The plastic window frame industry is developing rapidly, as are its makers. This is proven, for example, by Select Windows, which will put a completely new machine park into operation at the end of this year. The machines herald a new era of innovation and efficiency. They also increase the working comfort of Select Windows employees and make new and almost invisible corner joints possible.
Select Windows stands for homegrown plastic window frames. "We produce custom window frames for every home, tailored to the specific home style and occupant requirements. We specialize in typical Dutch window frames such as milkmaids, flower frames, bay window frames, French doors and optical sliding windows, which can be supplied in 150 colors and textures and including every imaginable accessory," says Amanda Knol, commercial director of Select Windows. "From glass to screens, decorative panels, grilles, window decorations, hardware and access control technology."
To produce even better and faster, Select Windows recently purchased new machinery from Calvet. "Where manufacturers normally supply a fittings machine or welding machine, we ordered in one go a complete new machine park of about 2,100 m2 with mainly Urban machines," Knol says.
"Its implementation and optimization will take a total of two years. Preparations in current production and physical placement for the new machinery began as early as 2023. In week 39 of 2024, as many as nineteen trucks drove to our factory in Zwaag to deliver all machines, steel, shelving and wheels. The total weight of the delivery - which consisted of 76 parts - was 78,710 kg. In week 40 we started the assembly and installation, which required as many as 1,000 bolts in the floor. The challenge here is to continue production for as long as possible. Whereas normally with such a large transition the factory is closed for several weeks, the enormous demand for Select Windows frames does not allow this. Therefore, we have produced ahead where possible and continue to produce on the "old machines" until everything is working properly. This allows us to continue to supply our 22 partners on a weekly basis as they are accustomed to."
In week 50, the first frames will be passed over the two new welding machines. "In addition to a standard welding machine, we have also purchased a welding machine that can weld larger window frames. With this, we are responding to the Dutch market trend of through-zoned houses, in which increasingly larger window frames are used," Knol explains. "In addition, new corner connections become possible."
Approximately 90% of the window frames supplied by Select Windows will be made in a so-called Dutch Corner (wood joint look). "The inside is now still mitred, leaving a V-weld seam visible. With our new welding machines, this is a thing of the past. The machines in fact provide a super tight and almost invisible weld, making the window frames even better suited to the wishes of the residential consumer. Moreover, the corner no longer needs to be colored. A godsend, because we regularly supply window frames with a colored inside."
To keep up with current color trends, Select Windows has developed two new colors within the Ligna film line, characterized by a 100% silk-gloss wood grain texture. New are the colors Ligna Basalt Gray (753/RAL7012) and Ligna Black Gray (749/RAL7021). "The Ligna films, like the other films and colors, are applied in the renovated ColorNed color factory, where a new film machine has also been added."
Another fantastic upgrade is the addition of a 50-meter shuttle in the finishing line. "Thanks to this internal frame distribution system, our craftsmen at the finishing tables no longer have to pick up their frames and/or (door) sashes themselves," said Knol. "Instead, the products are automatically delivered to their finishing tables, further improving our work process. In this way, we hope to captivate employees even more
and bind."
A total of thirteen new finishing tables, a new corner polisher and a new fittings machine will be installed, Knol says. "In addition, an automatic shuttle will be added in the shipping department and a new door line and sliding door line will be set up. Freshly painted walls and floors, more than 500 solar panels on our roof and our own battery system complete the picture. Only the Schirmer pre-processing line - already renovated in 2016 - will remain."
In addition to the implementation of the new machinery, Knol is also involved in the rollout of a new ERP system to the Select Windows partner network early next year, which will make planning, calculation, assembly and shipping, among other things, even better and more efficient. "The direct digital link from our partners' orders to the production orders in our frame factory ensures even better process control as well as more efficiency in the entire process," she says. "With this we are ready for the future, in which we hope to make many more beautiful Dutch window frames."
Neem dan rechtstreeks contact op met Select Windows.