1922 - 1940

The story of R. D. Werner Co., Inc., now known as Werner Co., and how it came to flourish, began in 1922. Richard D. Werner began a business as a floor covering jobber, selling carpet bindings and threads, as well as metal floor and wall moldings. It was the metal moldings part of the business that became the seed for the Company as we know it today.

As the 1930s progressed, Werner's metal moldings product line grew, and by 1935 the Company had developed a highly successful line of metal kitchen trim products, marketed nationally under the name brand, Chromtrim^TM.

1941 - 1951

The Company enjoyed great success with its metal moldings operation until 1941, when the U.S. became involved in World War II. During the war, civilian use of metals - particularly brass and aluminum - was restricted by the government, and as a result, the Company experimented with the production of plastic extrusions. This shift in materials allowed the Company to become a prime contractor to the Navy for extruded plastic inhibitor strips for rockets. The plastic extrusion business began to expand and soon R. D. Werner Co., Inc., became recognized as a leader in the plastic extrusion field. The Company produced a full line of plastic trim, sink frames, and other plastic shapes and accessories that were sold both nationwide and in Canada.

After the war, the Company moved its primary manufacturing operation to Greenville, Pennsylvania, in order to be strategically located between New York and Chicago, its major markets. The Company also broadened its product offerings by re-entering the metals business and installing its own extrusion equipment, applying the same product development expertise it gained in plastic to aluminum.

In 1949 the first hydraulic extrusion press was installed in order to support the growth of the highly successful aluminum Chromtrim^TM line. Building on the Company's success, in 1951, the company added a second extrusion press to its Greenville facility. With this increased capability, the Company was able to expand its extrusion products to include a wide variety of custom-designed extrusions. As a result, R.D. Werner, Inc., became one of the first companies to enter the value-added business of manufacturing semi-fabricated aluminum components for its customers.

In 1950, Werner began looking for some finished products it could begin to produce to fully utilize its large aluminum extrusion capacity. This is how the Company entered the climbing products market. Aggressive product development, together with a long list of innovative patents and ideas, led to the method used to produce rugged, high quality aluminum ladders that was to become world renown.

1952 - 1966

Based on the extremely strong demand for climbing products and aluminum extrusions, the Company continued to expand its aluminum extrusion, fabrication and assembly capacity and exited the plastic injection molding business in late 1952. Along with the Company's overall success, it experienced rapid growth and celebrated the introduction of aluminum stages in 1953 and aluminum scaffolds in 1957. In 1954, the Company invented the revolutionary ALFLO® Twist-Proof® rung joint, which solved many of the safety and structural problems of aluminum extension ladders.

Adding to its success with aluminum climbing products, R.D. Werner Co. began manufacturing fiberglass ladders in 1963. Also in the 1960s the Company began to develop a national field-warehousing program in order to more efficiently distribute its climbing products. In 1965, the Company opened a division in Chicago to serve as a fabrication and assembly plant. Furthermore, a joint venture to develop fiberglass pultrusion technology commenced in 1966.

1967 - 1995

A new corporate headquarters was constructed in Greenville in 1970. In 1973, Werner purchased a 50% interest in a small California pultruder. The Company's initial fiberglass pultrusion capabilities were added to the Chicago plant in 1978, and a state-of-the-art extrusion plant was added to Chicago in 1985.

To expand its product offering, three independent wood ladder manufacturers were acquired in the mid-to-late 1980s, permitting the Company to meet the requests of its customers to be a sole climbing equipment source. In 1990, the Company built a modern wood ladder plant in Carrollton, Kentucky, with the intention of eventually consolidating all its wood manufacturing operations into one location. This consolidation was completed in 1996 with the closure of Florida Ladder Co.

A facility in Anniston, Alabama, was acquired from National Intergroup in 1989 not only for its four extrusion presses but also with the long-range plan of developing a third, fully integrated aluminum and fiberglass ladder plant. Anniston's development as a ladder plant began in earnest in 1995.

1996 - 1999

In October 1997, Werner entered into an agreement to recapitalize the Company with certain affiliates of Investcorp S.A., an international investment firm, and certain other international investors organized by Investcorp. In November 1997, these investors made a significant equity investment and became the majority shareholders of the Company. The Investcorp partnership was the result of the Company's desire to increase its capital base in order to provide liquidity to shareholders as well as additional capital for future growth.

2000 - Present

The first generation of the Werner family built the original business of floor coverings and moldings into a diverse supplier of aluminum extrusions and end products. Today, Werner continuously expands and improves its facilities to increase capacity, enhance quality and safety, and to reduce operating and distribution costs. Over the past five years, the Company has invested more than $75 million, including capital leases, in its facilities and overall infrastructure. The company's transformation from selling floor coverings to extrusions, while at the same time, becoming the world's largest climbing products manufacturer was made possible by the willingness of the Company to take risks, explore new markets, capitalize on opportunities, and always look to the future.