Our company is Cardinal Glass Corporation where they specialize in the development of residential glass windows and doors. The company is around 6,000 employees and has 37 manufacturing locations across the country. The company is privately owned but sells glass to companies like Pella Windows and others. There is currently only one location in Iowa, and the main focus of the work done there is the manufacturing of insulated glass windows.

In this location after the product is prepared and being ready to ship, it goes through a process of having plastic film applied to the glass. The function of this plastic film on the glass is for when installation is being done and contractors are having the area around the window painted, it is protected. Once the construction process is complete the film is removed and the glass should be in a clean condition. The problem the company has is that employees are using utility knives to hand cut masking film from a butt-roll which is exposing employees to potential injuries. Current methods are inconsistent and putting employee’s safety at risk. Employee safety is always the highest priority and improving this process will help minimize potential injuries. The company does not want any incidents to come up from this in the future. The cost associated with this can vary from Workers Compensations, loss of productivity, and even potential OSHA violations/fines. Other sister plants have had this problem arise and could be looking for a similar solution.