Executive Search Success Story: Rebuilding the Operations and Supply Chain Leadership for a Windows and Doors Manufacturer Facing Capacity and Lead-Time Crisis

How JRG Partners executed a confidential, multi-role North American executive search strategy that equipped a family-owned windows and doors manufacturer with the operations, manufacturing engineering, supply chain, and quality leadership required to resolve lead-time failures that threatened builder and dealer relationships, expand capacity across four plants, and restore service and margins.

The Challenge

A family-owned windows and doors manufacturer had won significant share with builders and dealers on product quality, but a surge in housing demand overwhelmed its plants: lead times stretched from four weeks to more than fourteen, component shortages halted lines, warranty claims rose as the plants ran overtime, and major builder customers threatened to shift to competitors. The long-tenured operations leader had retired at the worst moment. Executive leadership identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening the business:

• Lead times exceeding fourteen weeks with major builders and dealers threatening to move volume
• Four plants at capacity with no manufacturing engineering leadership to expand throughput
• Component shortages in glass, hardware, and extrusions halting production lines
• Warranty claims rising with quality variability under sustained overtime
• Production planning run on spreadsheets with no visibility across plants
• An operations leadership vacancy following a retirement during the crisis

Recognizing that recovery required a complete operations leadership rebuild, the CEO and family ownership engaged JRG Partners to recruit a Chief Operating Officer, VP of Manufacturing Engineering & Capacity, VP of Supply Chain, VP of Quality & Warranty, and Director of Production Planning. The company required an executive search partner with deep building products manufacturing expertise and access to leaders who had resolved capacity and lead-time crises in configure-to-order environments.

Why They Chose JRG Partners

Building Products Manufacturing Expertise

JRG Partners possesses deep recruiting expertise across windows and doors, millwork, and building products manufacturers, including operations, manufacturing engineering, supply chain, and quality leadership. This domain knowledge ensured an immediate understanding of configure-to-order production, component supply dynamics, warranty economics, and builder and dealer service expectations.

Capacity and Lead-Time Recovery Experience

Our team specializes in identifying operations leaders who have expanded capacity, reduced lead times, and stabilized supply in demand-surge environments without sacrificing quality.

Family-Owned Business Experience

Our firm has extensive experience serving family-controlled manufacturers, evaluating leadership style and cultural fit alongside operational credentials to ensure a durable team alongside ownership.

Our Executive Search Strategy

Phase 1 — Operations Review

Our consultants partnered directly with the CEO, family ownership, and plant leadership to evaluate lead-time drivers, capacity constraints, component supply, warranty trends, and planning gaps. This review sequenced the search to place the Chief Operating Officer first.

Phase 2 — Industry Talent Mapping

Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting operations, manufacturing engineering, supply chain, and quality executives at windows and doors, millwork, and configure-to-order building products manufacturers. Over 395 executives were systematically assessed across these sectors.

Phase 3 — Candidate Engagement

Priority during outreach was given to leaders with a documented history of reducing lead times in configure-to-order manufacturing, expanding capacity through engineering and automation, resolving component supply constraints, reducing warranty claims, and implementing multi-plant production planning. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.

Phase 4 — Final Selection

Finalists completed plant assessments and presented recovery plans to the CEO and family ownership, followed by structured leadership assessments and reference verification focused on quantified lead-time, capacity, and quality outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• 395+ building products manufacturing executive profiles mapped across North America.
• Successfully placed a synchronized leadership tier spanning chief operations, manufacturing engineering, supply chain, quality and warranty, and production planning.
• Reduced lead times from more than fourteen weeks to under five.
• Increased throughput by 35% across four plants without a new facility.
• Reduced warranty claims by 45%.
• Retained all major builder and dealer accounts through the recovery.