You are here >> Company > ATAS History

ATAS History

ATAS International Inc. celebrated their 40th Anniversary in 2003. The company has evolved from a one-man operation in a basement, to a multiple location, leading manufacturer in the metal roofing and wall systems industry. Second generation owners and brothers, Dick and Jim Bus continue to advance the company to meet the needs of the industry, just as their parents did four decades ago.

The History

In our celebrations we reflect back on the foundations of the company and its origins in installation and service. An immigrant from the Netherlands named Jacobus P. Bus started the company in 1963 as a siding and trim installer. He began designing and manufacturing his own trims accessories, and over time sold those trims to other contractors. Jack operated his company out of the basement of his home in Rochester, New York. In 1972, Aluminum Trim and Shapes moved their manufacturing facility to a 12,000 square foot building. The company expanded into the production of light gauge commercial panels and residential siding. The distinctive profiles were quickly accepted by architects, contractors and building owners. At this time, the corporate structure was changed and Aluminum Trim and Shapes became ATAS Aluminum Corp.

With the addition of more profiles, colors and metals, ATAS quickly outgrew the manufacturing facility in Rochester, and decided to relocate to Allentown, Pennsylvania. In 1985, a new 104,000 square foot building was dedicated and the commitment continued to produce only the highest quality products for residential and commercial use.

In 1995, the decision was made to officially change the name of "ATAS Aluminum Corporation" to "ATAS International Inc." in order to inform the public that their capabilities were not limited to the sole production of aluminum products, ATAS manufactures products of steel, copper and zinc as well. The name change also expresses their continual growth across the borders and overseas with more involvement with international trade.

ATAS Allentow Plant

A 30,000 square foot building was added to the Allentown plant in 1999, which includes offices, training rooms and expanded production areas. ACCEL Roofing Products was also born in 1999 in response to educating the homeowner and light commercial/residential contractor on the benefits of metal roofing. User friendly brochures were created as well as frequently asked questions and basic knowledge on the many aspects of metal as a roofing material.

To expand their service to the south and west, manufacturing facilities were opened in Mesa, Arizona and Maryville, Tennessee.

In the year 2003, the plants have over fifty rollformers, 3 shears, 10 brakes, slitters, cut to length equipment, all with computer aided precision tooling, and millions of pounds of pre-painted coil stock. Millions of square feet of architectural metal panels (wall, roof, ceiling, trim and accessories) are fabricated annually. In addition to the workers who produce the quality products, a highly qualified support staff also services the customer’s needs with estimates, drafting and shop drawings.

Marketing efforts focus on staying current with electronic and print media to educate customers on the quality products that the plant manufactures and the services our inside and outside sales teams provide. The tools include electronic programs that assist the contractor and architect in their respective fields with imaging, specifying and detailing projects with ATAS products. A new and improved website was released in the spring of 2003, which continues to grow as our primary image in the eye of the public. The public relations department is in the process of establishing libraries of press releases and mail-outs on products and projects to get the ATAS message across the country to potential customers.

The Anniversary

How we celebrate our 40 years of quality products and service shapes how we look to the future. We are a diverse company with a team work ethic, a multitude of products and a varied customer base. During the times of the Renaissance there was a figure in society known as the Master Builder. This person acted as the architect, general contractor and builder, which are the professions we assist with our diverse products and services. Through this concept we created a "spokesman" who we feel represents our company and who we are in the industry. You might have seen his picture around, he is known as the Master of Metal. He is the super hero of the industry "offering solutions" to the needs of architects, contractors and distributors, with his knowledge, skill and talent of metal roofing, wall and ceiling products. And with his solutions through products and services, anyone can be a superhero in their profession and to their clients.

Available materials include: Headshots of our current President, Theodorus (Dick) A. Bus and Vice President, James (Jim) P. Bus, and digital images and more information on the Master of Metal.

We look forward to seeing you at our celebrations! Please contact our marketing department (610.395.8445) for more information on our Anniversary and the schedule of events throughout the year.