Project 07 of 36

Floating Sliding Door

Company: C.R. Laurence
Role: Product manager, stage-gate lead
Year: 2025
Discipline: Sliding systems
Status: Gate 3 complete, December 2024
Images: 7

A sliding glass door with no visible track at the head or the floor, so the panel appears to float. It was developed with a European hardware partner for offices, homes and hospitality, at a lower price and with an easier installation than CRL's existing commercial sliders.

I took over the program at Gate 3. Before committing to inventory we surveyed architects on the concept: 85% found it appealing and 77% said they were likely to specify it. Their comments shaped the launch messaging around minimal hardware and clean lines.

Architects who found the concept appealing: 85%
Likely to specify it: 77%
Saw it as different from what's available: 90%
Sliding door market, 2023: <$2.5B

Overview

Problem: Customers want contemporary sliding doors that are affordable and simple to install.
Solution: A concealed-track sliding system for residential and commercial use, as a lighter-duty alternative to CRL's 690/695 sliders.
Customers: Architects, for the aesthetics; contractors, for the cost and ease of installation. Offices, residential and hospitality.
Value: No visible track or bottom guide, concealed hardware, and an accessible price.
Sourcing: Buy: developed with an existing European hardware partner.
Competition: Milcasa and Qiwin; Home Depot and Amazon barn doors in wood at the low end.

My role

I took over the Floating Sliding Door at Gate 3. Before committing to inventory I ran a concept survey with architects, used the results to shape positioning and launch messaging, reviewed the European partner's quality report, and built the outside-sales training.

Stakeholders I coordinated

Partner: European hardware partner (development and manufacturing)
Research: Architect concept survey
Internal teams: New product development · Product testing · Marketing · Sales and service centers · Sourcing and purchasing · Demand planning · Master data
Gate committee: VP Engineering · VP Product Design & Development · VP Sales · VP Marketing · Head of Product & Innovation

Stage-gate progress

G0 Concept Apr 2024
G1 Define May 2024
G2 Develop Jun 2024
G3 Validate Dec 2024
G4 Launch Planned
G5 Post-launch Planned

Research

Fig. R01

Architect concept survey

Architects and designers who attended a glass entrances webinar rated the concept on four questions.

Strongly positive
Positive
Neutral or mild
Negative
Strongly negative

How appealing is this concept compared to other products? 49%36%15%

How different is it from other products currently available? 28%62%10%

How much do you like or dislike it? 59%28%10%

How likely are you to recommend or specify it? 28%49%15%

Fig. R02

What architects liked most

The words that came up most in open-ended answers, sized by frequency.

clean track visible aesthetic simple minimalist bottom look modern hardware lines door frameless trackless simplicity rail top guide ease

Fig. R03

List-price position against CRL sliders

Indexed to the CRL 695 (= 100). The floating slider opens a lower price point in the sliding portfolio.

CRL 695 100

CRL 51 96

CRL 285 93

Floating Sliding Door 54

Challenges and resolutions

01
Challenge
The program changed hands at Gate 3, with inventory decisions still open and no direct customer validation of the concept.

Resolution
I surveyed architects before buying: 85% found it appealing and 77% said they were likely to specify it, which justified the buy and told us what to lead with.