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Envision Dallas Modernizes Manufacturing Facilities with Advanced Equipment
By Beth Walker • Oct 23, 2024
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For over 15 years, Envision Dallas has been manufacturing dry erase, permanent, and highlighter markers in a variety of colors through a contract made possible by the AbilityOne Program. Our new marker machine represents a significant leap in production efficiency, enabling us to stamp manufacturing codes on markers at a much faster rate. We can now produce up to 20,000 markers per day, a significant increase from the 14,000 previously achieved using two older machines.
This upgrade has streamlined our operations, not only in boosting our daily output, but in allowing us to provide meaningful employment opportunities for individuals who are blind or visually impaired while maintaining high production standards. Eight additional employees, who are blind or visually impaired, work under this contract by packaging markers, filling cleaner bottles, labeling, and assembling erasers. The flexibility of this technology also allows us to switch labels quickly, offering the potential to produce private-label markers for different customers—something we've never done before.
Similarly, our new binder machine is revolutionizing another long-standing contract—one we’ve held for decades—that serves the Army, Air Force, Marines, Space Force, and Coast Guard. This advanced equipment automates the production of binders, increasing our output and improving the overall quality of the product. The machine also opens opportunities to use materials like acetate, which expands our capabilities to create new product substrates.
Much like the marker machine, the binder machine helps us deliver a better-quality product while maintaining job opportunities for individuals with vision loss. It enables us to meet the growing demand from our customers and positions us for future growth. In fact, this equipment could open the door for commercial contracts, allowing us to expand beyond our traditional markets while continuing to serve federal customers through AbilityOne Program.
This new binder machine was made possible through a generous donation from the Mabee Foundation, whose support aligns with our strategic plan to modernize our facility and embrace more automated processes that enhance both efficiency and employment opportunities.
Patrick Tuttle, Senior Vice President of Operations and New Product Development at Envision, explains the significance of these upgrades: “The new marker and binder machines position Envision Dallas as a leader in offering high quality production standards. They are integral to our strategic plan to modernize our plant, ensuring we continue to meet our customers’ needs while creating more opportunities for people who are blind or visually impaired.”
To learn more about Envision Dallas’s growth, visit envisionus.com/dallas/dallas-growth