02/13/24  |  Events

Innovating Since 1959

ONTARIO, Calif. – February 01, 2024 –Founded by Rudolf “Rudy” Wallner in 1959 as a small stamping house in Van Nuys, California, today Wallner Expac is North America’s largest manufacturer of expanded metals for HVAC filters with locations in Kennesaw, Georgia, El Paso, Texas, and headquarters in Ontario, California. 2024 marks our 65th anniversary, and to celebrate, Wallner Expac will be commemorating our milestones.

Celebrating 65 years of Wallner Expac’s success would not be complete without a special thanks to our customers and vendors for their valued and continued partnership and support. We would like to express our gratitude to the entire Wallner Expac employee-owners for their total commitment to product excellence, unrivaled customer satisfaction, and their spirit of innovation to ensure continued success.

Celebrated milestones in Wallner Expac’s past 65 years include:

• 1959 – Rudolf moves to California and founds Wallner Tooling & Stamping.
• 1968 – Wallner’s first expanded metal machine prototype is developed.
• 1972 – Wallner Tooling & Stamping builds four expanded metal lines to produce automotive air filter outer and inner wraps.
• 1975 – Expanded metal is introduced as a replacement for welded wire used in filter media backing.
• 1977 – Expac is created and becomes the supplier of HVAC material.
• 1980 – Wallner Tooling & Expac moves to its new facility in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
• 1988 – Operations expand to Kennesaw, Georgia to support growing East Coast markets.
• 1990 – Expac merges with Wallner Tooling to form Wallner Tooling/Expac.
• 2014 – Wallner Tooling/Expac awarded U.S. Patent No. 8,696,781 for X-Mesh^®.
• 2015 – Wallner Tooling/Expac rebrands as Wallner Expac.
• 2016 – A new manufacturing plant opens in El Paso, Texas to support Midwest market growth.
• 2017 – Wallner Expac relocates corporate headquarters to a new, larger plant in Ontario, California.
• 2018 – Expanded Metal Core patent awarded to Wallner Expac.
• 2019 – Wallner Expac launches MicroForm^® expanded metal micromesh product line.
• 2021 – Wallner Expac becomes an ESOP, employee-owned company.
• 2021 – Design patents awarded to Wallner Expac for its four-way ceiling diffuser panels.
• 2022 – Expandable Mesh Food Support patent awarded to Wallner Expac.

Today, Rudy’s legacy serves as inspiration and guidance for all Wallner Expac employees-owners to embrace innovation and challenge themselves as well as the norm. As North America’s largest expanded metal manufacturer for HVAC filters, Wallner Expac’s growing product portfolio features an extensive expanded metal product portfolio for applications beyond filtration including Architecture, Home Improvement, Battery Anodes, EMI Shielding, and more. Additional product offerings include patented four-way ceiling diffuser grilles. The on-site tooling facility offers additional metal forming services including engineering and design, flattening, stamping, surface grinding, Wire EDM, CNC machining, and more.

For more information, contact Manuel Menchaca, MBA, Sr. Marketing Manager, Wallner Expac.