How does a $10 screen become a $10,000 loss?
And what kind of damage will that do to your business?
There’s a frighteningly common answer for door and window manufacturers in North America, and it can be the result of something as small as a tear in one of your door and window screens.
That’s right: screens can sometimes be the cause of major delays relating to door and window installations, and the costs can pile up quickly. Because, though a screen is a less crucial part of the window system, an installation job is fundamentally incomplete without all parts of the system—meaning a damaged screen can bring a job to a screeching halt, costing you time and money. That’s how a $10 screen can lead to thousands in costs.
And the truth is that many door and window manufacturers today struggle with this exact problem. Screens can be troublesome, whether you’re making them yourself or outsourcing them with a strategic partner—but they don’t have to be. And that brings us to today’s tip:
Dial in your screens program.
Screens represent a fundamental part of door and window making, and they provide several important functions for your finished door or window system, including:
- Supporting natural ventilation while maintaining indoor comfort;
- Providing a barrier against insects and debris, improving everyday livability;
- Enhancing safety and durability by protecting the opening and hardware during use; and
- Contributing to the finished aesthetic, ensuring the system looks intentional and complete.
From a production standpoint, screens can impact profitability, depending on how you’re going about it. While many prefer to fabricate screens in-house, outsourcing can be an attractive option in today’s marketplace—where labor is short, costs are high and time can’t be sacrificed.
Here, it’s important to properly vet what you’re getting out of a screens partner. Because there are a number of factors at play that can influence success. For example, a screens supplier that offers optimized inventory management can help you improve plant floor utilization space, delivering only the screens you need—exactly when you need them—without excess inventory cluttering up your shop. On-time shipping and delivery are crucial to your efficiency here, making it essential to work closely with your supplier to ensure your needs are met.
Elsewhere, sequencing and kitting can be important. Your supplier should be able to properly sequence and box screens in the order of your production sequence, resulting in product that meets customers’ manufacturing schedules.
Finally, quality assurance can’t be compromised. In-house quality lapses are one of the leading reasons for door and window OEMs to consider outsourcing in the first place. Your partner should ideally deploy state-of-the-art automated quality assurance metrics that confirm size, specifications and aesthetics to certify window screens stock, granting you better peace of mind.
In short, a dedicated screens partner can help you absorb the day-to-day burden of screens-specific labor, tooling, inventory and quality control, which in turn can help reduce production bottlenecks, free up floor space, and simplify workforce planning, especially during seasonal demand swings. It’s worth your consideration as we accelerate into the new year.
John Ryba is technical services director for Quanex.