In the last issue of Windsor World, we told you about the shift Windsor was making with the Next Dimension Classic line. This decision was made about 9 months ago, when a team assembled to discuss the future of the production of the Classic vinyl units. It was decided to move production from North Carolina to Iowa in order to maximize manufacturing automation and improve efficiency.
The last day to place orders for Next Dimension Classic products with a standard lead time was January 8, 2016. The last day of production in North Carolina was January 29, 2016. Equipment and materials from North Carolina arrived the first week of February, and the Iowa team started re-assembling the line with some minor process changes. By the end of the week, the department was assembled on the floor and ready for its pilot run. The team was able to improve on the startup date by 2 weeks, and back in full production on February 15.
Shown here are the saw and punches used to cut the sashes and process the frame material.
This picture demonstrates the saw and punches that process the sills, meeting rails, t-mulls and metal rebar.
Pictured on the left of this photo is the machine used to weld the frames. On the right is the machine used to weld the sashes.