Company Timeline

Our second regional manufacturing center in Cincinnati, Ohio was opened in 2019 to improve the company’s service capabilities for customers in the Midwest region.  The over 100,000 square foot space enabled us to increase YKK AP’s local production capabilities and allow for more finished goods inventory.

In 2017, we led a challenge for local businesses to help complete Martin Luther King, Jr. Monument Park in Dublin, GA – marking the place where 15-year-old Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his first public speech in 1944. With commitment to diversity at the forefront, our president Oliver Stepe was inspired to make YKK AP one of the few manufacturers to recognize Martin Luther King, Jr. Day as a paid company holiday.

In 2015, we became the first manufacturer in the fenestration industry to obtain third-party certified environmental product declarations for our entire product portfolio. This meant that we could now offer seven certified categories of architectural products to meet LEED v4 requirements, underscoring our continued commitment to sustainability.

In July 2014, we opened the doors to our first regional manufacturing facility in Coppell, Texas. The 105,000 square foot facility was pivotal in increasing local production capability and allowing for expanded finished goods inventory. The facility now serves as a key supply and distribution center, providing services to the entire south central and western regions.

We hosted our first “Chillin’ with YKK AP” event at the minus 5° ice lounge in Las Vegas. This brought customers, employees and industry partners together for an evening of fun, relaxation and entertainment with a goal of building deeper relationships with our customers and industry partners.

In 2010, we debuted our thermal performance calculator, myThermalAssistant. This tool enables building professionals to calculate the energy saving performance metrics of YKK AP products with project-specific glass packages using the AAMA 507 standard based on NFRC methods.  This launch represented the first time users were able to calculate overall façade U-factors in seconds.

2008 marked the launch of the ThermaShade® Sun Control system, which has since won numerous awards including the IDEA design award in 2009. ThermaShade integrates with our most popular wall systems and offers countless design options. One key selling point of ThermaShade is the ease-of-installation with a hanger bolt and slotted receptor design.

In 2004, YKK AP achieved $100 million in sales for the first time.  We continue to seek improvement in products and processes in order to keep growing and add value to our employees, customers and and communities.

In 2000, we were awarded the Region 9 Existing Industry Award by the Georgia Economic Developers Association for “exceptional contributions made to its community and the state.” Over the years, we have received numerous awards for our community initiatives, industry engagement and product innovation.

In 1996, we opened the doors to our Cincinnati branch, the sixth of our satellite locations. This continued our commitment to provide strong local service and support our communities. Today, we have ten branches that serve architects and customers from coast-to-coast.  In this year, we also expanded the Dublin manufacturing facility by 100,000 square feet.

Following the destruction in the Southeast caused by hurricane Andrew, we became the first aluminum façade manufacturer to develop a complete, integrated entrance and framing solution for impact resistance, ProTek®. Ten years later, we expanded the line into blast mitigation to address protection from environmental and security events.

We opened our manufacturing plant in Dublin, GA in September 1992. The heartbeat of our company, our manufacturing facility is an impressive, vertically integrated operation with unique technology that allows the complete process, from melting and casting of aluminum to die manufacturing, extrusion, finishing, and fabrication to shipping.