Fruitland-based Woodgrain Millwork has acquired Kay-Wood Industries Inc., an Oklahoma City maker of decorative moldings and blocks.

     Kay-Wood does business at Decra Mold.  The company has 100 full-time employees and about 40 temporary workers, a key employee there said. 

     "This acquisition fits well into Woodgrain's strategy because of the synergy we will create through increased wood utilization and value-added products," Woodgrain Executive Vice President Kelly Dame said in a statement.  A purchase price was not released.

     The Decra Mold name has been associated with high-quality decorative millwork, according to Woodgrain.

     "We recognize the value this name has in the marketplace - that's why Woodgrain is going to continue to use the name to market Decra Mold's product lines," said Alex Mohr, corporate marketing manager for Woodgrain.  The new logo for the company will incorporate the current logo, with the tagline,  "A Woodgrain Millwork Company," he said.

     Decra Mold had been providing decorative moldings and blocks to the building and home improvement industry since 1954,

     Its product lines include embossed and adorned rope, and patterns of crown, base, case and chair rail moldings.  Decra Mold's "No-Miter System" is a selection of rosette, base, chair rail and plinth blocks that offer consumers a method to install moldings with difficult mitering and coping cuts.

     Molding and interior door maker Woodgrain employs nearly 800 in Fruitland and about 350 in Nampa.  The 
Fruitland millwork plant makes door and window parts, while the Nampa plant makes mainly interior passageway doors.

     Acquiring Decra Mold enables Woodgrain to use its own wood resources to expand into the manufacture of decorative, embossed molding, Mohr said in an interview.  For both companies, clients include "big-box" retailers, he noted.

      Woodgrain had approximately tripled production capacity for alder doors since the start of the year, and has developed additional prototypes that will begin production soon, he said.  Demand has been strong since late last year, he added.

      Privately held Woodgrain  is building a pine-door manufacturing plant in south-central Chile, in a joint venture that will get Woodgrain closer to a major source of the Radiate pine used in the premium doors (IBR, 10-22-01).  The plant, to be completed late this year, will reduce costs and increase efficiency for Woodgrain while enabling the Nampa plant to expand production of other types of doors, the company said.

     Mohr said Woodgrain expects to start making bi-fold doors by July and louver doors near the end of the year in the plant of 160,000 square feet in Chile.