ABOUT
WHAT WE OFFER
Thank you for your interest in Winsor Fireform. We take great pride in our work, and we appreciate the opportunity to discuss it with you.
Our company has manufactured more high-resolution porcelain enamel panels than any other company in the world. We have developed a niche in the global market while retaining a rapport with each of our clients and never forgoing our dedication to the highest quality work. We offer the most extensive custom color-matching library and the widest range of panel sizes in the industry (maximum 10’ in length), which allows us to reproduce in porcelain, images of unparalleled clarity and richness. Every product we have manufactured is unique and custom made to the client's specifications.
Our team of professionals is dedicated to following each and every job that comes through our plant from quote request to shipment, and this dedication to all aspects of every job allows us to ensure that nothing is overlooked. During all stages of the development of our projects we maintain an open communication with clients, adhere to a timeline for prompt delivery and offer a cost that is competitive within the industry. We are entirely involved in every stage of the process from the creative design, through all stages of production to completion.
With over thirty years experience in the industry and thousands of exhibits installed worldwide, our international reputation for quality and durability is evidenced by a host of renowned clients: The White House, New York Times Square, Smithsonian, National Football League, San Diego Zoo, Washington Monument, Antarctica, DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, Canada National Parks Service. Please take a look around our website and visit our portfolios to see examples of the numerous projects we have completed throughout the years.
We look forward to working with you—utilizing all the skills and technologies that make us the industry leader—to deliver the most beautiful, durable and cost-efficient product for an imaginative and dynamic display.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
Environmental protection is a top priority at Winsor Fireform. With deep roots in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, the employees of Winsor Fireform greatly value a healthy environment and are committed to its preservation. The following evidence reflects our environmental priorities:
- We have invested time, effort and substantial amounts of money into systems for environmental protection. We have implemented a closed loop in our manufacturing processes. Zero process wastewater is discharged into the sewer system. Some production materials are reclaimed for re-use.
- Although not required to do so, we have implemented equipment and procedures that reduce our use of water.
- We recycle steel, aluminum, cardboard, styrofoam, paper, and plastic.
- We ship our product in heavy-duty, reusable plywood shipping boxes rather than cheaper, disposable cardboard containers.
Our product itself is environmentally friendly because:
- Porcelain panels are permanent, in contrast with other products which have short useful lives that end up in a landfill after a couple of years.
- Our kilns, in which we fire the panels, are powered by clean, renewable, hydroelectric power. We also recently replaced our old kilns with new more energy efficient kilns.
- Unlike many competing laminate and fiberglass products, porcelain enamel is not the product of non-renewable fossil fuels.
WARRANTY INFORMATION
Winsor Fireform’s warranty and replacement policy are the best in the business. We are committed to exceptional quality standards. We have spent decades developing this product and we proudly stand behind our meticulously crafted porcelain enamel signage and graphics with a reputable 25-year warranty against fading, discoloration, or gloss reduction regardless of UV exposure. Our products are so durable that it doesn't matter where you put them; Winsor Fireform has produced panels for placement in harsh environments, such as Death Vally, 30 years ago which are still in place today. We also have a five-year warranty against manufacturing defects.
It is very difficult to permanently damage our porcelain graphics through vandalism such as spray-paint or markers. That said, a very determined vandal will be able to damage virtually any product, and our products are only as durable as their substrate. However, our replacement policy ensures, with limited exceptions, that panels damaged by vandalism can be reproduced at only a portion of the original cost. Please call, email, or go to our Contact Us page for further replacement policy and warranty information.
COMPANY HISTORY
ORIGIN
Winsor Fireform’s longevity as a leader in the porcelain enamel industry is derived from successful management and a unique product: porcelain enamel on steel signage and graphics.
Winsor Graphics was founded in 1983 and that same year they invented the first of many photographic color imaging processes that are still in use today. In 1986, Winsor exceeded all competition in the photographic porcelain enamel industry by creating a 300 line-per-inch resolution four-color-process.
Winsor Graphics, which at the time was located in downtown Olympia, Washington, was sold to Bryan Stockdale in 1998. After making staff changes, and some key financial decisions, Winsor Graphics continued to manufacture its signature porcelain enamel signage and graphics, and successfully achieved a mile-mark by creating its 10,000th graphic panel.
Three years later in 2001, Winsor Graphics acquired Fireform (then located in California) and its technology and assets to become Winsor Fireform. With the addition of Fireform, Winsor Fireform began offering the largest custom color-matching base in the industry with a color palette of 17,000 colors and with more colors being developed every year.
In 2004 Winsor Fireform bought a 20,000 square foot building in the Mottman Industrial Park, located in Tumwater, Washington. Winsor Fireform continues to reside in this location today and produces more than 4,000 porcelain enamel panels and products a year with a small operating staff.
In 2006 Winsor Fireform completed its biggest installed project to date for the Griffith Observatory located in Los Angeles, California. The centerpiece display, named the Big Picture, is 3,040 square feet and is a full bleed photographic representation of the night sky.
DEVELOPMENT
Most recently, Winsor Fireform has introduced two additional products within two new operating divisions: graphic tile - Fireform Graphic Tile and exhibit frames - Fireform Fabrication.
Fireform Graphic Tile features porcelain enamel on glass, ceramic, porcelain and steel tiles. Virtually everything that you could produce with porcelain enamel on steel can now be reproduced on tile. Additionally, the reputable written warranty that Winsor Fireform applies to all its products, applies to the tiles as well. A noteworthy project produced in 2009 was the 8 porcelain tile murals, which were installed in the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field.
Fireform Fabrication designs and produces the framing and mounting systems for installing the porcelain enamel panels. Fireform Fabrication is a full-service manufacturer which takes a framing project from concept all the way through final production in-house. In order to provide our clients with the most flexibility for their custom project, Fireform Fabrication had developed the capability of working with a variety of metals including stainless and corten steel amongst others. One of the more noteworthy recent projects that Fireform Fabrication produced was for the Kennedy Space Center. The space center was holding a celebration for the 40th Anniversary of the first Apollo landing on the moon and they asked Fireform Fabrication to produce a mounting system for the porcelain enamel panels that they were commissioning.
INNOVATION
At Winsor Fireform, we constantly explore new processes, technologies, and fabrication methods. We invented our high-resolution proprietary photographic imaging process and also developed a photo-luminescent porcelain ink process. We meet our client’s diverse requirements by combining the absolute latest in computer technology, advanced proprietary systems, and an insatiable curiosity; we produce the finest quality porcelain enamel products in the industry. We are a company of innovators. Our reputation for innovation in turn encourages requests from you, our customers, for ever more demanding applications and the cycle repeats itself. The variety of applications appropriate for porcelain enamel is limitless. All of the work produced by Winsor Fireform is custom; there are no “in-stock” products. Because all of our work is custom, we pride ourselves on exceeding our clients’ expectations by developing close working relationships; we work together to meet every customer’s need and to collaborate with you to meet your budget.