For more than 130 years, Caldwell has created quality spring balances for window manufacturers around the world. Our products are everywhere from homes to schools, office buildings to hotels, even the United Nations Secretariat Building and the Empire State Building in NYC.
It all began in 1888 when Allen Boucher and William Caldwell formed a company to supply window products to hardware stores throughout the Northeast of America. At first, Caldwell’s core product was a clock spring counterbalance that revolutionized the window construction process and firmly established Caldwell in the fenestration industry.
Over the past 130 years, we’ve expanded our product lines to include balances, heavy duty & light duty multi-bar hinges & friction stays, butt hinges, automation systems and many other window & door hardware accessories.
Operating in both commercial and residential sectors, we have many brands under the global Caldwell umbrella including MAGNUM®, Cotswold, and INMOTION® to provide Solutions that Set New Standards across the entire industry, all while continuing to prove our reputation as a leading provider of high quality window and door products for top window and door manufacturers around the world.
Timeline of Growth and Innovation
1888: Formed company. Supplied clock spring counterbalances for window construction.
1948: Developed first spiral balance product called Spirex. It improved the window construction process and catapulted Caldwell to the top of the game.
1950s: Sales of Caldwell products gained nationwide presence and totaled more than $1 million as the company harnessed the explosive growth in residential housing following WWII.
1955: Opened plant in Jackson, MS to supply the new aluminum window market.
Late 1950s -1960s: Introduced breakthrough new products: weather strip balances called Spiraflex and Rib-Tite.
1960: Opened plant in Sharon Hill, PA.
Late 1970s: Developed Trim-Tilt system for wood windows and Aluma-Tilt system for aluminum windows to allow hung windows to tilt to the inside for safe and easy cleaning.
1973: Embarked on a joint venture with an English window manufacturer to supply products to the UK and European markets. Caldwell eventually bought out the partners and established Caldwell Hardware United Kingdom.
1980s: Exponential rate of growth in the replacement window market. Relocated Sharon Hill plant to Williamsport, MD to accommodate the increase in sales and production.
1985: Built and opened current corporate headquarters in Rochester, NY.
1991: Launched ULTRA-LIFT® balances, Caldwell’s first hybrid balance designed to balance large and heavy windows.
2005: Relocated operations to new facilities in Juarez, Mexico and El Paso, TX. Opened a distribution facility in Alachua, FL.
2009:Launched APEX™ the new Standard for Sideload Applications
2009:Launched the ECO-CARRIER™ product line: an ecologically friendly system of balancing a heavy sash
2010: Began the production of ROLLER-TILT Cartridges—an innovative LEAN solution for our customers attempting to streamline their production processes.
2012:The acquisition of ADVANTAGE™ Manufacturing (now a Division of Caldwell Mfg Co N.A. LLC) allowed Caldwell to expand and become a leading member of the global Heavy Duty Friction Hinge Market.
2013:Caldwell Celebrates 125 years of innovation and excellence in the Fenestration Industry
2014:Embarked on a second joint venture in the UK. The addition of Cotswold Architectural Products allowed Caldwell to grow further into the global Friction Hinge Market. Cotswold Architectural Products, a Caldwell Company, is a leading supplier of residential friction hinges.http://www.cotswold-windows.co.uk/
2014:The acquisition of Doors In Motion (now a Division of Caldwell Mfg Co N.A. LLC): a Tempe, AZ based automation system and door fabrication specialist. http://www.doorsinmotion.net/
Caldwell is #1 in the Spring Balance Business
1st moving coil constant force balance
1st co-located casement window operator and lock
1st heavy duty spiral balance (ULTRA-LIFT® balances) combining torsion and extension springs
1st adjustable clockspring balance
Caldwell’s spiral balances are in the windows in the Empire State and United Nations buildings in NYC
Over 1 billion balances sold
Spring Balances Are Our Family Business
It’s all in the family for our balances: in every generation there has been a Boucher building balances for single and double hung windows since the beginning of Caldwell.
