Project 11 of 36
TDR Door Rail
- Company
- C.R. Laurence
- Role
- Product manager, stage-gate lead
- Year
- 2025
- Discipline
- Door hardware
- Status
- Launched
A longer version of CRL's 4" Wedge-Lock tapered door rail: 36-3/4", one inch over the standard, with the pivot set at 3-5/8" to match the newest competitor 36" doors, for openings where the door needs extra clearance. Customers were already ordering this size as a custom rail at a steady rate, so we turned it into a stocked family of rails with matching 37" headers.
Most of the work was analysis and setup: sizing demand from custom-rail sales, choosing which finishes and lock options to stock, setting stocking levels at the service centers that sell the most, and writing the product listings.
- Custom 36-3/4" rails sold before it became a stock item
- 868
- Of them in satin anodized
- 76%
- Ordered with a lock
- 22%
- New SKUs: rails and matching headers
- 15
Overview
- Problem
Openings that need extra door clearance relied on custom-length rails, with custom lead times.
- Solution
A stocked 36-3/4" rail with a 3-5/8" pivot setback, in five finishes with and without locks, plus matching 37" single-door headers.
- Value
The patented Wedge-Lock system, available off the shelf at this size: a door can be prepared for installation in under ten minutes.
- Evidence
Custom-rail sales history showed steady demand at this length, enough to justify stocking it.
My role
I ran the TDR rail from analysis to launch: sizing demand from custom-rail history, choosing finishes and lock options, setting stocking levels at the busiest service centers, and writing the product listings.
Stakeholders I coordinated
- Internal teams
- Engineering · Demand planning · Service centers · Master data · Marketing
Research
Custom 36-3/4" rail sales by finish
Unit mix of the custom rails that preceded the stock SKU. It set which finishes to stock in depth.
- 76%Satin anodized
- 21%Brushed stainless
- 3%Polished stainless
With or without a lock
Same 868 rails. Lock versions are stocked at lower levels.
- 78%Without lock
- 22%With lock
Standard rail vs TDR
The TDR clones the standard 4" tapered rail, one inch longer and with a different pivot point.
| Attribute | Standard 4" rail | TDR |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 35-3/4" | 36-3/4" (933 mm) |
| Pivot setback | 2-3/4" (American standard) | 3-5/8" (92 mm) |
| Glass | 1/2" monolithic tempered | 1/2" monolithic tempered |
| Glazing system | Wedge-Lock | Wedge-Lock |
| Matching header | Standard | 37" single-door header |
