Manufacturing

Q+A with Quanex | Rebounding and Rebranding

How a strong company culture and an open mind leads to growth and new opportunities. Quanex President and CEO George Wilson discusses rebranding, the company's focus on people, its goals going forward and the industry at large.

WindowCast: Bob Keller of Miter Brands talks about the combination with PGT

Bob Keller of Miter Brands, now combined with PGTI, sat down with Laurie Cowin to talk about how the companies are following best practices in merging their processes and products. The acquisition has also opened up new possibilities for product innovation, markets and further innovation.

Strategic Automation

It's essential to approach automation with a clear understanding of its implications and a well-thought-out plan. 

Going all in on in-house Manufacturing

The fenestration industry is taking control and reshaping automation by adopting in-source manufacturing to boost efficiency, grow customization and enhance resiliency.

Progress Never Stops for Window Manufacturers

Success in today’s window and door space requires striking the right balance between efficiency, performance and consumer preference.

Speed Test

The new CleanCut™ Series includes includes 1700/1800 models (for cutting) and 1700-D/1800-D models (cutting and deletion) boasts enhanced speed, updated technical features, and increased throughput while maintaining the options manufacturers want when selecting a glass production system.

Building a Top-Notch Maintenance Program

Solid preventative and proactive maintenance practices are an essential part of an optimized window and door manufacturing operation—how does your program stack up?

Vinyl’s Sustainability

The industry is amplifying vinyl’s sustainable attributes through LCAs, post-consumer recycling and more.

Living in Harmony

Exploring the pros, cons and technical challenges of bird-friendly glass in residences. Tools, questions and answers to help equip you and the homeowner.

Safety. Security. Screens.

There are some surprising ways in which your screens strategy can deliver higher value, enhanced security, and even safety—both for you and your customers.

7 Heat Safety Myths in Indoor Manufacturing

How to keep workers safe amid high temperatures.

Upping the Value with Screen Technology

Screens can be an opportunity for window and door manufacturers to separate themselves from the competition.

AIM 3410 Aluminum Processing Center: Dynamic, strong and innovative

Distinguished among the new generation of aluminum processing centers from Yılmaz Machine, AIM 3410 is dynamic, strong and innovative, offering a compact structure and strong capabilities. AIM 3410 is powered by AIMCAM, a software package developed by Yılmaz Machine, setting it apart from its…

Backlogs Ease, but a Potential Demand Surge May Be Coming

The R&R market and Inflation Reduction Act may generate an uptick in windows and doors.

Pushing Patio Doors Forward

Improved energy performance and total integration with the indoor and outdoor experience are desirable traits for high-performance patio doors.

What we're watching

Planning for manufacturing day, protecting employee hearing, and more from fenestration social media.

Manufacturers Plan to Expand Despite Some Headwinds

Supply chain challenges eased significantly, while labor, inflation and rising costs put more strain on companies. Despite headwinds, the industry continues to invest in itself, grow and innovate.

Getting the Most from Automated Equipment

Getting the most from automation requires different thinking from real people and an evolved skill set different from what is traditionally associated with a typical shop floor worker.

Finding the Right Solution

When it comes to automation, fenestration manufacturers aren’t just choosing software, they’re finding a partner in their operations.

Pushing the Boundaries of Sustainability and Materials Science

A global push to live more sustainably and reduce our collective carbon footprint is compelling manufacturers to rethink how products are created. Consider these three phases of window and door products’ lifecycle: Manufacturing, the life of the product in a structure, and end-of-life…

The Right Tool for the Job

Why fenestration manufacturers need fenestration-specific solutions.

Window Condensation Tells Many Tales

Condensation, whether wanted or not, can be a useful indicator of many physical processes. By observing the condensation trails of high-altitude jet planes, for example, one can easily estimate the speed, direction and stability or turbulence of air in the upper atmosphere.

Childcare, Flexibility and DEI in Manufacturing

Women have tremendous power to close the manufacturing skills gap, but barriers remain, preventing women from entering—and staying—in the industry.

2023 FGIA Hybrid Annual Conference

Insulating Glass Failures

Find the root cause and solutions in continuing education.

Reduce Downtime, Increase Productivity

Five strategies to help reduce asset downtime and increase overall productivity on the manufacturing floor.

2022 MFG Day

Equipment Safety

Five Tips for a Safer Work Environment Easy-to-implement ideas to boost manufacturing plant safety Create policies, not only for where employees can walk, but how they move through the plant floor. For example, require workers and visitors to exercise the same rules as crossing a road—stop…

Want Women in Your Workplace? Be Flexible

Labor is a perennial issue in the glass and fenestration industries, further exacerbated recently by supply chain and logistical issues. The need to recruit and retain workers is urgent. One part of the labor pool remains underrepresented: women. No one is perhaps more aware of this than Allison…

High-speed machinery

High-speed machinery can allow product to move through a facility in an expedited manner, but companies need to consider more than speed before investing in this equipment.

NAHB Calls for Ending Lumber Tariffs, Boosting Production at White House Event

The National Association of Home Builders urged the Biden administration to increase domestic production of timber from federal lands and to work with Canada on a new softwood lumber agreement that will eliminate tariffs during a virtual White House listening session on resolving the lumber and…

Balancing Thermal and Acoustic Demands for Total In-Home Comfort

As homeowners seek to make improvements, it’s important to offer solutions that offer a range of high-performance benefits.

