Metal Panels Inc., a manufacturer of metal roofing and siding products for the metal roofing, metal building, self-storage, and post-frame industry, is a vibrant, growing company. In fact, it recently expanded its headquarters to a new, larger facility in Tulsa, Oklahoma, to accommodate its increasing business.
A Strategic Beginning
The firm’s president and founder, Mitchell Hentkowski, opened the company in 2001 after he saw that there weren’t adequate roll-forming services in his area. As a roofer, he saw an opportunity for a small, regional roll-former that could provide more service and quicker order turnaround, so he stepped in to fill the gap.
Hentkowski made it his mission to build a company that met his customers’ needs by providing its valued customers with quality products, timely delivery, and its best in personalized service. That commitment has paid off with steady growth for the last 24 years. The company has been so successful that they opened a second manufacturing facility in Kansas City, Kansas. Between the two facilities, they serve a seven-state area, offering 20 panel profiles, nearly 100 unique colors, custom trim, flat sheets, and a full line of accessories.
Having two lines of traffic speeds movement of material through the new facility. Photo courtesy of Metal Panels, inc.
Metal Panels, Inc.’s new headquarters is more than double the size of its previous facility. Photo courtesy of Metal Panels, inc.
Photo courtesy of Metal Panels, inc.
New, Expanded Headquarters
In April, MPI opened a new, much larger headquarters in Tulsa, just north of their original site. Now operating out of nearly four acres under one roof, the new location at 14921 East Pine Street allows the company to significantly expand its inventory and improve operational efficiency. The upgraded facility features faster service through expanded truck bays and a broader product selection, including a comprehensive range of storage facility components.
This modern building now serves as both MPI’s headquarters and primary manufacturing center. A key feature of the new facility is a two-lane interior loading area, capable of accommodating up to six flatbed trucks simultaneously, streamlining logistics and operations.
Throughout the design, many of MPI’s own panel profiles are prominently displayed on the building’s siding, louvers, and exterior accents. This design approach continues indoors, where ceiling features, the lobby’s custom reception desk, and integrated lighting units function as creative showcases for MPI’s extensive range of panels and color options.
The move to a bigger facility comes out of their need for more space. Their previous building didn’t have the room they needed to support their business properly. “We were landlocked where we were,” said Hentkowski. “We couldn’t buy property around us, and we couldn’t build on anymore. Then we found a piece of property only a mile north of where we were. It was a large property that gave us enough room for our current needs and for future growth with additional land. The way we’ve positioned the building, we can build on in two different directions, so there’s a lot of potential for growth. And being centrally located in the country geographically gives us a lot of hope for the future.”
The old building was under 70,000 square feet, while the new one is 180,000 square feet, so it more than doubled space. “We’re now taking advantage of not only the additional physical space,” said Hentkowski, “but we also added equipment, so we were able to increase our product line.
Increased Capacity and Efficiency
“We’re really being able to take advantage of the space. We have a decent amount of customers picking up their own orders. We have two lines of traffic, and the way our production lines work, we are able to move through a huge amount of traffic compared to the previous building. It’s much more efficient.
“We had a record month in July in Tulsa, but it didn’t feel like it. It didn’t seem all that difficult, but in the old building, physically, we definitely would have felt it because there would have been so much going on in a smaller space. Here, we’re able to move materials through the building so much more efficiently and it makes things easier. Production wise, we’re not having to move this to get to that to fill an order. We run the material, fill the order, stage it, and load it.
“When we decided on this property, I went through about 10 versions of the plant layout to determine the most efficient operation. I spent a lot of time working on production flow, customer flow, traffic flow, all of those things in the space I had available starting from a blank slate and having a lot of space to do it in. Having spent that time, it’s really paid off in how we’re able to function now,” Hentkowski said.
Besides the production part of the building, MPI has a display area, where customers can come in and touch, feel, and see products. “We also have a training area that we’re working on,” Hentkowski said. “We’ll be able to do any kind of training in there. Eventually we want to do AIA training classes in there but first we want to have training aids and bring young people in and teach them how to do things the correct way. We’ve allocated quite a bit of space for that. We’re in the process of building that out over the next few months.”
Conclusion
Metal Panels Inc. has come a long way from its beginnings in 2001, and its headquarters expansion is just the next step in its ongoing mission. “This move reflects our continued commitment to meeting the growing needs of our customers,” said Doug Myer, Marketing Manager at Metal Panels Inc. “With an efficient manufacturing center, greater inventory, and enhanced service capabilities, we’re better positioned than ever to be our customers’ trusted metal solutions partner.” The future is indeed bright for MPI.
