The residential siding market is getting a new player this month as startup Microposite Inc. (Auburn Hills, Mich.) begins operations. The company will produce a composite siding product that uses patented technology to combine lightweight microspheres and proprietary resins. The company says the resulting siding provides high strength and durability combined with light weight — it’s 50 percent lighter than fiber cement.

Features of the siding include water resistance provided by the company’s closed-cell technology, energy efficiency (R value 3.5 times greater than fiber cement) and realistic woodgrain replication.

The company recently invested $7 million (USD) to relocate its headquarters from Novi, Mich. and expand into an existing facility in Auburn Hills. A state tax credit valued at $468,000 over five years helped convince the company to stay in Michigan rather than move to a site in Kentucky or Mississippi. Moreover, Auburn Hills has approved a three-year tax abatement valued at $129,000 to support the project. According to local authorities, the company’s activities will create 101 new jobs, including 62 at the company facility.