Supply Chain Struggles Continue

The industry prepares to enter another year rife with supply chain and labor concerns. Hardware supplier INOX shares its perspective about how companies can navigate this tricky time.

Job Openings Rise as Manufacturing Slows

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey showed a slight increase in available manufacturing roles in December, while the ISM Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index highlighted a reduction in manufacturing activity between December and January.

Steves & Sons Expands Manufacturing Operations with Utah Location

With the expansion will come more than 200 jobs, with more than 137 being classified as new, high-paying jobs, in the next five years, according to a news release.

FGIA Updates Certification Document Around Minimum QMS Requirements

AAMA QMSUG-1-21, Recommendations for Compliance with Minimum Quality Management System Requirements for AAMA Certification Programs Licensees, walks licensees through the creation of a QMS, a formalized system that documents processes, procedures, and responsibilities for achieving quality policies…

Engineered Profiles to Expand into Lawrence County, Ohio

The company will invest $4 million to retrofit the former DOW Chemical Ethafoam plant in Ironton, Ohio, a part of the Southern Ohio Industrial District. Its investment will include purchasing new machinery and equipment to fill the 93,000-square-foot space, with plans to add 10 to 12 extrusion…

Gas Fill 101: Gas fill options for IGUs

The goal in using any of the three fill gases--xenon, krypton and argon--is to lower the thermal conductivity and lessen heat conduction through the cavity.

Connected Equipment and the Future of Manufacturing

Machinery isn’t exempt from the world’s shift to technology-based solutions. Ready or not, automation is the future of manufacturing. Companies today have no choice but to embrace Industry 4.0 in their manufacturing practices or run the risk of being left behind, according to leading industry…

Speak to the Next Generation of Manufacturers

How can manufacturers effectively reach young people and recruit them to the industry? This is a challenge the Manufacturing Institute has been working to address through Manufacturing Day, held annually on the first Friday in October. 

Pressure-sensitive Adhesives in Window and Door Manufacturing

Pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes (PSA) are playing an increasingly important role in door and window manufacturing. Not only are they a valuable assembly aid, but they are also being used in technical bonding and barrier applications that enhance the performance and lifespan of the end product.…

A Conversation with Forel 

Marco Schiavon, CEO for North America, discusses the company’s growth and industry trends.

Insulating Glass: Problems and Prevention

Understanding what material and fabrication steps lead to IG failure can help prevent problems.

Safety Matters

A plant accident investigation protocol can prevent future incidents.

Purposeful Automation

Before you jump into automation, clearly state your objectives and what you are trying to achieve, as well as the cost of capital considerations. You also need to ask yourself, “Why are you automating?” and, “What is the right level of automation for your business?” By focusing on these two…

The Tight Supply Side

Companies in every part of the supply chain are wrangling with material shortages, high costs and long lead times.

5 Takeaways from the 2021 Top Manufacturers Report

This year’s Top Manufacturers report revealed several key takeaways about the manufacturing and housing markets as a whole, and how residential fenestration manufacturers fit into it.

Process Improvements

The best current technology in welding and cleaning is more evolutionary than revolutionary. Incremental improvements allow window and door fabricators to continue growing without major plant overhauls or building expansions. 

Booting Up

Do more with less: How to adopt new software and digital technologies.

10 Tips for Safer Factory Floors

While many manufacturers implemented procedures over the spring and summer, the recent surge in positive tests in a handful of states suggest that the following 10 tips from the panelists are still relevant to the industry.

At 2020’s Midpoint, Taking Stock of an Unprecedented Year

Thoughts on how manufacturing, automation, workforce challenges, and industry events have changed. Plus, comments on the resiliency of the industry.  

2020 State of Fenestration Manufacturing Report

In these unprecedented times, Window + Door provides this state of fenestration manufacturing report in lieu of our annual Top Manufacturers report and list. Find snapshots and insights from industry sources, as well as some statistics from our survey.   

Factory View: An Eye to the Future

Component and end-product manufacturers in the residential fenestration industry all seem to agree on one thing: the coronavirus pandemic and its associated effects are unprecedented and have caused businesses to alter and re-think how they operate. 

Be Ready for What’s Next

Adaptable automation allows manufacturers more flexibility in times of uncertainty.   

Lean Manufacturing

Tried-and-true lean processes lead to an extraordinary customer experience.

Tech Provides Smart Solutions for the COVID-19 Workplace

Tech companies are developing several potential solutions for the enforcement of social distancing, as well as contact tracing for sick employees. 

Digital Manufacturing

Digital transformation strategies may differ from one manufacturer to the next, but many have a common endgame.

That's a Wrap

The window industry continues to see an increasing request for colors. Today’s consumers demand more color and design options, inside and out, both for new construction and especially in the replacement market. Homeowners want the chance to complement or accent the design of their home with more…

Maximizing Investments

By now, many fenestration manufacturers have invested in some form of automated production technology with the hopes of creating efficiencies, boosting profits and enhancing quality. However, incorporating robotics doesn’t automatically elevate a plant’s efficiency or quality. To get the most out…

Color Strategy

As the demand for color in the window industry increases, so does the demand for applicators of these finishes. This trend was a key reason for the startup of a Dallas, Texas, business, Stealth Finishing. “Color has been around for a long time in Europe. It’s grown in much of the U.S. and Canada…