Navigating Growth: What to Know About Lead Times in 2025
Staying Ahead: What to Know About Lead Times at Awake
Awake experienced over 40% sales growth in 2024, and while we’re incredibly grateful for the trust our clients continue to place in us, that surge in demand did lead to extended lead times in the back half of last year. In response, Awake made significant investments to expand our manufacturing capacity in 2025—adding equipment, increasing headcount, and streamlining production processes—to help drive lead times back down.
However, as we head deeper into 2025, we anticipate continued strong growth across the board. While this is exciting, it also means lead times may continue to be fluid and can shift quickly based on incoming orders and demand.
What Affects Lead Times?
Lead times at Awake are capacity-based, which means they are driven by how many orders we are able to process and manufacture at a given time. The primary drivers that influence lead times include:
- Rapid Sales Growth: More orders coming in means our schedule fills up faster. Even with expanded capacity, exceptional growth can create temporary bottlenecks.
- Order Entry Volume: Timing matters. A sudden influx of orders from across our dealer and builder network can tighten timelines quickly.
- Project Complexity: Large, custom, or highly technical orders may require longer planning and manufacturing windows than standard builds.
- Labor & Production Resources: Even with increased staffing, onboarding and training take time. Awake continues to hire and train team members aligned with our social mission to keep pace with demand.
- Seasonal Fluctuations: Construction tends to be seasonal, and as a result, order volumes often spike in spring and summer, placing additional demand on our production queue.
Unlike the broader industry, where supply chain issues were once a major challenge, our current lead time fluctuations are not the result of material shortages or logistics delays. Rather, it’s the exciting, ongoing growth of our business that is the main factor.
How You Can Plan Ahead
To help keep your projects on track, consistent communication is key. We recommend the following best practices:
- Connect Early: If you’re 60–90 days out from placing an order, start checking in with your Awake Territory Manager. This gives you time to understand where lead times currently stand and adjust accordingly.
- Stay Flexible: Lead times can shift up or down depending on the flow of orders. Regular check-ins give you real-time information and help you make strategic scheduling decisions.
- Get in the Queue: If you’re confident in your specs, placing your order early is the most reliable way to lock in a timeline.
We are deeply committed to delivering exceptional products and service—on time and with precision. With your help and proactive planning, we can navigate growth together and continue to bring beautiful, high-performance fenestration solutions to life.
If you have questions or would like to discuss your upcoming projects, don’t hesitate to reach out to your Territory Manager. We’re here to support your success.