The Window Team

For most companies, new product launches are highly complex – especially when they involve a transition from product phase-out to product introduction. For Western Window Systems’ window team, the challenge to successfully manufacture a new product line while continuing to fulfill orders on another started this summer, when the company transitioned from the Series 700 to the Series 670 window line.

“It’s been a lot of hard work in the last several months,” says window and screen department manager Karl Price. “But we’re finally beginning to see a light at the end of the tunnel.”

During the product transition, Price and his team were charged with transitioning to the new Series 670 window line while maintaining production on the Series 700 until September 1, the order cutoff date. The changeover included coordinating supply and demand between two product generations, sharing information across different internal groups, and addressing problems before they became real issues.

“The window team was absolutely essential to the success of the Series 670 launch,” says COO Scott Gates. “They made timely adjustments to inventory and workloads, dealt with the details, and identified problems before they occurred. They looked beyond what was in front of them, saw the big picture, and helped us to smoothly transition out of the Series 700.”

Congratulations to the window team, Western Window Systems’ shop employees of the month for September:

Window and screen department manager: Karl Price:

Window department leaders:

• Anthony Reyes (aka Pebbles)
• John Hernandez
• Micah Nylander

Window team:

• Kevin Avila
• Joe Gutierrez (aka Curly)
• Michael Lopez (aka Big Mike)
• Jaime Ontiveros
• Douglas Ruiz
• Augustine Salazar
• Felipe Ballesteros (aka Eddie)
• Juan Medina
• Reginald McCuin (aka Reggie)
• Rey Mori
• Jose Rangel (aka Enrique)
• Keven Resinger
• Carlos Salazar
• Luis Varela
• Cipriano Velarde
• Raymond Ramirez (aka O.W. RAY)
• Manuel Garza
• Marzio Guerrero
• Kevoin Moore
• Steven Mori