David Beeken says that this company made its mark on the industry by taking the road less traveled.

When Eagle Window and Door got its start 30 years ago as a manufacturer and distributor of custom-made windows and doors, it was a small player in a field full of giants. But these giants were set in their ways, often dictating what customers could buy rather than creating product lines based on customer needs.

“They had strong marketshare and even stronger brands, but we saw their weakness. If we were going to succeed, we had to go where our competition couldn’t or wouldn’t go and identify emerging trends before anyone else,” said David Beeken, president of the Dubuque, Iowa company.

Beeken explained that for years, the company was a distributor of Caradco windows and doors, but in 1977, the 150-year-old window and door manufacturer packed up and left Dubuque, leaving thousands unemployed. More importantly, Caradco left a void in the industry—with a new location and new work force, lead time and quality soon began to decline, and the company lost a considerable chunk of marketshare. “That created an obstacle for us as a distributor,” said Beeken.

David Beeken

But when one door closes, another opens. Eagle knew several thousand people with the right skills, the Caradco manufacturing facility was up for sale, and customers were clambering for energy-efficient, low-maintenance products.

“We started the company up with a few employees in the old Caradco facility, manufacturing aluminum-clad wood windows, which was unique at the time. From there, we kept growing and adding to our portfolio, manufacturing products customers couldn’t find elsewhere for better value,” said Beeken.

First to market
During the mid-’80s, Eagle took its regional distribution footprint national and began attracting independent distributors across the country, and by the 1990s, it chose its niche as a manufacturer and distributor of high-end, made-to-order windows and doors. Beeken and his team began exploring value-added features that increase costs slightly but are well worth the investment.

For example, in 2001, Eagle was the first company to offer aluminum-clad windows in a variety of colors. Beeken explained that when wood windows came on the scene, customers were attracted to their design appeal—the interior and exterior could be painted or stained by the end customer. The drawback is the exterior required repainting every couple of years, and wood tends to deteriorate rapidly in certain climates. Clad windows proved a great alternative, but major manufacturers limited customers to brown or white.

Eagle began searching for a way to offer customers aluminum-clad windows in a variety of colors, investing heavily in equipment and developing the skills to do the job inhouse. At first, the company presented the product to customers as one they could get in less time with a smaller premium than the competition. But in 2002, it put a stake in the ground, offering aluminum-clad windows in 50 colors with standard lead time and no additional charge. Today, the company offers custom colors and a number of anodized finishes as well. “It caught the architectural community and consumers off guard and helped distinguish us from the competition.”

In addition, Eagle was one of the first in its industry to pre-finish window and door interiors. Shortly thereafter, it began adding a layer of protective film onto glass that can be removed once the window is installed. The film was a big hit at construction sites, where glass was often damaged by flying debris. Because the glass was already protected, window trim could be painted or stained in less time, and clean-up was a snap. “More importantly, the little scratches and dings in the glass were virtually eliminated,” said Beeken.

Low-E4 is Eagle’s newest innovation. Beeken explained that under a microscope, standard glass has a number of pores and minor imperfections that trap dirt and cause water spots. Low-E4 is a permanent film that fills in those pores to make a smooth surface that stays clean longer.

“We joke that if there is a golf course, a sea shore, or a lake, that is where our target customers are building homes, and in that market, people pay a pretty penny for a spectacular view. Low-E4 protects that investment,” Beeken explained.

Playing to strengths
To maintain its position as a leader in high-end custom-made windows and doors, Eagle constantly reevaluates its strengths and weaknesses, and over the past several years, it has outsourced several functions that are best done by an expert. By doing so, Eagle is slowly eliminating tasks that don’t translate into added value for the customer and reinvesting those resources in tasks that do. “We ask our vendors to do more than they usually do so we can focus on our strengths,” said Beeken.

By far, the most beneficial strategy was moving several key vendors to a “mall” location six blocks away. The close proximity practically eliminates shipping costs and allows the vendors to make several deliveries per day depending on Eagle’s production cycle. “Because of that, we are willing to pay them more,” Beeken said.

Eagle, now a subsidiary of Andersen Windows, continues to build its vendor mall concept and, over time, plans to externalize as many functions as possible so it can maximize space within its own facility for core functions. “It will allow us to install more assembly lines and create more value-added processes,” said Beeken.

But Eagle didn’t just bring its vendors closer physically. The vendor mall concept has helped vendors align themselves with Eagle’s processes and goals, creating greater efficiencies. “We’ve helped them recognize that this is the wave of the future, and because our product line is completely made to order and unpredictable, they are forced to develop best practices in their manufacturing processes. If they can figure out how to do it for Eagle, they can figure out how to do it for anyone—we allow ourselves to be a test case, and it has worked out well for all parties,” Beeken concluded.