Windquest Companies has earned their place at the top of the home storage niche by carefully growing their business in response to the demands of the market. Over time Windquest has purchased the necessary equipment to support their growing Easy Track and ORG branded business. They also make use of matching programs from melamine and vinyl suppliers to offer consumers a wide range of designs. Now with a well-established manufacturing repertoire, they seek out specialty work that fits the same machinery and materials already used in daily production. In addition to the personalized storage solutions, Windquest's Specialty Products division is a high-quality, responsive partner for custom laminated panels and components.

Barry Walburg, Vice President of Specialty Products explains that first Windqest looks at what dealers need, then makes sure that the company’s technology fits those requirements. “One example of that is with the point to points we added recently. It is a real quick change over so we can do one to quantity, we can do 50 or 100 quantities.The fast turn around means we are geared to making things immediately, to making use if the ‘just in time’ capabilities of the equipment. Not only are orders completed quickly and correctly, but they fit with what customers are willing to pay.” That same technology benefits customers on the Specialty Products side of the operation.

With an integrated manufacturing line, end products that used to take hours to manufacture can now be made in minutes, increasing capacity and reducing labor. This significantly increases productivity, making it possible to sell a wide range of value-added panels to outside companies. Specialty Products customers have unique needs. They include businesses that make retail store fixtures, point of purchase displays, RTA furniture, office furniture and cabinetry. While each of these market segments relies on specialized components, it is it is unrealistic for all of them to invest in the machinery necessary to make them. Windquest’s advantage is the ability to produce components in a cost effective way. “We really look at it from a customer needs perspective,” says Walburg, “if a customer is looking for a panel to be shaped in a certain way we’re going to figure it out. We can modify the equipment to fit that need.”

Windquest has developed a turnkey operation for panel processing, from fabrication through to laminating. They offer their Specialty Products customers a full gamut of services from routing through finished products. Some clients use Windquest for only part of their individual product line, for example in many cases companies out source their laminating to Windquest. In addition to the 3D laminate capabilities, Windquest also has laminating lines from Harlan for melamine foil and vinyl and Black Brothers laminators for HPL. To compliment their laminating lines Windquest offers both straight and contour edgebanding and T-moldings of edges.

Although no single operation can offer every conceivable type of panel fabrication and finishing, Windquest provides many manufacturing solutions to their Specialty Products customers. In fact, some companies take full advantage of Windquest’s complete start- to- finish capabilities to specify and purchase products that are then sold under a private label. Other customers use Windquest’s manufacturing services to handle their CNC routing, machining and drilling needs. Windquest has three multiple-head CNC routers, two point-to-point machining centers a Biesse Technologic Feed-thru 32mm drill and a Morbidelli Feed-thru 32mm drill.

When Windquest opened for business over 25-years ago fabricating and laminating panels as an OEM was their primary function. Now they have evolved into a company that carries two high quality branded lines in addition to the original Specialty Products offering. The same technology that Windquest has invested in to support the Easy Track and ORG home storage dealers also strengthens their ability to serve the outside markets that depend on them for custom laminated panels and components. By maximizing the production of their manufacturing lines Windquest has gained a distinct technological advantage, that allows them to efficiently produce high-quality, custom value-added panel products to a wide range of customers.