FlexScreen is seeking to mitigate inflation by introducing automation to its seven manufacturing plants around the country. The company expects this will neutralize the effects of inflation by helping to lower labor costs.

According to data¹ published by the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the average percentage of annual inflation rate nearly doubled to 8% in 2022. In the previous year, the average was 4.7%. The rise of inflation is attributed to various factors, including supply chain issues, customer demand, and the effects of the global pandemic. Without evidence of a significant decrease soon, companies like FlexScreen are devising solutions to maintain affordability amid inevitable rising overall production costs.

"We're investing over 7 million dollars into outfitting all of our facilities with best-of-class, award-winning automation. Once that's in place, we'll be able to stabilize prices and possibly even lower them," says Joe Altieri, Inventor and CEO of FlexScreen.

FlexScreen recently partnered with Erdman Automation Corp. and created an exclusive, state-of-the-art automated manufacturing line to produce FlexScreen faster and at lower costs. The new line will also enhance and optimize the production process of the custom-sized flexible window screens. The first automated line is estimated to arrive at the company's flagship facility in Pittsburgh by the end of February.

Despite the assumption that automation means layoffs for current employees, FlexScreen has the opposite intention. "We're not planning on laying anybody off; we're just repurposing them into new, easier positions," Altieri said. With hiring and retaining staff becoming a problem for many businesses today, FlexScreen hopes to continue utilizing its current workforce while reducing the complications of labor shortages in the future.

With the new automated line, FlexScreen also announced the option to license its technology directly to window manufacturers, allowing them to produce FlexScreen in-house. Now manufacturers can make FlexScreen's spring-steel flexible window screens faster and easier in a fraction of the space and at a lower cost than aluminum screens. By lowering costs, meeting more customer demands, and increasing the availability of FlexScreen, the company furthers its fight against inflation while transforming the window industry.