Queens, NY Led by chief operating officer Andrew Shashlo, national manufacturer Crystal Window & Door Systems will be fine tuning production processes in the coming year to streamline operations at its multiple facilities across the country. These broad changes will result in a more integrated approach between plants to optimize materials, personnel, and scheduling.
“In the past, Crystal tended to treat each plant independently, but in dealing with the ever-changing local pandemic situations during the past year, plus our need to keep up with demand for new and existing products, Crystal adapted very quickly to shift production, deliveries, and materials between facilities,” said Shashlo. “We are incorporating many of these adaptations going forward to better control costs, reduce lead times, speed deliveries, and maintain high quality.”
Since joining Crystal in 2019, Shashlo has taken on responsibility for all production operations. He has extensive expertise and experience in manufacturing and managing profitability for multiple facilities in several industries. He started his career with Ford Motor Co., where he eventually served as vice president and senior director for global manufacturing initiatives.
, led the company’s outsourcing program launch with 30 suppliers of $6 billion products, and managed major production facilities in the US and Australia. Shashlo also served as senior vice president of operations for Simonton Windows and vice president/general manager of operations for Assa Abloy before coming to Crystal.
Over the past year, Shashlo has directed a team of Crystal production specialists analyzing in depth the company’s strategic operations, production processes, suppliers, logistics, equipment, and workforce to identify areas of improvement and growth. Many changes have already been implemented, and more significant ones are on the slate for 2021.
“We looked at each process and product line critically, including new products coming online in 2021, and where to best fabricate each one based on sales, logistics, unit costs, and other factors,” said Shashlo. “We are shifting processes between New York, Pennsylvania, Chicago, and our aluminum extrusion subsidiary in Missouri to optimize space at each plant, reduce shipping times to our customers, and best utilize the talented workforce we have at each facility.”
For example, capabilities continue to expand at Crystal’s large Northeast Pennsylvania facility. “More of our vinyl product lines are being shifted to our Pennsylvania plant, better positioning Crystal to serve national markets,” said Shashlo. “As sales in other regions grow, Crystal will continue to adapt its manufacturing to meet our customers’ needs in the most efficient way possible.”
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