MILGARD Windows and Doors makes a multimillion-dollar investment to drive innovation in 2026

TACOMA, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan 8, 2026--

MILGARD Windows and Doors, a manufacturer of vinyl, fiberglass, and aluminum windows and patio doors, and part of the MITER Brands™ portfolio, recently announced it has completed a significant renovation of its fiberglass window and door production facility in Tacoma, Washington, to drive innovation in 2026.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260108879336/en/

After removing all existing assets and refurbishing the entire 150,000-square-foot facility, MILGARD installed state-of-the-art equipment to support several innovative new product launches, including the upcoming C700 Fiberglass Series windows and doors, which will be introduced to the market in Q1 of 2026. The new equipment will help increase manufacturing efficiency, improve quality control, and promote a safe manufacturing environment for team members.

“One of our core company values is innovation, and that’s what we focused on with this renovation and investment in automation,” said Brent Wright, MILGARD New Product Development Project Manager. “Fiberglass is one of our heavier products, so improving the cutting procedures and refining the handling process enhances team member safety, as the product will now be moved automatically by a machine. Additionally, by installing RFID monitors at every station, we are advancing our inventory control.”

In addition to improving inventory control, the new RFID smart tag system directs team members on the required tasks at each production station, streamlining many processes across the manufacturing floor.

The company also installed dust-collecting machines to improve containment of the dust created when cutting fiberglass. Approximately 99.9% of the dust generated from production is now captured, creating a healthier working environment for team members and maintaining a cleaner product throughout the process.

“As a company, we concurrently design a product and a process, which is what we did to prepare for the C700,” said Anand Mahajani, MILGARD Sr. Engineering Manager. “This investment reinforces team member safety, supports innovation, and streamlines processes through automation for greater efficiency.”

As MILGARD Windows and Doors moves toward the launch of the C700 line, the new, cutting-edge facility in Tacoma provides an ideal environment for MILGARD to produce innovative fiberglass products that will raise the bar for quality and performance in the market.

About MILGARD Windows and Doors

Founded in 1958, MILGARD Windows & Doors offers a full line of vinyl, fiberglass and aluminum windows and patio doors for builders, dealers, and homeowners. Part of the MITER Brands portfolio, MILGARD operates plants in Arizona, California, Oregon and Washington. For more information, visit milgard.com.

About MITER Brands

Founded in 1947, MITER Brands is a residential window and door manufacturer that produces a portfolio of window and door brands for the new construction and replacement segments with an owner-operated, family-first approach. Through optimized manufacturing, valued relationships, and dedicated team members coast to coast, MITER Brands instills confidence and drives quality customer experiences. The name “MITER” is an acronym reflecting five of the company’s core strengths: Manufacturing, Innovation, Trust, Experiences, and Relationships.

For more information, visit miterbrands.com.

The facility’s upgrades enable tighter tolerances and cleaner lines, giving the soon-to-be-launched C700 line a fresh, modern design

New equipment at the MILGARD fiberglass plant that automates some processes to increase efficiency and quality control, while promoting a safe work environment for team members

WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Thursday that he will allow service members to carry personal weapons onto military installations, citing the Second Amendment and recent shootings at bases across the country.

In a video posted to X, Hegseth said he is signing a memo that will direct base commanders to allow requests for troops to carry privately owned firearms “with the presumption that it is necessary for personal protection.”

He said any denial of a service member's request must be explained in detail and in writing.

“Effectively, our bases across the country were gun-free zones,” Hegseth said. “Unless you're training or unless you are a military policeman, you couldn't carry, you couldn't bring your own firearm for your own personal protection onto post.”

Questions about why service members lacked access to weapons have often emerged following shootings on the nation's military bases. Such shootings have ranged from isolated events between service members to mass casualty events, such as the shootings by an Army psychiatrist at Texas’ Ford Hood in 2009 that left 13 people dead.

Hegseth cited some of the events in his video, including a shooting that injured five soldiers at Fort Stewart in Georgia last year. Officials said the shooter, an Army sergeant who worked at the base, used his personal handgun before he was tackled by fellow soldiers and arrested.

“In these instances, minutes are a lifetime,” Hegseth said. “And our service members have the courage and training to make those precious, short minutes count.”

Defense Department policy has prohibited military personnel from carrying personal weapons on base without permission from a senior commander, with strict protocol for how the firearms must be stored.

Typically, military personnel must officially check their guns out of secure storage to go to on-base hunting areas or shooting ranges, then check all firearms back in promptly after their sanctioned use. Military police are often the only armed personnel on base, outside of shooting ranges, hunting areas or in training, where soldiers can wield their service weapons without ammunition.

Tanya Schardt, senior counsel at the Brady gun violence prevention organization, said in a statement that Defense Department leaders and the military’s top brass have opposed relaxing the current policy, which was originally enacted under President George H.W. Bush.

Schardt noted that most active duty service members who die by suicide do so with a weapon they own personally, not one military-issued, and argued that there will “undoubtedly be an increase in gun suicide and other gun violence.”

While fewer American service members died by suicide in 2024, the suicide rates among active duty troops overall still have gradually increased between 2011 and 2024, according to a Pentagon report released Tuesday.

“Our military installations are among the most guarded, protected properties in the world, and they’ve never been ‘gun-free zones,’” Schardt said. “If there is a problem with violent crime on these installations, then the Secretary of Defense has an obligation to alert the American people and describe how he’s working to prevent that crime.”

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to members of the media during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, Tuesday, March 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)