ATAS International held a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of their second Allentown, PA manufacturing facility on Grant Way. The existing 65,000 sq. ft. building was constructed in 2005, and the addition will add another 53,000 square feet. This will allow for additional metal forming equipment and employees to support ATAS’ continually expanding product line.

ATAS is a family-owned business that went from a siding and trim installer to an industry leading manufacturer of metal panels for the building envelope, with locations across the United States. Aluminum Trim and Shapes was founded in 1963 by Jacobus “Jack” P. Bus in his home’s basement in Rochester, NY, where he and wife, Nel, and children resided. The company is now led by the second and third generations, and there were several children representing the fourth generation in attendance at the groundbreaking event.   

In the past 61 years, there have been a total of six groundbreakings, including the original manufacturing facility in Rochester, NY in 1972, and then an expansion of that building in 1979; the original manufacturing facility on Snowdrift Road in Allentown, PA in 1984, and then an expansion of that building in 1999 (in which ATAS’ headquarters are located); and the original manufacturing facility on Grant Way in Allentown, PA in 2005, and now an expansion of that building in 2024.  The owners of ATAS also have other facilities located in Mesa, AZ; University Park, IL; Morrisville, PA; and Trenton, NJ.  From humble beginnings, the company has grown to a total of 645,000 sq. ft. of space with 200 employees. 

The existing Grant Way facility has a photovoltaic solar array on the roof and transpired solar collector metal wall panels installed on the south side of the building, making it very energy efficient. ATAS manufactures InSpire panels, which are metal wall panels with precision-lanced micro perforations that create solar air heating. The panel is mounted a few inches from the building’s outer wall. Solar heated air at the surface of the panel is drawn through the perforations where it rises between the two walls and enters the building’s central ventilation system or supply fan.  

InSpire is a simple, economical solution for reducing carbon emissions and energy costs. The existing building has 4,000 sq. ft. of InSpire panels installed on it, in a 70% PVDF Classic Bronze paint finish, and the performance of those panels results in $7,152 annual energy savings. The addition to the building will have 4,320 sq. ft. of InSpire HP panels installed on it, with a higher performing selective surface finish, and is expected to generate $9,026 in energy savings annually.