Window and Door Manufacturers Hold Breath to Stay Afloat in 2009
Latest Articles in Close-Ups
Dealers of the Year 2008
Window & Door Honors Excellence in the Middle
Two companies honored for Overall Excellence winners, with six additional standouts named in arenas of marketing, installation, customer service, retail/showroom program, community service and innovative thinking.
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MI Going Green and More Upscale
Manufacturer launching new cellular product line targeting wood window buyers.
With the MIyota way, boards around the plant allow workers to track performance and look for improvement. Chris Rothermel, assistant manager at MI's Gratz plant, says employees now embrace the concept.
What does it take to be green? Like many other manufacturers, MI Windows & Doors has been working to answer ... more » 
Big Investments Position Window City for Growth
Canadian manufacturer looks to woo new customers with good talk, and a good walk
Window City is out on the dealer dating scene and ready to commit. Having served the greater Toronto area for more than 15 years, the Vaughan, Ontario-based window and door manufacturer has invested millions of dollars to automate its production facility, vertically-integrate its business strategy and take its image to the next level with an aggressive marketing initiative.With nearly a ... more » 
Learning Customers from the Inside Out
In an online exclusive, a vinyl extrusion salesman shares how he learned his customer’s needs, first-hand.
Being in field sales your entire career, you sometimes lose sight of what is required by operations to provide the very products you’re out there peddling. I guess you could say that most salesmen think, “If I sell it, they will build it.” But from time to time, salesmen need a refresher course in operations to keep them sharp. In April, it was my time for that refresher. But ... more » 
Sunroom Maker Planning Its Own Addition
Four Seasons expanding into window business
When thinking of window and door industry leading brands, Four Seasons Sunrooms may not come to mind immediately. The company’s name is well recognized, however, and it’s now getting ready to leverage that brand more—moving beyond the room addition and sunroom market to windows and more. Recently, it began a “soft launch” of a new replacement window line it has ... more » 
Dealer Trains Installers for the Greater Good
Industry reputation and quality installs priority for Oregon retailer
Keith Strand is working to hand over qualified installers to his competition. This is not exactly typical behavior for a replacement window dealer, but he figures that helping his competitors means helping the window and door industry. "We should all be talking to each other," says the owner of Strand's Window & Door based in the Portland, Ore. area. "We don't have to give away ... more » Window Dealer Puts Safety First
A History of Success for Steves & Sons
With new manufacturing plant in Tennessee, 140-year-old door maker continues family tradition of continued, steady growth
The landscape of the interior door business has changed dramatically over the last 20 years or so. With its 140-year history, Steves & Sons has clearly learned to adapt and thrive with change. Dating back to the pioneer days of Texas, the San Antonio-based company has evolved from a frontier lumberyard to one of the largest interior door manufacturers in the United States. And while ... more » For Kolbe & Kolbe, Software Eases Growing Pains
Manufacturer takes dealer-centric approach to ease ordering of an increasingly complex product line
Window and door manufacturers are facing some growing pains. The list of products and options offered by most companies is expanding, and customers are becoming more demanding. One manufacturer facing these challenges is Kolbe & Kolbe Millwork Co., now nearing the end of a multi-year rollout of a new ordering and quoting software package.The 60-year-old company’s made-to-order ... more » 
MGM Follows Its Own Path to Success
Focusing on new construction products, Tennessee manufacturer sees itself as small fish in a big pond with plenty of opportunities as a result
MGM Industries does its own thing—in more ways than one. It’s most obvious “thing” is its product line. Unlike most vinyl window manufacturers, the company makes a mechanically assembled window to better mimic the look of wood windows.A tour through the company’s plant in Hendersonville, TN, reveals many other differences too. Unlike most manufacturers its size, it ... more » FILTER BY
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What was the biggest industry story of 2008?
I join you for the last "Talk..." of 2008. John and I have truly enjoyed having this avenue for dialog with you this year. This little box is honestly one of our favorite weekly tasks... »
A stimulus program for replacement windows and doors…
Right now, there’s much talk about the need to bail out U.S. automakers. Those in favor say actions are necessary to save the economy from falling into... »
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