Most converting facilities run on tribal knowledge. When a good operator leaves, quality drops and nobody knows why. IMS Winder Excellence fixes that — with on-machine training, line-specific playbooks, and formal certification.
The Cost of Tribal Knowledge
Three re-slits a week is $124,800 a year — not in machine costs, but in operator errors that are almost always preventable. The problem isn't your equipment. It's that nobody ever formally taught your operators how to run it.
IMS has audited facilities running Cameron, Titan, Dusenbery, Atlas, Catbridge, and other winders for over 30 years. The same root causes show up every time: no documented run procedures, no tension training, no threading standards, no succession plan when the best operator retires.
This is a representative example based on typical facility data. Your actual savings will depend on your current defect rate — the audit tells you your number.
The Program
Video walk-through of your winder setup, pre-audit questionnaire completed by your team, 90-minute live review with Nick, and a full findings report within 48 hours. No travel required.
From $1,8001–2 days on-machine at your facility. TNT mechanics, safe threading and startup procedures specific to your machine, tension fundamentals, defect identification drills, and hands-on certification checkrides for up to 6 operators.
From $9,800/winderThree levels: Level 1 Safe Operator, Level 2 Machine-Capable, Level 3 Winder Lead. Written and practical assessments. Documented skills that stay with the line — not just with one person.
Included in clinic tiersA laminated + digital playbook built specifically for your machine — threading procedures, tension recipes, startup checklists, defect guides. The manual that should have existed from day one.
Included in Complete & EliteHow It Works
Walk through your current winder setup, operator headcount, and biggest pain points. We determine if a Winder Audit makes sense and which program tier fits.
Your team completes a pre-audit questionnaire. You walk Nick through your winder on a video call. Within 48 hours, you receive a full findings report — specific gaps, risk areas, and a recommended program plan.
Nick comes to your facility for 1–2 days. Operators work hands-on through threading, tension, defect drills, and machine-specific procedures. Every operator completes a formal checkride for certification.
Check-in call 30 days post-clinic to review performance data, answer questions, and confirm certification documentation. Optional retainer available for quarterly reviews and new-hire onboarding.
Why IMS
If it worked, you would have already solved this.
Other options
IMS Winder Excellence
The plant managers who call us have usually already tried something else. The audit tells us exactly what that left behind.
Pricing
Travel billed at cost, estimated separately. All clinics include up to 6 operators.
Start Here
The lowest-risk way to see exactly where your winder operation stands. No travel required — just a video walk-through, your team's questionnaire, and a 90-minute live review with Nick. Findings report delivered within 48 hours.
Essentials
Complete
Elite
About
Nick VanDyke founded Industrial Machine Specialists out of a simple observation: most winder problems aren't machine problems. They're training problems. Operators who were never properly taught, procedures that were never written down, knowledge that walks out the door when your best person retires.
IMS has worked with converting facilities running film, foil, flexible packaging, nonwovens, labels, and paper — on Cameron, Titan, Dusenbery, Atlas, Catbridge, and other platforms. The Winder Excellence program distills that experience into a repeatable system any facility can implement.
Nick VanDyke — Industrial Machine Specialists
Book an Audit
The Remote Winder Audit is the lowest-risk starting point. No travel, no commitment beyond the audit itself. Facilities that act on the findings typically recover the audit cost within days.