American-Owned Door Company Gives Rare Peek Inside Locally Sourced, Advanced, Sustainable, Green Design and Production Process
DETROIT, May 20, 2014 – International industry innovator Michigan-based Total Door Systems (TDS) is opening its doors for one day only Monday, June 9 as part of the SME’s first-ever THE BIG M event, held June 9 – 12 at Cobo Center in Detroit. The new event features tours of Detroit-area manufacturers that are leaders in operational excellence including TDS’ Waterford, Michigan headquarter facility, as well as General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant, Schuler, Pratt & Miller Engineering and Comau.
THE BIG M is a highly-anticipated international conference where an estimated 5,000 of manufacturing’s most creative thinkers from around the globe will converge to experience the latest advanced manufacturing technologies and engage around real-world solutions to industry’s most persistent challenges.
Total Door is growing its stake in a volatile international industry and still keeping jobs stateside. “While most manufacturing has gone overseas to cut costs, we’ve found ways to make a better high-quality product more efficiently with locally sourced and sustainable materials,” said Total Door Systems CEO Patricia Yulkowski.
TDS moved into a completely redesigned 63,000 sq. ft. facility in 2010, focusing on quality, sustainability and local sourcing. The results have been impressive with 25 percent reduction in power and more efficient production, resulting in 100 percent on-time delivery of custom products.
Local sourcing and sustainability are achieved with 98 percent of materials locally sourced, 25 percent recycled steel, 80 percent post-consumer content and 20 percent post-industrial recycled materials.
“THE BIG M is a place for industry leaders to share and develop ideas about the future of manufacturing,” said Christine Longroy, event manager at SME. “We have developed a truly comprehensive program that connects industry, technology and processes. The companies participating in the tours have the opportunity to showcase how they’re advancing the state of manufacturing.”
To learn more about THE BIG M or the business tours, visit http://bigmevent.com/.
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About Total Door Systems: Privately-held, American-owned and operated, TDS leads the industry in innovation and performance of custom design and build of fully integrated door systems throughout the world.. TDS has invented an entirely new category of opening systems that engineers all components in one system instead of using separate parts from different manufacturers. The company’s history dates to the 1950s with a revolutionary lock that became the industry standard, still used today. Web: https://totaldoor.com/about.
About THE BIG M
SME’s THE BIG M initiative is years in the making ― designed to convene manufacturers around industry’s most vital issues and leverage the power of industry leaders to collaborate and address them. This event demonstrates that manufacturing professionals and companies can shape the future by creating a strong path forward together, connecting people with technology and expertise, affirming the importance of manufacturing, speaking in a unified voice to policymakers, and proving that manufacturing is a knowledge industry where creativity is sought and valued.
Highlights will include Innovation Factories featuring live presentations of the latest technologies; exhibit floor “tech talks” and Q&A sessions with industry experts who will provide the knowledge and insight manufacturers need most. Featured technologies include smart manufacturing, modeling and simulation, digital manufacturing, advanced materials and lightweighting, cybersecurity and more. THE BIG M is the umbrella pulling together several co-located events including: SME’s RAPID Conference & Exposition, the North American Manufacturing Research Conference, the ISA Cybersecurity Conference, the MMTC Proud to Manufacture in Michigan Conference, the Great Lakes Manufacturing Council Manufacturing Forum, and the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership 2.0 National Meeting.
