HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1965-07-22, Page 13— DPM Centralia plant
Cavemen too had windows
Train
inspectors
Window quality has become such a critical factor in the construction of homes that the
Canadian Lumbermen's Association is taking action to protect the builder and the future
home owner. Jim Finnen, left, general manager of Dashwood Planing Mills and chairman
of the CLA Woodworkers Bureau demonstrates a point of construction to Yvon L'Arrivee,
Donald McBain, Laurence McDonald, inspectors in training, and W. A. Ouellette, chief
inspector of the bureau. Soon all Canadian windows that meet the standards will show a
distinctive seal of approval.
Open third plant at Centralia
EXPANSION
CONTINUES
SUPPLEMENT TO THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE,
growth of staff to 85 people
from about 55 just two years
ago. In another five years
staff could grow to another
40 right in this area.
Howard Klumpp says the
coast to coast development
may not come in his time, but
it's coming. But looking at
the habit of rapid growth the
company has always shown it
would hardly seem it would
take that long.
through a hole in the roof
where the smoke also went
out, and through a hole in the
side wall that also served as
a door. Light and air entered
through the same openings
which could be closed by
opaque flaps. Later, the
chimney developed as a
means to eliminate the
smoke, and window openings
were cut in walls for light
and ventilation.
Even, so, there was no
inclination to multiply the
Look to cross Canada
expansion in future
JULY 22, 1965.
Picture windows are popu-
lar, people like them. If they
didn't they wouldn't buy so
many houses with them. The
picture window is just one
e x ample of the sweeping
changes that have been made
in the use of glass in building
over the years.
Here are some interesting
facts about windows our
readers should find of in-
terest.
In the primitive houses of
Northern Europe light came
Now that Dashwood Plan-
ing Mills has its Centralia
plant under its belt, it now
looks to Eastern Ontario for
its next expansion.
After that — Canada.
When talking about the fu-
ture, the new general man-
ager, Jim Finnen, speaks
with caution but with a lot of
enthusiasm. Expansion is a
habit with the company.
Hardly a decade has gone by
when it hasn't leap frogged
ahead.
With the Centralia plant,
capacity is increased 300%
over what it was two years
ago when there was but one
plant, the one in Dashwood.
In those two years there
has been a 50% gain in sales.
Now the company must care-.
fully match more new equip-
ment with the further expan-
sion of sales.
"Immediate plans call for
a rapid increase in the ter-
ritory that we are presently
covering," says Mr. Finnen.
That territory is basically
Western Ontario, bounded by
Toronto, Barrie and Windsor
in a triangle.
The Belleville, Brockville
and Kingston area along the
north shore of Lake Ontario
is currently being covered
by the head office in a fresh
tentative step in that direc-
tion. Next move is a sales
representative in the area
and eventually an assembly
plant similar to the one in
Centralia.
Coast to coast is the ulti-
mate goal. Both the Finnens
and the Klumpps make no
bones about it.
The Centralia plant has
added 40,000 sq. ft. of space
for an operation that was
formerly done in 14,000 sq.
ft. in the Dashwood plant.
The Dashwood plant has
beeit given a complete face
lifting to make it more ef-
ficient and enable it to ser-
vice future assembly plants
in other areas of Ontario.
Expansion has meant a
In 1928 the late Thomas
Henry Klumpp founded Dash-
Wood Planing Mills Ltd. and
hired five employees to
operate the mill and lumber
yard.
Today, with his two sons,
Maurice and Howard and an-
other pair of brothers, Jim
and Jerry Finnen operating
the firm, it is now one of
Canada's largest manufac-
turers of wood windows, and
employs a total of 85 per-
sons.
Since going into window
manufacturing exclusively
five years ago, the firm has
opened two new plants, the
latest being a modern 40,000
square foot plant at Centralia
on Highway 4.
The Centralia plant was
completed last month and
all windows are now assem-
bled in this building with the
component parts being
transported there from the
other two plants at Dashwood
and Mt. Brydges. The latter
plant was opened in Decem-
ber, 1963.
At Dashwood, the firm
produces all of the sash and
wood components. The insul-
ating glass, screens, storm
panels, wood louvres and
plastic accessories are
manufactured at the Mt.
Brydges layout.
The opening of the Cen-
tralia plant exemplifies the
extensive expansion enjoyed
by the firm in the wood win-
dow field.
In 1964 they distributed
enough windows to supply
approximately 3,000 housing
units, with an average of 10
window units in each of those
3,000 homes.
