CASE STUDY: WHITING DOOR

Insyte Consulting works with with some of WNY’s leading manufacturers. Read about some of the exciting work we’ve done with them on our Case Studies page.

Whiting Door, located in Akron, NY, first developed and now manufactures roll-up doors for trucks and trailers. Today, the family-run Whiting is the leading supplier of roll-up doors in the transportation industry. If you’ve ever been stuck behind a truck on the road, chances are you’re looking at a Whiting door.

SITUATION
Whiting offers both standard and custom designed products. Manufacturing custom products presents challenges such as modified production processes, identifying and qualifying new suppliers, and developing new product designs. In addition, custom products often involve customers modifying their own designs, which can lead to change orders during the quotation phase and even after orders are placed. Changes to designs during manufacturing can be expensive, time delaying, and disruptive for both customer and manufacturer.

SOLUTION
Whiting identified the need to improve its quotation, design and order processes in its Custom Laminated Panels (CLP) division to reduce the probability and impact of change orders while still meeting customer expectations and maintaining profit margins. Insyte Consulting and Whiting developed a project scope to meet the following objectives:

  • Streamline the process for CLP sales quotations, ordering, and design changes to insure a faster and higher quality response to customers.
  • Establish and meet acceptable lead times for new products that are developed in response to customer requests, market opportunities and internal R&D.
  • Design and implement a thorough and uniform quotation system that is aligned with the company’s manufacturing system and capabilities.
  • Improve alignment and coordination of company departments throughout the quotation, order processing, manufacturing, and delivery processes.

RESULTS

Alexandria Whiting, as seen in the above video testimonial, notes, “We have been able to build upon the framework implemented via this project and use the system that we had developed with Insyte as we continue to refine our processes. Our work with Insyte Consulting helped to ground our team and gave our key people the tools necessary to achieve realistic goals.”

  • Quotation time has decreased by approximately one-third due to enforcement of now documented standard procedures and the overall streamlining of Whiting’s quotation system.
  • Engineering Change Orders are much less frequent due to thorough analysis of customer specifications during the quotation stage rather than at the order entry stage.
  • The improved quotation system has reduced production startup time by over 50%.
  • Customer complaints of non-conforming product and customer returns have been largely eradicated.
  • Increased customer satisfaction with Whiting meeting the delivery commitments they initially state.
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