Project 14 of 36
Top Latch Blumcraft
- Company
- C.R. Laurence
- Role
- Product manager, stage-gate lead
- Year
- 2025
- Discipline
- Door hardware
- Status
- Launched, February 2025
- Images
- 5
Blumcraft is CRL's long-standing panic device brand, now facing new competition. Its top latch had a recurring field problem: a 3° angle on the strike let the roller pop out under enough pressure. The latch also wasn't as universal as it should be, and electric-strike compatibility was limited. A competitor's fix for the electric-strike issue added cost and narrowed door compatibility.
Rather than buy an off-the-shelf part, our team at CRL designed a new security latch in-house. Its back plate keeps the roller engaged under exterior pull force, and it fits more door configurations. The design is patented, with CRL's VP of Engineering, Mirjana Komadina, named on the patent. It ships with every new Blumcraft panic device order for fast market penetration, and it passed Gate 4 in February 2025.
- U.S. panic hardware market, 2022
- $3.59B
- Market CAGR
- 4.4%
- Strike angle behind the old latch's failures
- 3°
Overview
- Problem
The top latch could fail under enough pressure, and figuring out model compatibility was unclear and slow for customers.
- Solution
A CRL-designed, patented security latch with a back plate that keeps the roller engaged, combining the best of our previous design and the competition's.
- Customers
Glaziers, architects, glass temperers and door repair shops.
- Value
A more secure and more universal latch at a lower cost than competing options, simplifying inventory for customers and for CRL.
- Design
Designed in-house by CRL's engineering and product team, and patented with Mirjana Komadina, VP of Engineering, as inventor.
- Competition
FHC, Assa Abloy, IGT, InterGlass.
My role
I co-led the Blumcraft security latch with the senior product manager through Gate 4. I documented the field failures, compared our design with the competition's fix, and worked with our engineering team as they designed and patented the new latch. I also set the plan to ship it with every new panic device order.
Stakeholders I coordinated
- Design and engineering
- CRL engineering team · Mirjana Komadina, VP of Engineering (patent inventor) · Product design & development
- Production
- Manufacturing supplier, building to CRL's design
- Quality
- First-article inspection
- Internal teams
- 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
- G1 Define
- G2 Develop
- G3 Validate
- G4 Launch Feb 2025
- G5 Post-launch Planned
Research
U.S. panic hardware market, projected
$ billions, projected from the 2022 estimate at a 4.4% CAGR.
Projection from published market estimates.
Challenges and resolutions
-
01
Challenge
First articles of our new latch design had to be approved before the production run, with the manufacturing supplier waiting on our answer.
ResolutionEngineering inspected the first articles dimensionally the week they arrived, and all three variants were approved for production.
Situational analysis
SStrengths
- Patented CRL design
- Strong Blumcraft brand recognition
- Included with all new panic device orders for fast market penetration
- Much less expensive than competing latches
WWeaknesses
- Existing doors in the field still carry the older latch until they are serviced
OOpportunities
- Keep and win back customers as new panic device competitors arrive
- Retrofit sales through service centers and door repair shops
TThreats
- Competitors may try to design around the patent
Gallery
