Q: What are some of the biggest trends in building materials that you are seeing?
Matisz: The building materials industry is developing, but in 2025 there are some important trends:
- Increasing material costs. According to the National Association of Home Builders, the cost of building materials has risen by 35% since 2020. Even if inflation fluctuates and The tariff uncertainty continuesThe demand for materials continues to grow and the challenges of the supply chain increase the prices.
- Sustainability is important: Homeowners and builders are increasingly looking for sustainable material-recycled, bio-based and energy-efficient options that reduce waste and improve construction work. This has fueled the demand for insulated siding, energy -efficient windows and recyclable materials.
- Shelf life and low maintenance. Regardless of whether it is a new building or conversion, people want houses that look great and pass the test of the time – with minimal maintenance. This leads to innovations in vinyl cladding, composite materials and advanced coating, which are designed for a long -lasting attractiveness of the curb.
In order to be ahead of these trends, we have invested over 100 million US dollars in improving our business, increasing capacity and improving product quality. Our focus is on the provision of permanent, sustainable and easy -to -make solutions for vinyl windows and doors, siding, composite cladding and metal construction products.
Customers better to use, We also restructured into three different companies: Associated Materials Innovations, Alside and Gentek Building Products. This enables everyone to concentrate on their strengths and to further promote innovation.
Q: Which trends do you predict that you will be more important in the coming months or even years?
Matisz: With regard to the future, we see some important trends that shape our business:
- Sustainability and energy efficiency. Homeowners and builders demand more energy -efficient, more environmentally friendly materials. We focus on improving insulation, recyclability and manufacturing processes in order to reduce the effects on the environment.
- Shelf life in extreme weather. With unpredictable weather patterns, the relevant resistant, low-maintenance materials become a priority. We invest in innovations such as reinforced vinyl windows and composed sides, which holds under hard conditions.
- Adaptation and fatty design decisions. The trend towards brave colors, textures and the ability to adapt designs remains strong, especially when improving the outer house. Homeowners want to express their style with unique colors, textures and surfaces. We expand our design options to meet this growing demand.
- More intelligent, more efficient production. The global challenges of the supply chain have reinforced the need for flexibility. We strengthen our production capacities to ensure consistent availability and faster delivery times.
- Working solutions. With a lack of work in construction, contractors are looking for materials that are easier and faster to install. We have committed to developing friendly products on contractual partners who rationalize projects, such as:
Q: How does business change these days?
Matisz: We have realigned our business in order to better counter the industry challenges such as a lack of work, fluctuating costs and the development of customer needs. Our new structure includes three different companies under Associated Materials, LLC – associated materials innovations, Alside and Gentek Canada.
This step enables every company to concentrate on their strengths, to promote innovation and to offer our customers more value – whether they are in retail, sales, sales, sales, Wooden Or direct application. With a committed leadership and specialized teams, we are better positioned to expand on the market for foreign building products for both residential and conversion of residential buildings and for the new building.
Q: How do you get skeptical people (be customers or potential dealers) who say that they prefer “natural” materials on board for composite materials?
Matisz: We recognize that many customers and dealers are used to working with natural materials. But today's composite options such as the Ascend Composite Clodding offer the best of both worlds: the high-end wood look with significantly less maintenance.
Ascend is constructed in such a way that they exceed fiber cement and traditional wooden cladding area and offer long-lasting durability, aesthetic attractiveness and simple installation-offerings with lower total costs. In contrast to natural materials, it does not require constant maintenance and installs faster and helps the contractors to save time and money.
Q: Which aspects or segments of the business have grown (and/or slowed down) lately?
Matisz: In April 2024, We have committed over $ 100 million for investing in our employees, equipment, digital technologies and new working methods. These upgrades have helped us expand us in all important product categories, including vinyl windows and doors, siding, composite cladding and metal construction products.
If we move in 2025, our focus is on three key areas of growth:
- Better customer service. We facilitate interactions with personalized support, real-time delivery tracking and improved support in real time easier and faster Windowexpress Platform for optimized order.
- Production of excellence. We use advanced technology to optimize production and ensure faster lead times, more intelligent supply chains and more reliable delivery.
- Extended product offers. We carry out new products and more intelligent design tools with which customers can build up with confidence.
While some areas of the industry face challenges, our continued investments ensure that we meet the needs of customers.
Q: How do the expectations of homeowners affect that influence the material options?
Matisz: Homeowners are now more informed and more selective than ever before. You are looking for high -quality materials that reconcile aesthetics, performance and simple maintenance.
A large shift is the demand for low -maintenance, long -lasting materials. People want to avoid constant improvements, sealing or new paintings-instead in materials that keep overtime with minimal effort.
Sustainability is also in the foreground. Other homeowners choose energy -efficient, environmentally friendly materials that match a greener lifestyle. A recently from 2024 Smartmarket letter survey showed that 37% of the house builders and umbauer cited a strong demand for available and affordable high-quality green products.
Q: What can you share with great writing about the effects of a shortage of labor on companies and industry?
Matisz: Labor men are still one of the biggest challenges in the construction industry, which leads to delays in projects, higher costs and limited availability of the workforce. Specialists are more difficult to find and disorders of the supply chain lead to another layer of complexity.
To navigate this, the builders shift to easy -to -install materials that shorten working hours without affecting quality. In the industry there is also an advance for upskilling initiatives training and career development opportunities in order to build a stronger workforce.
At AMI, we focus on simplifying the installation, supporting contractors and increasing efficiency in order to keep projects up to date.