What makes Timberland so unique is that about 95% of our window and door products are what people in the biz call “Non Standard”, meaning they are generally “one-off”, custom-made items, designed around the needs and tastes of our individual clients. Often, we call them “Specials”, because of the special care and time required to make each and every item.
We have always wanted to give our clients what they want. Period.
Many years ago, when we first commenced manufacturing, we began with a range of standard doors and window frames, which were an immediate hit with the market. However, almost from the beginning, we were continually requested to supply non standard products.
People wanted a door which was a bit higher, or a bit wider, or with special touches ( be they triangles, circles or glazing) incorporated into the design. Our discerning clients were investing in beautiful new homes, or modified old beloved ones and we wanted to help them make the transformation special.
In addition the lodges and hotels which became our clients also wanted something unique that would stand out from the crowd. Very often an architect was involved and, if not, customers had their own creative ideas and special needs.
What we found in the beginning was that the custom-made products took much longer to make and therefore became too costly for our liking. We have always aimed to offer no compromise, high quality products which are still affordable to many people, and it was getting tricky. Being new to the game we sought advice as to how we could make the specials more efficiently. The conventional wisdom was that it simply could not be done, for obvious reasons, but we did not accept that and sought a way around it.
We decided to change our entire mindset and attended a few flexible manufacturing courses. We took up the challenge of learning how to manufacture specials in a quick and effective manner, and this was achieved. We started by completely doing away with the idea of making standard products. We said to ourselves that regardless of whether it was a one-off or a standard, everything we made must be considered a “special”.
We are extremely proud of this flexible manufacturing process which is the heart, lungs and backbone of our business.In the next blog we will elaborate on this concept and introduce the idea of “our babies“. In the meantime, here are some photos of unusual designs produced over the years, such as butterfly windows, envelope windows, quarter round windows and intricate arches.
