A century of success, a legacy to share
Loewen Centennial: Reflecting on the past. Looking to the future.
Part Three in a Three-Part Series
Loewen Fast Facts
We produce approximately 3,200 windows and doors each week – an average of 72 doors and 568 windows each day.
The Loewen facility covers 578,000 square feet of floor space. You could fit 27 hockey arenas inside our building, or 482 – 1,200 square foot homes.
We use about 9,944,000 square feet of glass each year – enough to cover the surface of 185 football fields.
In 2004, we used: 1,000,000 kilograms of aluminum. 7,640 gallons of paint. 6,000 pounds of coffee. $500,000 worth of hydro.
We use approximately 12,000,000 board feet of lumber each year – laid end-to-end, it would stretch 3,636 kilometres, or the distance from Winnipeg to the southern-most tip of Florida.
We receive more than 1,500 visitors to our www.loewen.com website each day.
Some of our wood waste goes into rework. The remainder is used to heat our plant in winter, or is turned into shavings or blocks and sold to local farmers.
We rejoin the Loewen story at the dawn of the new millennium. Under the leadership of Charles Loewen, the company’s current CEO and a part of the third generation of Loewens leading the business, Loewen has grown into an international success.
As Loewen has grown and thrived, so too has the city of Steinbach, supplying the workforce necessary to centralize the company’s manufacturing at home. This local investment was hedged by the region’s extensive background in woodworking excellence and an exceptional work ethic – all part of the strong pioneer legacy of the region’s forefathers, who populated the rugged Canadian west.
The strategic repositioning that began in the 80s and into the 90s found its wings in 2001 as the Loewen management team crystallized Loewen’s corporate vision to be the world’s leading supplier of premium windows and doors. At this same time, the Loewen logo was altered to reflect the brand’s new upscale look and feel.
The resulting strategic plan focused the company on the luxury segment of the residential and light commercial markets. To fuel this aggressive plan, a 157,000 square foot plant expansion enlarged the brand’s efficient single-source manufacturing facility in Steinbach – marking the twelfth and single largest expansion since 1960.
To further improve Loewen’s ability to serve its new markets, distribution was reinforced in major North American metropolitan centres and hundreds of new employees were added.
At some point, the firm’s seemingly unending growth may outdistance southeast Manitoba’s ability to supply a workforce. Until then, the Steinbach plant continues to meet the challenge.
Significant and highly strategic investments in management, distribution, advertising and product development followed and helped to reinforce the company’s position as a leading North American premium brand. In 2003, Loewen introduced a remarkable ten new products to the market, including Push Out Casement windows and Impact Glazing.
A century after it began, Loewen occupies a distinctive niche atop the wood window and door industry. With more than 1,600 employees, a 587,000 square foot manufacturing facility and hundreds of expert dealers in countries around the globe, Loewen’s dedication to C.T.’s original values of faith, hard work and entrepreneurship have resulted in an extraordinary journey that promises to continue well into the future.
Learn more about Loewen’s Centennial by visiting www.loewen.com/1905.
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