believe the breadth
of our product offering, geographic dispersion, close proximity of our plants
to core customers, purchasing and manufacturing expertise, and service capabilities
provide competitive advantages in this market.
We define our industrial market as manufacturers and agricultural customers
who use pallets, specialty crates, wooden boxes, and other containers used for
packaging, shipping and material handling purposes, as well as various other
products, used in a variety of different applications. Many of the products
sold to this market may be produced from the by-product of other manufactured
products, thereby allowing us to increase our raw material yields while expanding
our business. Competition is fragmented and includes virtually every supplier
of lumber convenient to the customer. We service this market with our dedicated
local sales teams and through national sales support efforts.
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