High-Performance Building Is New Home for Manufacturer

At 163,420 square feet, CornellCookson’s new facility in Goodyear does more than just double the space the company has been operating out of in Phoenix for 25 years. Among its advantages, it streamlines the work flow for the company’s manufacture of custom closure solutions — such as the rolling doors and grilles used at stadiums, hospitals and other secure facilities — and adds a state-of-the-art multi-use presentation room.

The company plans to transfer some of its East Coast production here to satisfy West Coast dealers, who have been experiencing slightly longer lead time due to shipping from the East Coast, according to Kay Devlin, director of marketing communications. And a significant improvement is the streamlining of production lines.

Noting the company’s growth over the 25 years in the old facility, Devlin says, “We evolved new products and had to find a spot for it.” So production areas ended up a patchwork of cramped squares, with no correlation between incoming raw goods and finished product. “Now, it’s easier to understand what goes where; it’s easier to bring in parts, raw materials.” There’s a more logical flow that ultimately moves the finished product straight off the line and out the door onto loading docks.

The high-performance building, designed by Jones Studio of Phoenix, includes many sustainability features: roof orientation that provides potential for a roof-mounted photovoltaic system, north-facing clerestory windows that optimize natural light, and 11 harvesting tanks to collect rainwater that will be used to irrigate indigenous desert plants across the site through the dry months. Sky lights and landscaped employee courtyards incorporate the beauty of the Arizona landscape.

A highlight of the new facility is the audio-visual room. Large enough to accommodate 75 with desks and more with just chairs, it enables CornellCookson to offer more training sessions for its dealers and be able to showcase all the products. This is a vast improvement over being able to take just a few product samples out to the dealers, Devlin says, noting the size of the products. “And if there is an issue in the field, we could send the dealer out and, using Skype or FaceTime, connect with the representative in the field onto the [room’s] big screen, and troubleshoot.”