Project 08 of 36
Ladder Pulls
- Company
- C.R. Laurence
- Role
- Product manager, stage-gate lead
- Year
- 2025
- Discipline
- Door hardware
- Status
- Stocked spring 2026; launch preparation underway
- Images
- 4
Ladder pulls are one of CRL's largest architectural hardware categories, but sales fell 13% from 2022 to 2023 as competitors sold similar-looking pulls for close to half the price. Customers didn't understand why ours cost more.
Instead of racing to the bottom, we split the line in two. CRL X is a premium exterior pull in 3 mm, marine-grade 316 stainless for coastal and winter climates, priced against the market's premium brand. CRL I is a 1.5 mm, 304 stainless interior pull at a value price. Both come from a new supplier with a lower cost structure. We focused on the fast-moving sizes, planned a sell-down of the old stock, ran first-article inspections on every component, and took the program through Gate 3 to stocked inventory in spring 2026.
- Category sales, 2022 to 2023
- −13%
- Revenue from the top 45 of 132 SKUs
- 89%
- New lines: exterior 316 SS, interior 304 SS
- 2
- 2023 pull revenue from locking pulls
- 21%
Overview
- Problem
Competitors offered lower-quality pulls at prices close to ours or far below, and customers weren't told why CRL's cost more.
- Strategy
Two lines for two applications: premium exterior and value interior, which limits cannibalization between them.
- Solution
CRL X (316 stainless, 3 mm) for exterior and harsh environments; CRL I (304 stainless, 1.5 mm) for interiors. Both replace the previous line.
- Customers
Architects, temperers, glazing contractors and Division 10 contractors.
- Market
Glass office market over $20B, growing 3.8% a year.
- Competition
FHC, IGT, InterGlass, Assa Abloy.
My role
I co-led the ladder pull program with the senior product manager from Gate 0. I built the decline analysis and the tiered-line strategy, managed the supplier change, set pricing for both lines, planned the sell-down of the old stock, and ran the first-article review with quality engineering.
Stakeholders I coordinated
- Supplier
- New ladder pull manufacturer
- Quality
- Product quality engineering: first-article inspection
- 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 May 2024
- G1 Define 2025
- G2 Develop Aug 2025
- G3 Validate Oct 2025
- G4 Launch Feb 2026
- G5 Post-launch Planned
Plan to win back ladder pull sales
Sales had fallen every year since 2022, and slow-moving sizes sat on the shelf for anywhere from 4 to 62 months. Matching low-cost pulls on price would have meant matching them on quality too.
- 01
Split the line
CRL X, 3 mm 316 marine-grade stainless for exteriors and harsh climates, priced against the market's premium brand; CRL I, 1.5 mm 304 stainless for interiors at a value price.
- 02
Explain the price
Sales materials lead with material and wall thickness, so customers can see why a coastal or winter-climate entrance needs the exterior pull.
- 03
Clear the old stock
Discount the previous line hard while it still sells, then move the remainder in one bulk sale to recover what was spent.
- 04
Buy smarter
A new supplier with a lower cost structure, and stocking focused on the lengths that drive most of the revenue.
Research
2023 sales by pull length
Share of ladder pull revenue (U.S. and Canada). The launch focused on the fast-moving lengths.
2023 sales by finish
Share of revenue by finish, used to decide which finishes to launch first.
- 56%Brushed stainless
- 37%Matte black
- 5%Polished stainless
- 2%Other
36" pull list price, indexed
Previous CRL pull = 100. The tiered lines sit above and below the old price point, bracketing the competition.
Category plan, indexed to 2024
Sell down the previous line with aggressive discounting, then clear the remainder in bulk, while CRL X and I ramp. Assumes 40% adoption from 2024 sales.
- Previous line only
- Previous line plus CRL X and I
Indexed from internal forecast; actual figures withheld.
Line architecture
Same performance standards, two materials for two environments. 316 stainless resists corrosion far better than 304 thanks to its molybdenum content, which matters in coastal humidity and salted winter air.
| Line | Material | Wall | Application |
|---|---|---|---|
| CRL X | 316 marine-grade stainless | 3 mm | Exterior, coastal and winter climates |
| CRL I | 304 stainless | 1.5 mm | Interior |
Challenges and resolutions
-
01
Challenge
The new supplier's long lead time meant waiting for the usual post-launch buy would leave a gap on the shelf.
ResolutionI prepared an early initial purchase order with the new parts and product categories, the same approach we had used on TurboFlex, and got leadership approval ahead of the normal cycle.
-
02
Challenge
First articles passed dimensional and fit checks, but the assemblies didn't match the drawings on parts and quantities, and parts shifted inside the box.
ResolutionQuality and I documented every gap on the inspection reports, sent drawing corrections and missing-part lists back to the supplier, and added packing material and proper box labels before the production run.
Voice of the customer
As an owner I am looking for ways to help maximize profit. I must buy ladder pulls from [a low-cost competitor] since they are a significant price difference. I'm not able to justify spending more when I can spend much less for similar results.
Gallery
