Prime Sash Windows reaches MX Awards finals after smart manufacturing transformation

Prime Sash Windows manufactures bespoke timber windows, including sash and casement windows, as well as bespoke timber doors. The business also produces made-to measure kitchens, fitted furniture, cabinetry, vanity units and other specialist joinery products for residential and commercial projects.

The company’s smart manufacturing journey began with a practical objective: to improve the way bespoke products were designed, priced and manufactured without losing the skilled craftsmanship at the heart of the business.

One of the first major digital developments was the introduction of an online 3D configurator for timber windows and doors. It allows specifiers, architects and clients to design their own products, adjust dimensions, styles, glazing, colours and other options, view the design in 3D and receive an instant price.

The aim was simple: to make the design and quotation process faster and easier for customers while retaining the flexibility of a fully bespoke manufacturing service.

From scattered information to one central system

As Prime Sash Windows grew, so did the amount of information needed to manage each project.

Estimates, technical drawings, manufacturing information, customer emails, purchasing details, stock records and production updates were often stored in different places. Understanding the status of a project could mean checking spreadsheets, searching emails or asking different members of the team for updates.

Stock levels required manual adjustments, while customer, supplier and maintenance information did not have one central place.

The company had an experienced team of joiners and specialists, but the way information moved between estimating, design, procurement, production, quality control, delivery and finance was becoming increasingly difficult to manage.

The problem was not a lack of information. It was the flow of information between people, departments and stages of production.

Too much valuable time was being spent finding and organising information instead of using it.

That problem became the starting point for Joinery Core.

Building the solution from inside the factory

Rather than adapting a generic manufacturing system to the business, a bespoke platform was developed around the way Prime Sash Windows’ joinery operation actually worked.

The original idea was straightforward: management wanted to be able to click on a project and immediately understand what was happening.

As development progressed, the system grew with the business. Employees suggested improvements based on the problems they faced every day.

Joinery Core developed to include project pipelines, production stages, staff allocation, purchasing, materials, stock management, timesheets, quality control, deliveries, project costs and profitability.

Today, Joinery Core provides one central source of operational information across Prime Sash Windows.

Management can see production priorities, resource requirements and potential delays without relying on disconnected spreadsheets, paper records or workshop whiteboards.

Just as importantly, the system has been developed around the people who use it. Office staff, management and workshop teams work from the same information, while employee feedback continues to influence new features and improvements.

For Prime Sash Windows, smart manufacturing is not about replacing skilled people. It is about giving them better tools, reducing unnecessary administration and allowing them to spend more time on productive joinery work.

Connecting the customer with manufacturing

The 3D configurator has also created a clearer connection between the customer and the manufacturing process.

Rather than waiting for a traditional quotation, customers can configure their windows and doors, explore different options and see how their choices affect the price.

Product information can then move through the business in a more structured way, creating a stronger connection between customer requirements, estimating, technical design and manufacturing.

This has helped make quotations faster, improve consistency and give customers a more interactive way to design and understand their products before ordering.

Delivering real business benefits

The benefits of the transformation go beyond convenience.

Joinery Core has reduced manual reporting and administration while giving management much better visibility of labour costs, material costs, production progress and project profitability.

The online configurator allows enquiries to be dealt with more quickly and gives customers access to pricing without waiting for a traditional quotation.

Perhaps most importantly, Joinery Core has moved beyond being purely an internal system.

Other joinery manufacturers recognised many of the same operational problems within their own businesses. Joinery Core now has external paying customers, with further manufacturers trialling the platform.

A system originally created to solve problems experienced within Prime Sash Windows is therefore developing into a separate commercial opportunity for the wider joinery and specialist manufacturing sector.

The next stage

Prime Sash Windows is now preparing for the next phase of its smart manufacturing
journey.

A major part of this is investment in a five-axis CNC machine, designed to automate complex machining processes, improve precision and increase manufacturing capacity.

The company is also looking at further investment in specialist machinery and has applied to the Made Smarter programme to support its wider digital transformation.

The longer-term objective is to create even stronger links between Joinery Core, the online configurator, production information and advanced manufacturing equipment.

This would allow information to move more smoothly from the customer’s initial design through planning and production, reducing manual input and creating a more connected manufacturing process.

Recognition of the journey

The Manufacturer MX Awards recognise manufacturers that use technology and information to improve decision-making, operations and competitiveness.

For Prime Sash Windows, reaching the finals is about much more than recognition of one piece of software.

It reflects a wider journey from traditional joinery manufacturing towards a more connected way of managing customers, projects, people, information and production.

What started as a practical problem within a joinery business has developed into a smarter way of running Prime Sash Windows, while creating a new digital opportunity for other joinery manufacturers. The next stage of that transformation is only just beginning.