Page 25 - Jan 2013

January 2013 | Business World Magazine | 25
led to significantly diminished construction
rates posed another crisis which the Bonnell
team turned into an opportunity. Granted,
for a company with its range of capabilities
and long-term relationships, it would take
more than a downturn to thoroughly under-
mine Bonnell’s role in the construction game.
While the company continues to be a sig-
nificant player in this market, as Crowdis ex-
plains, the downturn demonstrated the risk
of the company being so heavily weighted in
commercial construction. Therefore, he says
the recession was just hard enough to com-
pel the company to make some hard choices
about its future. In an era that prompted
considerable consolidation and downsizing,
Bonnell has not only continued to serve the
construction market, but has also strategical-
ly moved to serve new markets through the
acquisition of Indiana-based extruder, AA-
COA. “We knew we had to diversify as we
grew and so we looked for a company with a
good track record that served markets we’re
not in… that had fabrication capabilities we
didn’t have… that would enable us to leverage
our combined capabilities to achieve market
growth and diversification,” says Crowdis.
So now, beyond maintaining its role
in construction, Bonnell Aluminum extru-
sions figure in a variety of other industrial
markets. Crowdis indicates particular opti-
mism for opportunities in the automotive
industry. At present, there is a big push for
light-weighting of vehicles as Federal guide-
lines are prompting new fuel efficiency rates
to be implemented by 2025. Aluminum will
be vital to these processes as it is one-third
the weight of steel but for many applications