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WINSLOW™LifeRaft Company Virtual Factory Tour |
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| Welcome to WINSLOW's virtual factory tour.
Scroll down this page and see how we build the world's best and most highly rated life rafts. If you'd like an actual factory tour,
you're welcome to come visit us in Lake Suzy, Florida, but we request
that you contact us to make an appointment well in advance of your visit. This ensures we have staff available to provide you the personal attention that you deserve. |
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 | | Advanced engineering is where it all begins, where the quality for which WINSLOW™ has become famous is designed into each life raft we build. WINSLOW™ engineers utilize the latest Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing software (CAD/CAM) to develop precise engineering drawings and specifications from which each life raft is constructed. This advanced capability allows WINSLOW™ to offer customization far beyond anything the competition can supply. |
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| WINSLOW™ opened its new factory in Lake Suzy, Florida in 1998. Designed expressly to WINSLOW's specifications, the 35,000 sq. foot building incorporates the latest in safety and ergonomics to provide WINSLOW's employees with a light, airy and safe workplace to build your life raft. Engineering offices are centered on the factory floor so Production and Engineering can easily work together. Sales, Customer Service, and Operations are located in mezzanine offices overlooking the factory floor. |
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 | | Every roll of fabric is inspected before use, samples cut from every roll undergo a battery of quality tests. WINSLOW's industry leading quality control allows us to track ever piece of fabric used to construct your life raft back to the production lot and roll it came from. All materials used in our life rafts are similarly tracked and checked.
The fabric is cut using a computer controlled cutting machine to ensure precise fit and highest quality, while also reducing waste. The cutting instructions come directly from the engineering drawings, eliminating potential sources of error. |
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| In spite of WINSLOW's investment in high tech engineering and computer controlled cutting machines, life raft assembly is still performed by skilled craftsmen and -women. For some things there is simply no substitute for a skilled pair of hands. Application of WINSLOW's exclusive catalytic adhesive ensures the strongest life rafts possible. Each lot of adhesive is tested for bonding strength, just another part of WINSLOW's dedication to quality. | |  |
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 | | WINSLOW's skilled seamstresses use heavy duty thread to ensure the ultimate strength will be there if needed. Here loops of heavy duty nylon webbing, to which grab lines will be attached, are sewn unto backing which will then be attached to the life raft buoyancy tube with WINSLOW's catalytic adhesive. A larger reinforcing patch will then be adhesived over it for added strength. Overbuilt? We don't think so and neither will you if you should ever find yourself in dire straits where you must rely upon a WINSLOW™ life raft to save your life. Shortcuts have no place at WINSLOW™. No seamstress is allowed to perform production work until samples have passed WINSLOW's rigorous testing and production samples are also tested regularly. |
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| Hand assembly is still the only way to put a life raft together. Here seam tape is applied to reinforce the critical joint where the floor is attached to the buoyancy tube. WINSLOW™ uses heavy duty material for seam reinforcement, as strong as the primary raft material itself. The seam reinforcement helps give WINSLOW™ life rafts their distinctive look, while also adding to their strength. |
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 | | Laying down on the job is just part of the job at WINSLOW™ for assembly craftspersons. Each life raft is custom built for you by workers who care about you and who take pride in what they build. Every craftsperson who assembles your raft personally signs a production card that is included with your life raft when you get it. A similar record is maintained for quality control purposes. At WINSLOW™ we take a personal interest in every customer, from the top down. |
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| It may not add anything to the life raft's ultimate strength or capability to save your life, but the pride of each craftsperson shows in their dedication to the little details. Here a craftsperson removes excess adhesive and fingerprints from an arch tube--because she cares. | |  |
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 | | In final assembly the life raft is once again pressure tested and the final fittings and attached survival equipment, such as WINSLOW's exclusive QuickGrab flashlight, are added. Survival equipment is carefully packed into the Survival Equipment Pack(s). Any customer supplied survival equipment or supplies you may have sent for inclusion are added at this point. After a final inspection the life raft is evacuated with a powerful vacuum and then carefully folded according to the engineering plans for that life raft. |
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| After initial packing, WINSLOW™ designed compaction units are used to compress the life raft so as to take up minimum space. Once compaction is completed and the final packing inspected, your life raft is ready to go. Each and every one of us at WINSLOW™ take great pride in the life rafts we build. We know you are trusting us with your life. We build every life raft with only one thing in mind...to save your life.™ Isn't your life worth a WINSLOW™?™ |
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| We hope you have enjoyed WINSLOW's virtual factory tour. If you'd like an actual factory tour, you're welcome to come visit us in Lake Suzy, Florida, but we request that you contact us to make an appointment well in advance of your visit. This ensures we have staff available to provide you the personal attention that you deserve. |
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