In the News

DOORS OPEN AT GLASSBUILD AMERICA
GlassBuild America 2006 opened its doors on Tuesday, welcoming industry professionals from around the country to see the latest equipment and products. The event features nearly 500 exhibitors serving the glass, window and door industries, with 10,000 visitors expected for the 3-day event. The first day of the event featured educational seminars, several new product launches and a welcome cocktail reception.

Day 1: September 19, 2006
Photo Highlights
News Briefs

Day 2: September 20, 2006 Click here
Day 3: September 21, 2006 Click here

Photo Highlights

NGA drew 100 participants to its inaugural Glazing Executives Forum, held in conjunction with GlassBuild America.	GlassBuild America 2006 opened on Tuesday, with 10,000 visitors expected for the 3-day event.
Allmetal, Inc.	Eagle Window & Door, Inc.
Oldcastle Glass	C.R. Laurence Company, Inc.
VEKA, Inc.	Soft Tech America, Inc.
Attendees check out products up-close.	GlassBuild America gives visitors the opportunity to meet with their industry peers.
The Crystal Achievement Awards Pavilion on the tradeshow floor highlights winners awarded by Window & Door and Glass Magazine for significant innovations and achievements.

News Briefs

Fuel Efficiency Top Priority Among Retailers
In an effort to reduce fuel costs, many retailers are turning to the Dodge Sprinter van as their primary means of transportation, reported Paul Schodorf, president of Schodorf Truck Body, Columbus, Ohio. Schodorf, whose company provides interior and exterior glass racks for the vehicle, attributed the van’s popularity to its fuel-efficient Mercedes diesel engine and gas mileage.

Lightweight, aluminum glass racks also continue to be popular among retailers as they help reduce vehicles’ overall weight, allowing drivers to get more miles to the gallon, reported Robin Donker of Unruh Fab, Sedgwick, Kan.

H.B. Fuller Introduces Expanded Capabilities
With the acquisition of German-based Henkel Technologies earlier this summer, H.B. Fuller introduced attendees at GlassBuild America to its new capabilities at the show. Primarily a residential company, the acquisition resulted in the addition of a two-part polysulfide outer sealant and a polyisobutylene inner sealant to its product lines, giving the now-global company entry into the light commercial market.

“We’re taking tried-and-tested products from Europe and bringing them to the North American market where their primary application is light commercial,” explained Tina Dear, global marketing director for H.B. Fuller’s window division. “H.B. Fuller is now a leading manufacturer and expert in polysulfide. We’re changing people’s perceptions of what we can and cannot do.”

H.B. Fuller manned its booth with engineers and technical experts from the U.S. and Europe to talk about the advantages of the new-to-the-states products. “It’s got some significant advantages over other products but it’s had no name or infrastructure to push it until now,” Dear noted.

For more information on the company and the new offerings, visit www.hbfullerwindow.com.

Increased Availability Makes Decorative Glass More Affordable
The past five years have seen a decrease in the prices for many specialty glass products as more suppliers have entered the decorative glass market, said Dan Daniels, president and chief executive officer of Tampa-based Daniels Corp., representing Lincoln Glass of Tempe, Ariz.

Daniels spoke during the “Decorative Glass: Cutting Edge Ideas for 2006 and Beyond” seminar held Sept. 19 at GlassBuild America in Las Vegas.

“Customers want affordable luxury, and a lot of what we’re doing in glass fills that need,” Daniels said.

The growing number of products also drives down cost, he said. For example, “in the past, if you wanted glass tiles, you had to get mosaic tiles, and they were very expensive,” he said. “Now we have a variety of glass tiles and the prices are reasonable.”
Increased availability of decorative glass coincides with growing customer demand for more specialized and custom products, said Steven Brenner, vice president of sales, fabrication division, General Glass International, Secaucus, N.J.

“Specialty glass is a niche market and becoming an even more specialized trend that we can and should capitalize on,” said Brenner, who also spoke during the seminar.

Digital Workflow Speeds Design Process for Architects, Suppliers
In an effort to save time and money, architects and suppliers are increasingly looking to share information electronically, reported Jonathan Knowles, chief strategist for Autodesk Collaboration Solutions, San Rafael, Calif., in a Sept. 19 seminar, “Leveraging Collaboration Technologies to Maximize Resources and Streamline Workflows for Engineers, Manufacturers and Architects.” To facilitate the process, Autodesk introduced the DWF software platform that allows architects, engineers and designers to share architectural plans, CAD drawings and other project-related information with suppliers and customers, who can then review and mark up those documents electronically. In addition to cutting down on the costs associated with transferring paper documents, users can save time, Knowles explained. “DWF is to engineering and design workflows as PDF is to publishing workflows.”

