The Western Group

What The Western Group does

The Western Group, operating under the trade name Architectural Wire | The Western Group, is a Portland, Oregon-based custom manufacturer of architectural mesh and perforated plate products serving North American building, infrastructure, and industrial markets. Founded in 1934, the company maintains eleven North American manufacturing/service locations and produces four core material categories: woven wire (multiple named patterns including Venetian Waterways, Soundwaves, Himalayan Foothills, Coastal Boardwalk, Columbia Bar/Shoals, Over and Under), welded wire (square and slotted mesh), perforated plate (round, square, rectangular, oblong, and custom), and expanded metal (raised and flattened). It also sells two registered application systems — Living Screen® and Dual Secure® — that package these materials into modular façade systems for green walls, security, sun shading, and rail infill.

The business model is project-based custom fabrication: architects, contractors, and building owners specify TWG products during the design phase; the company provides CAD-driven custom shop drawings, collaborates on mounting and pattern details (including custom pattern co-development), and ships finished products coordinated across multiple states. Materials are produced in plain steel, Galfan-coated steel, stainless steel (T304/T316), aluminum, hot-dip galvanized steel, and exterior-grade powder-coated finishes. Customer segments span commercial/institutional building enclosures (primary), industrial sifting and processing, residential, and artists/designers — though the dominant demand profile is institutional and commercial real estate.

Revenue is generated primarily through one-time, specification-driven sales of custom-fabricated mesh and plate. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales — direct engagement with architects from pre-design through installation, supported by a portfolio-driven website, brochure request system, and centralized phone contact (844-TWG-ARCH). No public pricing is disclosed; pricing is project-specific based on material, gauge, openness, pattern, dimensions, and finishes. Named reference customers span education (UT-San Antonio, Drexel URBN, Seattle Public Library, Guilford Tech), municipal/government (City of Portland, San Ysidro Port of Entry, NTTA, Mike Lewis Park), healthcare (Hoag), entertainment (HBO/True Blood), retail (Wieden+Kennedy, Clackamas Town Center), automotive (Goodyear Innovation Way), and real estate (Hotel Eastlund, Bridgeport Condominiums). The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional ownership, no funding history, and no parent company.

Name

The Western Group

Legal name

The Western Group

Website

https://architecturalwire.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Western Group is a Portland-based custom manufacturer of architectural wire mesh and perforated plate, serving architects, contractors, and institutional clients across North America via eleven locations with branded systems including Living Screen® and Dual Secure®.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Architectural Mesh Products: The company manufactures and sells custom architectural mesh products including woven wire, welded wire, perforated metal, and expanded metal. Products are custom-fabricated to exact specifications based on architect and contractor requirements. Revenue is generated through project-based product sales with options for unfinished steel, Galfan steel, stainless steel, or exterior grade powder coating finishes.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Western Group manufactures and sells custom architectural mesh products — including woven wire, welded wire, perforated metal, and expanded metal — fabricated to project specifications for architects, contractors, and building owners. The company also offers two proprietary branded application systems, Living Screen® (modular vine trellis panels for green façades) and Dual Secure® (modular security panels for façades), used in commercial, institutional, municipal, and industrial projects across North America.

Product overview

The Western Group (Architectural Wire) is a manufacturer of architectural mesh products serving architectural and industrial applications. The company offers four core product lines: Expanded Metal (available as raised or flattened types), Perforated Plate (in round, square, rectangular, oblong, and custom patterns), Welded Wire (in square mesh and slotted mesh configurations), and Woven Wire (with multiple pattern types including Venetian Waterways, Soundwaves, Himalayan Foothills, Coastal Boardwalk, Columbia Bar/Shoals, Colonial Pinstripe, Flat Top Weave, Double Shot/Flat Top, Flat Bar Fill, Hullu, and Over and Under). The company also produces two key branded application systems: Living Screen® (a modular vine trellis system for green walls using dual-panel welded wire) and Dual Secure® (a modular security panel system for building façades). These products serve diverse applications including sun screening, tension screens, signage, security screens, rail fill, interior/exterior mesh, industrial uses, furniture, and art installations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Living Screen® Modular dual-panel welded wire system forming a rigid structure for climbing plants, used by architects and contractors for green façades and living walls on commercial, institutional, and municipal buildings.
• Dual Secure® Modular parallel-panel welded wire security screen system designed to mount into openings in a building façade, providing security with required air flow for institutional, municipal, and commercial buildings.
• Expanded Metal

Quantifiable outcome

• Living Screen panels can span up to 20 feet freestanding floor-to-floor (as at UT-Arlington Parking)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Banker Wire: Wisconsin-based manufacturer specializing in architectural wire mesh products including woven and welded wire patterns serving interior and exterior building applications with a comparable architect-focused custom specification model.
• AMICO (Alabama Metal Industries): Manufacturer of expanded metal products, security mesh, and architectural building products serving commercial construction, infrastructure, and security applications with a comparable building-products distribution model.
• Gerard Daniel Worldwide: North American wire mesh and filtration product supplier offering woven wire, welded wire, and perforated metal to architectural, industrial, and OEM segments with global sourcing capabilities.
• Niles Expanded Metals & Plastics: Niles, Ohio-based manufacturer of expanded metal sheets and coils for architectural, industrial, and filtration applications, competing directly with Western Group's expanded metal product line.
• McNICHOLS Company: Largest US-based supplier of wire mesh, perforated metal, and expanded metal products serving architectural, industrial, and contractor customers across 18+ locations with similar breadth of product lines and direct fabrication capabilities.
• W.S. Tyler: Ohio-based manufacturer of wire cloth and screening products for industrial filtration and architectural applications, supplying woven wire mesh with comparable metallurgy and custom fabrication capabilities.
• Direct Metals Company: US-based manufacturer and supplier of perforated metal, expanded metal, and wire mesh products serving architectural, industrial, and OEM customers with custom fabrication capabilities and an overlapping product mix.
• TWP Inc. California-based wire mesh supplier serving industrial, architectural, and OEM customers with woven and welded wire products, including custom fabrication services and roll/form stock.
• Hendrick Perforating: Manufacturer of perforated metal sheets, plates, and coils for architectural, industrial filtration, and decorative applications with custom pattern capabilities for OEM and building-product customers.
• GKD Metal Fabrics: German-headquartered global manufacturer of architectural metal mesh serving iconic building façades worldwide, including parking structures, museums, and convention centers with similar custom pattern capabilities and registered product offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-western-group-western-wire-works

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Western Group