AJ Manufacturing creates innovative, custom door solutions in response to the unique needs of its valued customers
Located in Bloomer, Wisconsin, AJ Manufacturing (AJ) is a customer-driven premier specialty insulated door and window manufacturer. Alongside a strong commitment to continuous improvement, unmatched innovation, and on-time delivery, the company boasts a long history of producing the highest quality and highest performing insulated doors and windows. Today, AJ stands as a partner of choice for a wide range of industrial HVAC OEMs and Post-Frame Building contractors. AJ is known for its dedication to customer service and exceptional craftsmanship. Todd Carlson, President, provides a more comprehensive overview of the business.
“In business for over 65 years, AJ has grown through expansion into new markets, geographies, and with product innovations. As a manufacturer of doors and windows, the company does not focus on the residential sector, catering instead to more specific end uses such as industrial HVAC air handling equipment, domes (air supported structures), and post-frame buildings that vary greatly in size and end uses. Thus, the company does not create doors and windows for conventional uses, preferring to focus on niche markets,” he begins.
“We employ about 200 people and operate some of our facilities 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with multiple shifts. I believe that what makes us unique in the marketplace is that high variability of dozens of product families available with millions of iterations that must meet one quality and product performance standard. At AJ, we do not produce standard, one-size-fits-all doors and windows for garages or typical buildings, instead, we specialize in creating custom doors in a wide range of sizes and colors, to meet the unique needs of our customers. Furthermore, our products are designed to be durable and reliable for years of service,” Todd adds.
Speaking of top-tier custom doors and windows, we learn that AJ released two innovative products in the spring of 2024, which Todd tells us more about. “Something worth noting about these products – and indeed any item we manufacture – is that we never design or develop them out of thin air and simply hope that someone will be interested in them. Instead, we are always responding to the needs of our clients and their customers. The case in point is one of the patent-pending innovations we released this year, which is a ceiling or attic access door designed for maintenance or attic insulation installation. There are geometry challenges with operating doors that are thicker (4”-6”), offering better insulation, and yet able to open and close in such confined spaces. We have been working on solving this issue for a few years, conducting brainstorming sessions attended by people from multiple disciplines: engineering, materials, and operations.
Through conversation and trial and error, we eventually developed a unique hinge system that allows for the installation of thicker doors, solving the geometry question and resulting in doors with much thicker panels and higher insulating value. As a result, the doors are easy to install, safe to operate, seal properly, and frankly, they look nice. This patent pending product features several unique attributes, R28 and R42 options, two sizes, and two unique operating designs.
“We have also developed a floor hatch to cater to the needs of one of our current customers, who designed a new air handling system for a hyperscale data center project. These gigantic air conditioners, which are the size of a house, are manufactured in three parts in three different plants located in Mexico, North America, and in Canada, and then delivered to the job site. The project required a floor hatch with very specific attributes to provide access between levels of the unit where various cooling system components are located. We were able to work through the design process over a short period of about 30 days and developed a solution that has been successfully implemented. Again, we have applied for patents for some of the proprietary design information to express how unique and different our products are,” he reveals.
Although attracting and retaining talent has become nothing short of an ongoing challenge across numerous sectors, AJ is making great strides towards overcoming this barrier. “Not everybody enjoys traditional manufacturing because it can be physically demanding. Even though we have advanced automation and equipment, the reality is that we manufacture products in countless different shapes and sizes, which requires a high level of manual involvement, and not everyone is suited to this type of work. When it comes to recruitment, we have very quick interview processes and offer robust training and acclimation methods. Thus, when a new employee joins us, we check in regularly and spend time with them to ensure they feel comfortable.
“During Manufacturing Week, we organized several activities to celebrate our employees’ hard work. For instance, we had a luncheon on Tuesday with the entire company, where we shared stories of success and opportunity and expressed our gratitude for everyone’s contributions. We also held prize draws and distributed fun gifts every day. Besides these events, we foster a culture emphasizing the need to communicate, sharing ideas and being honest and open, ensuring that our employees feel valued and engaged. In fact, we have an employee who recently retired after 52 years of service, and many who have been with us for 30-to-40 years, a testament to our success in attracting and retaining talent,” he concludes.
With innovations emerging from niche customer needs and a culture that celebrates its employees, AJ is continually expanding the possibilities for specialty door and window solutions. “We have a higher responsibility to our customers than to just supply components because we know our clients’ customers touch and use our doors and windows. We are actually in the first impressions business; it just happens to involve doors and windows.”