The Herald-Zeitung

Local manufacturing operation EH Systems purchased innovative equipment this month which could vault it to the upper echelon of its industry nationwide.

The New Braunfels-based company produces structural insulated panels (SIP) used to construct residential and commercial buildings.

It struck a deal on March 18 with Pulte Homes to buy new manufacturing equipment which officials said should vastly increase the company’s production capacity and simplify the entire construction process.

“It’s not only a big boost from a capacity standpoint, it’s a big boost from a capability standpoint,” said Bill Stipanovich, vice president of operations for EH Systems. “We won’t only be able to build panels faster, we’ll be able to build larger panels as well.”

The panels produced by EH are made up of a polystyrene foam which is typically sandwiched between two panels of strand board. Those panels are then shipped by EH and used to build walls and structural support for homes and businesses throughout Texas and the Mississippi gulf coast.

The company claims the use of SIP makes for stronger and more energy efficient buildings, and cuts down construction time.

Stipanovich said the company’s capacity will likely quadruple after buying from Pulte new SIP manufacturing and fabrication equipment, open web floor truss assembly systems, pre-assessed flooring equipment and metal stud forming and wall panel machinery.

“The buildings will go up much more quickly than they already do,” Stipanovich said. “It’ll go up in about half the time, and in the field, time is money.”

The equipment will allow EH to not only produce and ship larger panels, but also cut holes for doors and windows to make specialized panels, rather than the “blank” ones currently being made.

The majority of EH’s business currently comes from single-family home builders, and officials think the new equipment will open up opportunities to build in new areas.

“The larger panels will provide our current customers with a more versatile product and allow us to expand into other market segments such as institutional, government, commercial and multi-family construction,” said Mac McDonald, president of EH’s parent company Andover Capital Group in a press release.

Stipanovich said the equipment should be operational by the end of the year, making EH systems one of the top three SIP producers in the nation.