"It's not a highly repeatable process," says Tom Gramlich, chief operating officer of TimberTech, which makes composite and PVC decks, porches, railing, and trim. "Every night, our operator is fighting a different set of circumstances than the night before."
You can tell how tricky a business this is through the scrappage rate: Industry-wide, manufacturers say, roughly one-eighth of what's produced gets rejected before it ever leaves the factory.
Production techniques also matter. For instance, take the debate over using Celuka. . It's an option used for PVC products that gives the outside of what's extruded an extra-hard surface. Gossen Corp. particularly likes this method when it needs to make sure the object produced meets tight specifications, such as replacement window trim. Jackson Chen of Inteplast, maker of Tufboard products and CEVN decking, shows off his Celuka products by knocking dents into trim made using the freefoam process.
Versatex president John Pace isn't impressed, particularly since his company's goal is to make a product that cuts and nails like wood. "You're trying to make trim, not a brick," he says. "To me, that (Celuka trim) isn't wood."
