Quickslide Completes Phase Two of its £3 Million, Three-Year Manufacturing Investment Strategy
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Industry innovators Quickslide have rewritten the rule book with their long-awaited mech-weld machinery. Specifically designed to reduce the manufacturing time of mechanical sash windows from 15 minutes to just 90 seconds, it also delivers consistent high quality – overcoming a challenge that has long persisted across mechanical frame production. This has been achieved while eliminating human error and enabling Quickslide to deliver its Legacy Vertical Slider with mechanical joints to trade partners at market-leading lead times.
This new installation, three years in the making, is phase two of an overall £3 million investment in automating production at the company’s Brighouse factory. It consists of three uniquely configured machines, fully custom-designed and the first of their kind in the UK. The result is market-leading efficiency that puts Legacy VS sash windows in the hands of Quickslide trade partners even faster, with unbeatable repeatable quality time after time, and no capacity constraints.
“The automation of window manufacturing can learn a lot from other sectors – which is why we looked outside the industry for inspiration. This allowed us to set a high bar for commissioning a suite of machines designed to automate a notoriously labour-intensive process,” said Quickslide’s managing director Ben Weber.
“Push-button automation is crucial for repeatable, reliable results, and the £1 million we have invested in mechanical jointing is part of an overall £3 million strategy across all manual processes in our factory. Critically, we’re only just getting started.”
This long-term operational strategy was developed with a simple premise – to increase production capacity while improving quality. Eighteen months ago, a £1.7 million Schirmer machining centre was commissioned, fully automating milling functions and incorporating auto-reinforcing across Legacy VS production.
“If we can deliver a specialised product such as our Legacy VS in as little as five days, with guaranteed quality and competitive pricing, we know future scaling investments will take Quickslide, and its trade partners, way beyond the constraints of what the industry currently offers,” continued Ben Weber.
“Without giving too much away, we are now exploring AI-driven robotic functions and reconfiguring production layouts from cellular to line-fed systems.”
Every part of the company’s capital investment strategy focuses on automating processes, guaranteeing repeatable quality, and optimising the use of raw materials.
“What used to take 15 people carrying out various functions now takes just one person feeding two machines. What used to be a 15-minute process now takes just 90 seconds. As the business scales, we can redeploy that labour across other areas, using their skills and knowledge in more valuable ways – investing and automating is never about cutting back, but maximising current resources for greater returns.
“Skills shortages are a problem in this industry. Our intention is to protect those who currently work with Quickslide. At the same time, automation better protects Quickslide against a lack of skills coming into the marketplace,” added Ben Weber.
The company is driven by achieving a level of excellence that is comparable across world class manufacturing examples. Rather than competing with other window manufacturers, it prefers to compete with its own ambitions, and endeavours to bring its trade partner base along for the ride.
That means achieving fundamental market focused guarantees such as product quality, delivered on time, at the right price. It’s not rocket science, but it is foundational. This latest installation puts us well on the road to achieving it, but there is still more work to be done!” concluded Ben Weber.
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Sandra’s comprehensive understanding of sash windows, flush windows, bifold doors and more encompasses everything from initial manufacturing to after-sales support. As a trusted member of the Quickslide team, her authority helps trade partners, homeowners, and industry peers alike.
As one of Quickslide’s most prolific writers, Sandra contributes regularly to the industry with useful insights into the newest innovations in modern sash windows. Her passion for the product shines through in her articles, and her pieces are suitable for technical professionals and homeowners thanks to her digestible, simple breakdowns of complex manufacturing terms.
Each of Sandra’s articles is written using the latest research and industry developments, ensuring that readers receive reliable, up-to-date information as and when they’re published. As a marketing visionary, our clients and their customers can rely on Sandra’s insight for the latest in vertical sliders and other double glazed Quickslide products.
Please note, our news articles are relevant and accurate at the time of release, but as technical developments dictate, and times goes by the information in this article may no longer be applicable. If you have questions, please contact us using our online contact form or call us on 03332 412 240.