From Bottleneck to Breakthrough

From Bottleneck to Breakthrough

Cable Bullet (Warsaw, IN), a direct-to-consumer ecommerce manufacturing company that designs and produces high-quality cable railing systems for decks and stairs, began to experience problems with its powder coating process and quality. As its product demand grew, maintaining the visual integrity and durability of its posts and handrails was critical to the brand’s reputation. 

Because powder coating was the one significant challenge in the company’s supply chain, it had to find a powder coating expert in the industry to partner with. Problems ranged from poor turnaround times to durability issues. The powder coating finish marred easily during shipping, installation and everyday use. Even normal contact, such as a wedding ring brushing against a handrail, could leave visible scratches.

The company is known for its discreet tensioning technology that hides hardware inside the post.

These durability challenges resulted in costly returns and rework, creating a bottleneck that limited the company’s ability to scale. Beyond durability, it also needed consistency in quality, reliable turnaround times and the capacity to support increasing production volumes without compromising standards.

Before partnering with Winona Powder Coating (Etna Green, IN), Cable Bullet worked with multiple powder coaters and encountered persistent quality issues at every stage of the product lifecycle.

Through collaborative testing and process refinement, the two teams identified a more robust coating solution: an AAMA 2604–rated powder from Axalta featuring a subtle mini-texture. This finish significantly improved scratch resistance while preserving the clean, modern look Cable Bullet is proud to proud to produce.

The impact was immediate and measurable: the railing company grew by 35% while decreasing the percentage of returns. Despite adding approximately $5 million in additional revenue, the company spent the same absolute amount on returns—a clear indicator that quality had improved as the volume of business increased.

With consistent durability during shipping, installation and daily use, powder coating was no longer a limiting factor. Winona Powder Coating delivered the quality, speed and capacity its customer needed to move forward with confidence.  As Chris Manduka, co-founder and business manager at Cable Bullet, stated, “All I used to think about was powder coating, and now I don’t think of it at all.”  Manduka can now focus on growing the business instead.

Today, Winona Powder Coating and Cable Bullet continue to grow together. With a reliable powder coating partner in place, the railing company is expanding its color and finish offerings and exploring additional powders to support future product innovation.

By solving a critical quality challenge, Winona Powder Coating helped remove a major barrier to growth—turning powder coating from a pain point into a competitive advantage.