They also produce win-
dows for offices, apart-
ments, schools and public
buildings.
Last year they purchased
about 85 train carloads of
lumber and 45 carloads of
glass for their manufactur-
ing centres. They used ap-
proximately 2,500,000 board
feet of lumber, enough to
cover the centre line of the
401 highway from Windsor
to Montreal.
Attesting to the quality of
their product and its ac-
ceptance by building con-
tractors through the wide
area they serve, is the fact
sales have tripled in the last
five years.
At present Dashwood win-
dows are available at retail
outlets in the giant triangle
of Owen Sound, Niagara Falls
and Windsor, and plans are
already underway to in-
crease the territory now that
the Centralia plant is in
operation.
RE -ORGANIZATION
With the expansion pro-
gram also came a general
re-organization of personnel
in the firm's management.
Maurice Klumpp, one of
the sons of the firm's found-
er, has been named president
and will be in charge of
production at all three
plants, commuting regularly
from his London home to
the three locations.
His brother, Howard
"Boots" Klumpp, is vice-
president and is permanently
located at the home plant in
Dashwood and is in charge
of the operation there.
Jim Finnen, former sales
manager, has been elevated
to the position of general
manager of the entire oper-
ation and has his headquar-
ters at the Centralia plant.
Named to replace him as
sales manager is his broth-
er, Jerry Finnen, who was
formerly sales representa-
tive in the Kitchener area.
He too will have his office
at Centralia where all sales
are handled.
To streamline its sales
and assembly co-ordination,
the firm has installed a pri-
vate high frequency radio
band to provide contact be-
tween all three plants and
mobile units within a radius
of 50 miles.
A 100-foot tower at the
Centralia plant facilitates
this modern means of com-
munication.
Don't take
them lightly
You rely on windows for
virtually all your natural
light and ventilation. You
count on windows for com-
fort — for protection against
dust, cold, heat, rain. Win-
dows are a key factor in the
outward appearance of your
home, and its charm and
cheer within. And windows
are most important in fixing
the ultimate resale value of
your home.
In today's home, the finest
windows represent scarcely
5% of the total cost. Yet
they may occupy as much as
50% of its outer wall space.
This great increase in size
has made windows even more
important.
.Like insulation, good win-
dows work the year around
to cut your heating and air
conditioning costs. They can
make the difference between
enjoyable living in a com-
fortable home and an un-
comfortable, drafty exist-
ence in what may be only a
shelter.
Perhaps you know the ir-
ritation of poor windows.
They'll bind and warp. They
will rattle and leak. You'll
fume as you try to pull them
shut in a sudden squall . . .
or pry them open on a warm
day. And what a headache
cleaning up the dust and dirt
that filters into your home!
Add to this, the high extra
cost of heating or air con-
ditioning your home when you
have poor windows. Even
though, this might be a con-
tinual irritation to you, the
cost of changing windows
may be more than you feel
you can afford.
number of openings because
it was difficult to make a
weather tight joint between
window and wall.
Ribbon or narrow slit
windows were common in
Saxon and Norman England.
They were placed high in the
thick walls needed for de-
fense against arrows, scal-
ing ladders and battery
rams, and were shielded by
wooden shutters.
In walled towns where the
need for protection was less
pressing, windows were
larger than in the castles
and fortified manor houses of
the countryside. Translucent
substances came into use
— mica, parchment, oil ed
linen and crude green or blue
glass.
As the constant threats of
civil war decreased and
more s tab 1 e government
came into its own, houses
ceased to be fortresses and
could be built for the full en-
joyment of daylight. Gardens
replaced moats and bay
windows projected out from
walls.
It wasn't until about 1600
that the use of transparent
material in windows became
fashionable, although glass
has been manufactured for
almost 4,000 years. Early
glass windows were per-
manently fixed to walls, arid
could not be opened. Lead
glazing bars fastened to-
gether a regular geometric
pattern of small diamond
shaped panes, often diver-
sified by coloured glass.
The casement window was
invented in the early 17th
century. This usually con-
sisted of 15 to 20 square
panes divided by horizontal
and vertical lead gl az ing
bars. A wrought iron frame
hinged on one side allowing
the window to swing open.
These early casement
windows were the first to
provide some basic control
over room temperature and
ventilation, and were the
forerunner of our modern
day utility windows design-
ed to brighten our. homes
with sunlight, ventilate, and
keep out insects.
The double hung, up and
down sliding sash window
started to supplant the case-
ment window in popularity
a half century later. It is
believed that this type of
window was first introduced
from Holland.
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