Device Puts IG Units to the Test
In a live product demonstration on the floor of GlassBuild America, attendees got a first-hand look at a new generation of a gas-fill analyzer technology aimed to evaluate the level of argon or krypton in an IG unit.

Produced in Helsinki, Finland, and distributed in the United States by FDR Design Inc. of Buffalo, Minn., GasGlass is a battery-powered device that uses a 50,000 volt spark to excite gas to take a reading of the internal fill level. While the previous version of the technology was tethered for its electricity, the new generation is handheld, drawing on a rechargeable battery system for power to generate the spark.

The device is often used by manufacturers to ensure integrity as units come off the line, explained Randi Ernst of FDR Design. “We know that units fail and we pretty much know the mechanics of why they fail,” he explained. “It all comes down to quality.”

Because of the metallic make-up of low-E coatings, the device cannot get a reading through the low-E side of the unit. Ernst demonstrated to the audience how a reading is taken through the clear glass side of the window, as well as how multiple fill-level readings will give the user an average number to indicate the level of gas.

With the increasing focus on energy efficiency, specifically with programs like Energy Star, manufacturers are looking to make sure that products sent into the marketplace meet performance specs. “Our message to the industry is to pull your socks up because we can get out there and test you now,” Ernst said.

For more information on the product, visit www.fdrdesign.com.

ASTM Standard In The Works for Glass Flooring
ASTM International of West Conshohocken, Pa., recently formed a task group to create guidelines for glass flooring, said Keith Elliott, operations manager for Ultra Glas of Chatsworth, Calif.

Elliott spoke Sept. 19 during the seminar “Raising the Ceiling on Glass Flooring” at GlassBuild America. The audience consisted mostly of contract glaziers, along with some fabricators, contractors and specifiers.

“There is no standard for glass flooring in North America, but there is a future for a standard,” Elliott said.

ASTM International Task Group E06.56.94 consists of 13 members, many from the structural engineering community. Several of the members come from Australia and New Zealand, both of which have established standards for glass flooring.

“Standards are very important for growth in this market,” Elliott said. “Some [owners and architects] might be hesitant to have a tremendous amount of glass flooring without some official guidelines.”

TDCI Says Software Is for All Sizes
Software provider TDCI Inc. has introduced a version of its BuyDesign sales and configuration solution—traditionally geared toward manufacturers in the $25 million and higher range—to cater to smaller manufacturers on a usage-based fee schedule. The Web-based system, called OnDemand, employs the same BuyDesign software, but allows users to access the tool without the upfront investment of the software platform, explained Michael Wilson, vice president of product management and marketing.

TDCI demonstrated the OnDemand capabilities in its booth at GlassBuild Amnerica, showing smaller manufacturers that they may now have a software partner accessible to them. “We’ve repackaged the software to go after some of the smaller companies we’re not traditionally able to go after,” Wilson said. “We get so many calls from companies but when we ask them how much they do in sales, we have to explain that we might not be for them. That’s when we started thinking we should capture that smaller market with a solution geared toward them.”

Pricing for the program is based on the number of quotes a company generates per month, Wilson said.

For more information, visit www.tdci.com.

Surviving an OSHA Audit
John E. Garber, vice president of Keane Business Risk Management Solutions LLC, Wayne, Pa., gave glass manufacturers, fabricators and glaziers attending a GlassBuild America seminar Sept. 19 an overview of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

Garber explained that the best way to survive an OSHA audit is to know what to expect when the inspector arrives at the facility. Employers should have guidelines on how to manage the inspection process that control access to important information and related documents, allow the employer to focus on his or her positive safety issues, help identify the inspectors concerns early in the process and minimize liability.

When in doubt about how to handle an audit, Garber recommended seeking professional advice and counsel.Companies should complete a thorough internal review of their operations, correct any deficiencies and monitor compliance each month. During the inspection, he cautioned that statements should be chosen wisely, as they may be used against the company in the future.

School Windows Discussed at Educational Seminar
Windows for schools was just one presentation made Sept. 19 during the “Architects of a Better Mind,” program held in conjunction with GlassBuild America. The two-day educational program was hosted by the American Architectural Association of Schaumberg, Ill.

“According to a study by the Heschong Mahone Group,” explained Tony Thiret, western division manager, Graham Architectural Products Corp., York, Pa.. “in a one-year period, students in classrooms with the most daylight progressed 20 percent faster in math and 26 percent faster in reading than students in classrooms with the least daylight.”

Thiret went on to outline the three design criteria for manufacturing school windows: sound control, safety and security and egress requirements. The best glazing for school windows are tempered, laminated, dual seal, insulated and spandrel, and polycarbonate, he said.