Pella Marks 100-Years by Honoring Engineers During Companywide Engineering Week

In its centennial year, Pella is taking a moment to celebrate the people behind the innovation: the engineers whose bold ideas, expertise and vision continue to drive Pella’s manufacturing and engineering success. Engineering Week (E-Week) provided the perfect opportunity to spotlight the talented engineers across Pella’s Family of Brands.

Throughout the week, Team Members were recognized through a series of events and activities, while also taking time to reflect on Pella’s 100-year legacy and look ahead to the future of design, technology and process innovation. 

Engineers participated in hands-on tech training, tested their knowledge in a specialized Engineering Jeopardy and toured the Engineering Hall of Fame, which showcased a century of engineering excellence at Pella. 

A highlight of the week was the annual 3D Prix competition, which challenged teams to co-design and 3D-print a custom car capable of navigating an obstacle course that featured glass, sand, water, hills and a ramp. The first-performance winners were Tank SHEN-anigans, led by Pella Members, Tim Vette, Jed Falck and Beau Armstrong.

Throughout the year, Pella focused on advancing engineering excellence across its Family of Brands. This year’s specialized recognition categories included:

• Leadership
  • Trailer Loading KPI Management System: Coached warehouse teams at every Operations site on how to implement and sustain best practices for loading trailers with established metrics and goals. –  Kent Leckband, Lori Gotta, Chris Pudenz, Joseph Watson
  • Macomb Erdman Line Install & Startup: Relocated, installed and launched an insulated glass production line at the Macomb facility seven months ahead of schedule. – Chad Rhoads, Ben Hitz, Jim Richardson, Wes Seward, Patrick Lyle, Chris Wagner, Jason Vander Werff
• Excellence
  • Sioux Center Automated Robotic Accessory Assembly: Developed and programmed robotics in-house to build accessories for Sioux Center, Carroll, Shenandoah and Service Parts. – Eric Steiger, Neil Oldenkamp, Al Miller
  • Digital Acceleration with Data Manager: Developed production-ready solutions that lowered costs and sped up the delivery of big-name initiatives like No Issues (Vision AI), Wood Partsmaking, Door Automation and Intelligent Operations. – Alex Shaw, Lyle Fischer, Drew Fruin, Ben Coady, Richard Russell, Logan Huinker, David Jaramillo Ayon, Michael Rossbach, Rey Rodriguez
  • CWS Hinge Door Relaunch: Moved with extreme speed to develop and launch an impact-rated hinge door in only 10 months. – Adam Walker, Bruce Zetty, Mary Rukashaza-Mukome, Stephen Smith, Levi Dutterer, Pat Mink, Brian Giddings, Ginny Campbell, Jesse Morales, Brad VanderLaan, Jonathan Nieves
• Innovation
  • Full Unit Chain of Custody and Vision AI: Brought new AI inspection technology from concept and development to broad scaling in Pella plants, creating a foundational quality capability. – Sarah Kempker, Hannah Bennett, Matt Blom, Micheal Rossbach, CJ Estal, Chad Blink, Aaron Houtz, Alex Shaw, Vijay Kalivarapu, Gavin Swartz
  • Patent Recipients: Added 13 patents in the past year. With over 200 patents in total, Pella continues to be one of the industry leaders. 

Pella continues to bridge industry gaps by fostering a people-first culture that values innovation, collaboration and craftsmanship. By celebrating the achievements of its Team Members and creating meaningful opportunities to recognize their contributions on a large scale, Pella reinforces its commitment to the people who power its success and shape the future of the industry.